Youth-Friendly Digital SRHR Services: Recommendations Report

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are recognized as fundamental human rights by The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, addressing the SRH needs of young people has taken on newfound significance. With the growing ubiquity of digital technology and the imperative to offer services that resonate with youth, the goal of enhancing the availability of youth-friendly digital SRHR services while adopting youth-friendly approaches has emerged as a pivotal response to an array of pressing challenges.

Digital technologies play a key role in addressing SRHR needs, especially among younger populations.1 In particular, Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) hold significant promise in providing comprehensive SRHR and ensuring that young people receive the information and care they need. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption and implementation of digital health solutions, bringing forth an unparalleled urgency to revolutionize healthcare delivery. The global crisis exposed vulnerabilities in traditional healthcare systems, prompting a rapid shift towards digital platforms to ensure continuity of care while minimizing physical contact. Telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and digital health applications have emerged as essential tools in mitigating the spread of the virus and managing healthcare services amidst lockdowns and social distancing measures. Furthermore, the pandemic highlighted disparities in access to healthcare, underscoring the importance of digital solutions in reaching marginalized populations and remote areas. As a result, stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum are increasingly recognizing the imperative to invest in and scale up digital health innovations to build resilient healthcare systems capable of addressing current and future public health challenges.

This report concludes nine months of extensive work aimed at improving comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and fulfilling the sexual and reproductive rights of youth, particularly adolescent girls. The project focused on analyzing various strategies and methodologies for applying youth-friendly approaches to delivering SRH services digitally. The work included a comprehensive literature review, an assessment of DHIs within the Fòs Feminista Alliance, and five case studies of DHIs supported by Fòs Feminista from organizations based in the Global South. The insights, findings, and lessons learned from these activities have informed the recommendations presented in this report.

Read the full report here.