Introduction:
In reality the first step is always the hardest to take. Often people do not know what their first step is how to take the first step and they are not aware that such a step is necessary. People have great power and unlimited energy. People have the pulse and the impulse of change/freedom. Let us embrace and celebrate the stories of this energy, the narratives of change.
We all dream of a world that is just and fair. We wish to create a word that does not marginalize people based on their age, color, language, skills, culture and location – a world that celebrates and respect differences.
When making a dream into reality, we must take the first step for change, be it local, national or international.
Having these in mind, First Step idea was initiated by a group of young activists who took part in the CIVICUS Youth Assembly 2008 in Glasgow, Scotland, and developed the idea through their discussions during the assembly.

First Step Campaign has been initiated by a group of youth worldwide in order to:
• Inspire and activate those who have not participated yet in community affairs;
• Share the story of how youth take their first steps to make the world a better to live for all;
• Sustain those who are already involved in their community;
• Link communities, organizations and groups working on - specific issues and specific areas;
• Motivate youth to take part in Youth-Led development projects;
• Provide useful resources for youth to take actions;

Today Nigeria celebrate it greatest asset: Youth and Children as it mark National Children. As we may all know that in 1990 Nigeria joined it counter part to sign the African Charter which include among other things the protestation of the right of children and youth


In September 2000, Nigeria also joined other nations to signed the 8-Time bound declaration of universal commitment to development known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Where are we today? Among all the issues affecting the Nation today, children and youth are mostly affected such as poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, Climate Change and equality.

As a committed YOUTH DEVELOPEMNT ACTORS, I sincerely encourage that we continue to advocate for the passing of the Child Right Bill which is currently in the House of Assembly.


Let us as,young people come to the realization that to meaningfully participate in planning, developing, and evaluating processes in all decisions pertaining to the welfare of young people is to:

• Be active and knowledgeable participants by informing ourselves about law sconcerning our well being
• Have our voices heard by having representations at appropriate levels of policy making
• Take responsibility for our actions and inactions
• Making improvements by taking result-oriented actions
• Involvement by contributing physically, socially and emotionally at all levels
• Devotion and rendering service
• Be better leaders by listening and sharing the knowledge we have gained


Our Demand
1. Governments to immediately domesticate the March 2007 UN Convention for People with Disabilities, especially Articles 16 and 25 of the convention

2. Transformational programmes for stronger recognition of the importance of SRR among the media, the judiciary, medical fraternity, educational and health authorities, religious and cultural institutions.

3. Donors and development partners to invest in policies and programmes that promote an integrated, comprehensive response to SRHR within and aligned with the Maputo Plan of Action and the MDG’S.

4.Policy makers, public sector, researchers, NGOs, private sector, communities and others to foster partnerships and strengthen collaboration to strengthen advocacy, Programme implementation, research, monitoring and evaluation and resource utilization.

So help us God!!

“The information society cannot be complete without the active engagement and involvement of African women, who play a major role in reaching out and disseminating information to different communities.” Lettie Longwe, WSIS-Gender Caucus Secretariat


In the last decades ICT has become a powerful and widespread communications platform, particularly given the convergence of existing communications media with new communication technologies. ICT can be used to increase access to employment, education or health services; strengthen democracy; improve transparency; provide a platform for diverse voices; and cross-cultural knowledge exchange. The social, political and economic changes wrought by new information and communications technology have prompted certain shifts in development thinking. Development strategists now see, as recognized for example in the UN Millennium Declaration, the need to adapt ICTs as a way to avoid further marginalization, and also as a potential force for creating new economic growth opportunities and for pushing democratic boundaries

The digital divide between the developed and developing world in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) is the result of various factors beyond infrastructure, including poverty, lack of resources, illiteracy and low levels of education. In many societies women are the most impoverished with the least access to resources and with little control over decisions that affect their lives. For this reason, women are on the wrong side of the digital divide, with limited access to and control over ICTs.

When considering the factors that contribute to these inequalities it is important to understand the ways in which ICTs are allocated between women and men (the gendered allocation of ICTs), the different opportunities that exist for men and women with respect to education, training and skills development, employment and working conditions, content development and access to power structures and decision-making processes.

World secondary school enrolment statistics show that only 11% have achieved gender equality and 51% have a lower enrolment ratio for girls than boys.
In 2003 women earned in formal market on average, 79 -75 per cent of what men earned. Men more likely are hired in regular and better-paid positions, while women are increasingly being hired in peripheral, insecure, less-valued jobs including home-based, casual or temporary work. (ILO, Global Employment trends for women 2004)
The factors listed above influence the fact that the great majority of the world's women have no access to internet or to any other sort of modern communication system, and possibly will not in their lifetime.

