1. Pre-service Education on FP and AYSRH
Session III Topic 7 sexual and gender-based violence and adolescent sexual reproductive health
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 1

2. Types of Adolescent Vulnerabilities
Physical vulnerabilities
Emotional vulnerabilities
Socioeconomic vulnerabilities
Slides 2-4
Explain that, in addition to their specific developmental stage, adolescents also face many vulnerabilities due to their age and gender. These vulnerabilities often contribute to risk-taking behavior and affect the severity of any consequences emerging from risks taken.
Adolescent vulnerabilities fall into 3 main categories: physical vulnerabilities, emotional vulnerabilities, and socioeconomic vulnerabilities.
Ask students to brainstorm the different types of vulnerabilities that are common among adolescents.
Show the slides to fill in any missing information
Show the slides on Types of Risk Taking Behavior and the Reasons for Adolescent Risk Taking Behavior.
Discuss the consequences of risk-taking behavior
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 2

3. Common Vulnerabilities
Age-based discrimination
Adolescents are frequently denied information and services based on their age.
Adolescents are denied choice and autonomy to make their own decisions.
Gender inequality
Adolescent women are denied sexual agency or discriminated against for being sexual.
Adolescent women are expected to take on more responsibility for their and their partners’ health.
Adolescent women are more likely to experience discrimination in housing, education, employment, or other areas.
Harmful traditional practices, like female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage, have add-on effects on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 3

4. Common Vulnerabilities (continued)
Sexual and gender-based violence
Adolescents experience violence in their families, intimate partnerships, and societies.
Adolescents who experience sexual violence are frequently stigmatized or shamed for their experience when they report it.
Adolescent women and men face corrective violence when they fail to conform to social norms about gender and sexuality.
Economic hardship
Adolescents have less access to household money, employment opportunities, and disposable income than other age cohorts.
Adolescents who work frequently do so to support their families.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 4

5. Types of Risk-Taking Behavior
Impulsive decision-making
Failure to consider consequences, or lack of information about risk
Social, sexual, or other experimentation
Provoking or testing limits through argument
Reckless behavior
Experimentation with substances, such as
alcohol or drugs
Slides 5-6
Ask students to revisit their handout from the previous unit, Handout #1: Developmental Characteristics of Adolescence and Young Adulthood. Draw their attention to the language under “Social and Emotional Development” about pushing boundaries, taking risks, and increasing independence.
Ask students to brainstorm some examples of risk-taking behavior.
Note their answers on a flip chart.
Explain that the major physical, cognitive, emotional, sexual and social changes that occur during adolescence affect young people’s behavior:
Ask students to brainstorm some of the reasons for adolescent risk-taking behavior.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 5

6. Reasons for Risk-taking
New social relationships, especially with peers, begin to gain greater influence as family influence decreases. The need to identify or “fit in” with a peer group can sometimes lead to increased risk.
Curiosity combined with sexual maturity create a natural inclination toward experimentation, which also serves a developmental role in helping the adolescent learn more about their body and sexual response.
Questioning authority and established “rules” helps adolescents create an independent identity and personality, but can also lead to impulsive decision-making and lack of future-planning.
Adolescents test their limits and underestimate the risks involved, though the amount of risk and vulnerability they face varies with cultural factors, individual personality, needs, social influences and pressures, and available opportunities.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 6

7. Consequences of Adolescent Risk-Taking
Development of sense of independence, resiliency
Potential for unintended pregnancy, infection with HIV/STIs
Growth in and failure of social and family relationships
Early child-bearing, complications in childbirth and/or unsafe abortion
Risk of sexual or interpersonal violence
Loss of access to educational or economic opportunities
Poor nutrition or other health outcomes
After showing the slide on consequences of risk-taking behavior, facilitate further discussion on risks and consequences, using the following questions to probe further into key gender and age issues:
Looking at the SRH-related consequences, which are experienced by female adolescents, male adolescents or both?
Who took the initial risk – the female, the male or both? What does this say about the gender-disparity in who/how adolescents experience SRH consequences?
How does adolescent risk-taking and consequences differ from those experienced by adults? How are they similar?
What does adolescent risk-taking behaviors and consequences mean for you as a provider – in terms of your understanding, the SRH needs of your client, and helping your client navigate risk?
Can you give examples of how you can work as providers to help adolescents navigate risk.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Session III Topic 7 Slide 7