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| Iwatutu Joyce at the Partners Forum 2018 |
Iwatutu Joyce Adewole is a young woman providing a Safe Space for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Nigeria.
It was Thursday morning when I reached out to a friend to give me a list of Individuals and Organizations providing sexual and reproductive health and rights to Adolescents and young people. She gave me a long list and I began to type each name on Google to check their profile, the whole essence is to interview them and write an article. And then I typed Iwatutu Joyce Adewole on Google and I saw that The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health made a post about her in December 2018 and clicked on the link and it took me to their twitter page where they made this post. Whoa! I have an interest in this young woman, I said to myself. Immediately, I made a call to my friend to help me out with Iwatutu’s phone number to schedule a date to talk about her journey in creating a safe space for women and girls.
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I thank my ancestors that she agreed to do this and planned to meet on Tuesday. Sunday Afternoon, I was on my laptop researching about her when I received a call from her rescheduling to Monday Evening because an adolescent she has been trying to reach out to scheduled Tuesday for her to meet.
Waiting as a journalist is a requirement most public figures usually make us do but Iwatutu is different and I was expecting to see a big young woman because all her pictures on the internet didn’t portray as petite. Immediately she arrived with a big smile on her face, I was in doubt when I saw a dark woman with long legs and looks like a size 6 model on a low cut and then I remember I saw a picture of her on Instagram modeling for a fashion brand in Nigeria.
I didn’t use the question I prepared because she was free to talk about her passion. I asked her: Why Sexual and Reproductive health and rights?
“When I was 16 years, I lost one of my friends to unsafe abortion. She was a bright young girl; she wanted to be a lawyer. And the many cases of unwanted pregnancies and girls dropping out of school. I was already familiar with the uninformed decisions adolescent girls and young women make relating to sexuality, childbirth, and marriage.” My intention was not to bring memories that will make her sober. I have no clue the question will-I am sorry, I said. “No, it is okay, I am here because of them, and these memories brought me here.”
So Joyce, how is it like providing a safe space for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), what are the challenges. ?
“Policies has been the top most challenges. Available policies recognize that young people are from diverse groups but don’t want to acknowledge that young people are sexual beings especially AGYW. In the last two months, I have referred 20 cases of unsafe abortion for post-abortion services, 5 cases of genital wart, and I have about 10 cases of adolescent girls with an unwanted pregnancy. These cases still remind me there is a lot to be done on policy Advocacy to advocate for friendly policies especially for Adolescent girls and young women. I am still here educating families on why they should allow their women take any method of contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancy, and it is more work to do when it is an adolescent girl involved because of unfriendly policies that do not allow adolescents below 18 to access sexual and reproductive health services without parental consent.
Finding post-abortion services for adolescent girls is one of the most difficult things to do, here I have to respect confidentiality, seek for her consent to involve her guardian or parents and still have to follow what laws and policies in Nigeria say about sexual and reproductive health services including HIV and abortion services. We want prevention, I am actually tired of adolescent girls not able to make informed choices, I am tired of unsafe abortion cases. With friendly policies, access to quality sexual and reproductive health services allows AGYW to make informed choices.”
I wanted us to take a break after seeing how frustrated she is about the issue but I remember we have just one hour to have this interview. It is obvious that she has a passion for what she does, I mean visiting parents and husband to allow their women to go on family planning is really an extraordinaire thing to do.
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I asked again her why she is more concerned about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women of all the social issues about gender inequality, she said ‘’I am going to say this in the voice of the Katja Iversen (CEO Women Deliver)- SRHR is the bedrock of gender equality. Now in my voice-If, we want to see more women in decision making spaces and control resources, they have to be able to make informed choices about their body, to decide if they want a baby or not, to know all options and risk involve in childbirth and marriage and their sexuality’’
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| Joyce looking Great |
When I asked her what her plans are for fashion, she giggled, I must say the 21-years-old Advocate has a lovely smile and I admire her look. Iwatutu gave me a side look, I am familiar with such look, I had to make my intentions clear that I saw some pictures of her modeling and just wanted to confirm if she is also furthering her fashion career? “Modeling used to be everything to me, not anymore. Don’t misunderstand me, I still love to model sometimes and I plan to retire to a life full of fashion, photography, and adventure. I am co-founding a fashion community with my friend called Platter to train and employ women to take dignified job roles, increase their financial status and bring them out of poverty by making ready to wear outfits focusing on style, quality and affordability that can be worn every day of the week” I said women and girls again! She laughed and said I love women and history has shown that we have been oppressed for a long time. I would love to have a daughter but I need to be sure the world is safe enough to her. So, right now any of my investments and resources will be for and by women and girls.
I asked what her future plans and visions are, she said “I want to go back to school because I need to be qualified to be and/or work with a policymaker. Although right now, I work with organizations and stakeholders to formulate policies and create evidence-based strategies but I would love to be a policymaker someday. I envision an equal world where women can change perspective and control resources, a world free from violence and discrimination.”
Iwatutu Joyce Adewole has four years of experience working as sexual and reproductive health and rights, educator, researcher and Advocate. She has trained more than 1000 women on family planning and also as a way to prevent new infections amongst women living with HV, she has reached over 200 community leaders and stakeholders on issues of gender-based violence including Female Genital Mutilation and its effect on the HIV epidemic. Her quarterly meet up help her to engage and educate adolescents and young people on sexuality, gender, and childbirth. She has worked with organizations such as Educaton As A Vaccine, Kids And Teens Resource Centre, Youth Hub Africa, Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, The International Community of Women living with HIV Western Africa.She is currently a Youth Social Media Advocate for United Nations Population Fund in Nigeria to use social media platforms to raise awareness, share impact stories, and connect with peers to advocate for increased sexual and reproductive health services for adolescent girls and young women.
Connect with Joyce
Facebook: Iwatutu Joyce
Twitter: @JoyceMoral_
Instagram: @joycemoral_
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