But providing women with connectivity is not enough. Beyond questions of access to technology and software, other major concerns must to be addressed such as the need to break down gender and cultural barriers to women’s access to careers in technology, or absence of women in decision-making structures

Because women bear the brunt of violent conflicts, they have also been at the forefront of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace building. They have taken on different initiatives to transform the negative and stereotypical victim image that is often attributed to women caught in violent conflict situations to a positive and empowered image of stakeholders and active participants in the pursuit for just and sustainable peace. However, the idea of using the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for facilitating dialogues towards peace remains an unpopular concept among women involved in peace activism. This, despite the many examples of how such technologies have been used to support grassroots activism, networking and movement building. For the International Women's Tribune Centre however, our long experience in using ICTs to get women’s voices heard in global policy and decision-making and in translating policy rhetoric into realities at the community level, has taught us that there is more to ICTs than just serving as a cheaper and faster communication vehicle and knowledge source.


In October 2005, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, a landmark document that marks the first time the UN Security Council addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and recognized their contributions to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building, we at IWTC launched the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue in partnership with Isis WICCE. The Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue brought together women peacebuilders from Nepal, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Uganda and Zimbabwe representing 40 women’s organizations through a ‘real time global town hall meeting’ using Internet chat with voice and video/visual contact. It connected women working on peacebuilding and conflict resolution at country and community levels with gender advocates, policy makers and diplomats meeting at the UN, and with women attending the AWID Forum in Bangkok, Thailand. Participants in New York included personnel of the Canadian mission to the UN, women activists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, and USA as well as Rachel Mayanja, the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. The major thrust of the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue was women’s efforts to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, as well as the gaps and challenges they confront in working for its full implementation. Rachel Mayanja noted the women's concerns and suggestions and took their messages to the Open Debate of the UN Security Council, which took place immediately following the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue.

The discussions during the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue were recorded and edited and were used to produce radio features, public service announcements and radio drama in English, Luganda and Swahili. These radio productions that highlight women’s role in peacebuilding and reconstruction are currently being aired in different radio stations in Uganda and other parts of Africa. The Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue combined the power of the new information and communication technologies and the broad reach of radio to allow women peace activists at the national and community levels to sit at the peace table with policy makers and gender advocates at the international level. At the same time, it allowed for a broader outreach to more women in the communities by way of the radio productions.



The Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue represented an important link in “grounding” the connection between policies proposed at global level and realities confronting women at the local level. It was an effective exercise in making local voices heard in a global space and bringing back that global discussion to make sense at the local level. Moreover, the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue is an example of innovative usage of ICTs that builds on current efforts in conflict resolution, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding by enhancing channels, and modalities of communication, information dissemination, knowledge sharing, and collective learning in virtual spaces, especially when physical interactions are not possible because of geographical distance, lack of resources, and in certain instances, political sensitivities. It builds on the holistic view of conflict transformation, conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding as complex processes that are founded on the principles of inclusion and effective dialogue which can lead to trust, respect, and mutual acceptance of differences.

Within the broader picture of IWTC’s organizational objectives, the Peacebuilding Cyberdialogue is part of our continuing efforts to develop a core group of community radio broadcasters, print journalists, and other media practitioners who will ensure an on-going flow of information to women at country and community levels regarding the use of a global policy like the SCR 1325 as well as the existence of new legal mechanisms and how they can be used to protect and promote women’s rights.

Fifty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized the right to information as a fundamental human right. However the right to information only ensures a one-way communication flow, from those who have access to media and communication to those who haven’t. With homogenization of media, also freedom of expression appears to mean little. The structure of the media does not allow individuals to be heard outside the walls of their houses. In this context, communication rights emphasises the interactive process to ensure flow of information in both directions, and brings in issues of media ownership, censorhip and content regulations, privacy and intellectual property rights.

Pornography on the internet is one justification for governments calls on developing technology that will not only filter content but will track down creators and clients of pornographic websites. But it is usually the state who decides what content is 'harmful' or 'illegal'.

Secure online spaces - where women feel safe from harassment, enjoy freedom of expression and privacy of communication - enable survivors of violence against women to communicate their situation and seek help. These spaces are threatened by new ICT legislation allowing 'electronic snooping', and the increased development of smaller and more accessible ICT devices that support surveillance, facilitating abusers' ability to monitor VAW survivors, for example.

