Antigua and Barbuda is facing a growing public health dilemma — one rooted not in medicine, but in the laws meant to guide and protect its young people.
A troubling contradiction in the country’s sexual health framework is leaving teenagers exposed, unprotected, and unable to access the care they urgently need, according to the National AIDS Secretariat.
Delcora Williams, Manager of the National AIDS Programme
Very imformative Antigua.news. Keep up the good work. Makes no sense i can have sex at 16 but have to ask mammy to come with me to buy a morning after pill.
This is a serious gap in the legal system. You can’t have age-of-consent laws that don’t align with access to sexual health service. Frankly speaking, if the National AIDS Secretariat is sounding the alarm, policymakers need to listen. This is a public health issue, not a moral debate.
It’s frustrating to see prevention and treatment blocked by bureaucracy while infections rise.
Teenagers dont even study the law or know if it exists. They doing what they have to do
Hmmmmmm Let’s just keep educating the youth on HIV/AIDS and it’s effects
Great work. But some of these young people are introduced to sex too early. Alot of incest going on and nobody reporting.
This is a serious issue — teens shouldn’t have to navigate confusing laws just to get the care they need. Policies need to protect them, not put their health at risk.