Women are disadvantaged when dealing with issues related to censorhip, privacy and security or intellectual property rights, because in general they are often not directly represented at the local, regional and national political decision-making structures where those issues are discussed.

We young people make up 30 percent of the global population. Whatever decisions we make now — or that adults make for us — will have an impact not just on our individual futures, but on the future of the entire planet. This is especially true when it comes to our sexual and reproductive health and rights. The sexual lives of young people are not necessarily an issue that older generations want to address. But if we young people are really involved, policies at the global, national and local levels can better reflect our needs, and better prepare us for our future.

We young people make up 30 percent of the global population. Whatever decisions we make now — or that adults make for us — will have an impact not just on our individual futures, but on the future of the entire planet. This is especially true when it comes to our sexual and reproductive health and rights. The sexual lives of young people are not necessarily an issue that older generations want to address. But if we young people are really involved, policies at the global, national and local levels can better reflect our needs, and better prepare us for our future.

Hi everyone, am Esther and i just want to write on my participation at the 3rd Africa Conference on sexual Health and Right that was held at the International Conference center Abuja form the 3rd-7th Feb. 2008 before i continue, i would to acknowledge Actionaid Intl Nigeria. for thier sponorship to me and our very own Joya for her contribution to my presentation

The conference attracted activists, reseachers, young people and policy makers in the field of sexual health and right accross different continent.

The conference was declared opened by the Mr. Uwemedimo Essiet, Chairman of the organizing committee after a brief speech by the honorable Minister of Health for Nigeria in which she stressed on the importance of educating the general public on issues related to reproductive health and rights, and the need for the public to have information on such issues readily available.
She pointed out that deaths from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and deaths from unsafe abortions and related causes were largely preventable but still prevalent in the African region due to the lack of information.
Sponsors and co-sponsors of the conference were given the opportunity to make brief speeches.
Ms Elizabeth Maguire in her speech said
“Now is the time to create a new global movement to turn women’s right to safe abortion into reality. To achieve our global goals, we must agree that:

• We will not stand for playing politics with women’s lives.

• We will not stop until the basic technologies for safe abortion care and contraception, that have been available in rich countries for decades, reach every village in low-income countries around the world.

• We will not be satisfied until all women know their legal rights and reproductive options.

• We will not be silent until criminal penalties are removed for women who seek and health professionals who provide abortion.

• We will not rest until governments and donor’s put women’s lives first in their priorities for money and attention.

Most important, we will engage women everywhere to demand the sexual and reproductive health care they need and the compassionate treatment and respect they deserve.
With leaders from Africa and every region, now is the time to begin a new era in advancing the human dignity and rights of women around the world”.

I, as one of the Youth Speakers spoke on 'Intervention of HIv/AIDS among Youths in Tertiary Institutions' in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria and i based my discussion/argument on the effect of Drug/substance abuse on the sexual health of Youths.

youth participation at the conference was one of core area of the conference. about 100 youths attended a special youth summiit and were admiited to the Youth Sexuality Institute (YSI)
Objectives:
• Develop a better understanding of the basic concepts and major challenges to youth sexual health and rights in Africa
• Build the skills required to engage with stakeholders in advancing the youth agenda; and
• Contribute to mapping the key actions required for improving youth sexual health and rights in Africa'
.
Day 2: YSI
• Defining the key Terms and concepts: Sex, Sexuality, Gender, Sexual Health and Rights.
• Sex: sex refers to the biological characteristics which define human beings ranging from female to male
(The term is often used to mean “sexual activity”)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
• Sexuality: Sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life and encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, erotism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction. Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, practices, roles and relationships. Whiles sexuality can include all of these dimensions, not all of them are always experienced or expressed. Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, historical and religious and spiritual factors.
- (WHO)
• Gender: Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women.
- (WHO)
• Sexual Health: Sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled
- (WHO)

• Sexual Right: examples are
- Right to sexual pleasure and fantasy
- Right to sexual orientation
- Right to choose sexual period
- Right to safe abortion and post abortion care (PAC)

• Status of Youth Sexual Health and Rights in Africa – I: what are the issues of concern
•Status of Youth Sexual Health and Rights in Africa – II: Progress Made and further Action required.

Day 3: YSI
• Pleasure and Responsibility: Building Loving and Mutually Rewarding Relationships
• Claiming our Rights: International and Regional Instrument Validating Sexual health and Rights
• Documents Promoting Rights: various documents the Nigerian Government has signed for the promotion and the protection of the rights of its citizen?
- International covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
- International covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- UN convention on the rights of child (CRC)
- Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Again Women (CEDAW)

• Making the Case for Young People’s Sexual Health and Rights – Background
- Nearly half of the global population are under age 25
Many young people are already sexually active and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other STI’S, unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexual coercion and violence
- While adolescence is a time for growth and learning, youth increasingly confront multiple threats to their health and well being
- Adolescents need information and skills to protect themselves from harm and to make free, informed and responsible decisions about their sexuality
- The time to entrust young people with the right, and equip them with the tools to build an egalitarian future no doubt is now.
• Documenting
- African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa
-
African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR)
- Beijing Action for Action(BPFA)
- International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD PoA)
- Millennium Development Goals
• How can we make the case? – all the documents have the following provisions:
- The right to equality, and to be free from all forms of discrimination- this provision can be used to argue for appropriate nutrition and care, and when adolescents are denied choice parts of meats, which they need for growth of their bodies and bones.
- The right to liberty and security of the person – this provision can be used to campaign for the protection of children and girls from sexual abuse and exploitation (FGM etc)
- The right to Information and Education – can be used to campaign for young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health and rights education – information and education that is gender sensitive and free from stereotypes
- The right to be free from torture and ill-treatment – this can be used as a campaign tool for protection against sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, sex slavery, sexual abuse and coercion, forced marriages, sex in exchange for employment.
• way forward
- More effort is needed
- Programs developed for and by adolescents is required
- Governments need to shift from acknowledging problems to solving them.
- We all need to work to make the case.

• Making Advocacy and Partnerships Work for the Youth Agenda.





I am more inspire and informed to be more involved in HR issues in Nigeria.

Esther Agbarakwe,
Nigeria

FORMALISATION of rules and regulations guiding fundamental rights of youths as the yardstick for better productivity of every youth in the country was the focus during the just concluded 3rd Africa Sexuality Health and Rights held in Abuja, as young Africans including Nigerians demanded their sexuality rights.

Entitled "Youth sexual rights, gender based violence and poverty", representative of African youths, Adiya Atuluku, vehemently demanded from African governments and the adult community to treat young people as humans with rights that have to be met and protected.


She said despite constituting a good percentage of the population of Africa, "young people have limited access to quality information that will help them make informed sexuality choices and lack access to quality heath care when in need adding that numerous traditional practices make youths vulnerable to sexual abuse.


On her own, Esther Agbarakwe enumerated the ordeals that young people face due to gender based violence, violent acts against women, trafficking in young women and children and the wickedness of female genital cuttings among others on the sexuality of the African youth giving raise to the question

"What can we do?"

Questions as to how government and the adult community could view rights of the youths more seriously came up, but it was maintained that government should do everything within her power to ensure youths right are met.
Vanguard (Lagos)
COLUMN
12 February 2008
Posted to the web 12 February 2008

Ebun Babalola and Ijeoma Njoku
Lagos

YOUTH SEXUALI TY INSTITUTE @ THE 3RD AFRICA CONFERENCE ON SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS ABUJA NIGERIA

Former national president of the Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN), Chief James Odebiyi, yesterday in Lagos disclosed that more than 400,000 hectares of Nigeria's forest were being depleted annually.

Odebiyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that of the depleted forest, only 36,000 hectares had been replanted.

``The rate of deforestation across the country today is quite disturbing when compared with the slow pace of replanting such areas.

``Our forest resources have been unduly depleted for personal needs, farming, mining and construction,'' he said.

The environmentalist urged the government to be committed to tree-planting programmes.

``Now that we are under the effect of climate change, we should desist from paying lip service to issues of tree planting.

``We need to embark on massive replanting of our deforested landmass nationwide to check flooding and erosion,'' he said.

Odebiyi called on governments at all levels to cooperate with the NGOs and other related professional bodies for sustainable forest management.

According to him, the forest has the direct benefits of wood products, employment, environmental stability and derivation of oxygen, if properly managed. (NAN)

Creating Local Connection in West Africa-Nigeria Train of Trainers Workshop Held in Calabar, Nigera Feb18th-22nd 2008

CONCURRENT SESSION 2 FACILITATED BY ACTIONAID NIGERIA AT THE 3RD AFRICA CONFERENCE ON SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS 4TH-7TH FEBRUARY, 2008.

Freeing young people from the shackles of abuse, inhuman treatment and gender-based violence requires concerted efforts to be made in a number of areas needing urgent attention vis:

·
Sensitizing the general populace about what human rights are and how they can be demanded: An average African society views human rights as a western culture and doing things from a right-based perspective as neo-colonialism. The right holders in a typical African community are not aware of their rights and do not even know they have the power to hold duty bearers accountable whenever they deviate. Therefore, the duty bearers who should in normal circumstances be seeing to the respect, promotion and fulfillment of the rights of the common man who they govern are the ones that are often responsible for the gross violation of the common man’s rights through wanton plundering of the treasury of African countries, commado-like way of governance and total disrespect for the principle of Accountability.

The citizenry has to be educated on Human Rights as the first step towards demanding for one’s rights is to know one has rights. The sociopolitical landscape also has to be made conducive and devoid of intimidation of the common man for everyone to be able to freely talk about issues affecting her/him in any way.

·The capacity of both duty-bearers and right-holders should be built and their capacity gaps analyzed by development partners to know why sexual health rights are being violated, who is responsible for the violations as well as what can be done to change the status quo. Duty-bearers are at times unaware that their actions/inactions can lead to gross violations of the rights of right-holders.

Efforts should be intensified on advocating for sexual rights of young people with policy makers to ensure that International/Regional Human Rights instruments that Nigeria is a signatory to, are domesticated and their dictates applied in the day to day governance of the nation.

·Many young people choose to suffer in silence when their rights are violated due to the wide socio-economic gap between them and those violating their rights. In some cases, the violators are depended on for education, shelter and food. The greatest fear therefore, is that all the “privileges” enjoyed through those they depend on would stop if they dare raise an alarm.
Young people need to be economically empowered so they can be less dependent on relations and so called philanthropists who turn around to abuse them and violate their rights.

It was not unexpected that the controversial abstinence issue
would rear its head at the ongoing 3rd Africa Sexuality Conference
holding in Abuja,Nigeria.But the fact that it came in a rather
combustible manner left many people wondering how far opponents
and proponents of the abstinence-only campaign would go.

Delegates at the sexuality conference came hard on abstinence
only approach describing it as a sham and asking that it be thrown
into the trash can. Some delegates tagged it an act of "abstaining
from reality" and challenged proponents to come up with evidence of
best practice to justify its further implementation.

Delegates bared their minds in disagreement with the abstinence only
policy of the US government at an interactive session on sexual and
reproductive health and rights issue, and practical gender rights and
sexuality programming tools organised by the International Planned
Parenthood Federation.

The passion and vehemence from delegates in demanding that abstinence
only measures be trashed was reinforced by a video clip titled
"abstaining from reality".

The video clip showed the true story of Juliet a young Kenyan girl who
abstained from sex until she was 17 years. Juliet made a decision to
have sex with her boyfriend and both agreed to use condom but,neither
of them knew how to use a condom. They had been exposed to abstinence
only measures and lacked knowledge of post abstinence options.

Juliet, on her very first sex act, became pregnant and infected with
HIV.

Lesley Ann Foster, president Amanitare - a regional network that
works to promote the sexual health and rights of women in Africa
said "abstinence only measures ignores the fact that girls and women
in Africa do not have consensual sex and as such a lot of the times
are not in a position to negotiate sex.

"Abstinence only" wrongly presumes that sex is only penetrative and
excludes risks from other forms of sex like oral sex".

Cecilia Kihara, IPPF Nairobi, Kenya added that the post election
violence in Kenya expose women to sexual violence like rape which
strengthens the fact that women are not always in a position to
negotiate
sex or make the choice of when,where and with whom to have sex .

A delegate described abstinence only measures thus "it is like walking
into a hospital and saying that only one prescription will treat all
ailments suffered by every patient in that hospital".

The session moderated by Cecilia Kihara of IPPF identified the
following
limitations as bedevilling abstinence only SRH measures:
-Abstinence only is valuable for people who have not had sex. It
excludes sexually active youths. The secondary virginity gimmick is
not realistic. This is so because even that well-intending young
boy or girl who wants to practice abstinence at some point is
confronted with sex and may find him self doing it.
What is needed is comprehensive sex education for our young people.

-Abstinence require a lot skill but, is the abstinence only programmes
equipping our young people with the skills to abstain. It is not enough
to say abstain,teach them how to abstain.

-Let abstinence be one of the many choices and not the only choice
open to a young person.

-What are the post abstinence measures?

-It wrongly assumes that every body wants to be married because
abstinence
only messages ask that you abstain until married

-Abstinence creates more curiosity among youths, a delegate from Kenya
said a project which was conducted among youths in Kenya showed that
youths instead of imbibing the teachings of abstinence get more curious
about sex and make jokes of abstinence only slogans or
catch phrases.

Unanimously, delegates agreed that to make sexual health accessible to
all, abstinence should be a component of a comprehensive sex education
and not an only approach.