Perspectives on delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services to young people: focus group discussions with civil society organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Egbende L, Mayala V, et al. • Global health action • 2025
Civil society organizations in Kinshasa identified multi-layered barriers to delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights information to young people, with the most common barrier being the widespread view of sexuality as a taboo subject in communities, churches, and families, though CSOs found creative ways to reach young people despite these obstacles.
Key Findings
Results
The most common barrier to delivering SRHR information identified by CSOs was the widespread view of sexuality as a taboo subject in communities, churches, and young people's families.
This barrier was consistently described across focus group discussions with CSOs in Kinshasa
The taboo nature of sexuality was identified at multiple social levels: community, religious institutions, and family
Churches were specifically named as sites where sexuality is treated as taboo, limiting open discussion
This finding emerged from inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts
Results
Young people's barriers to SRHR information and services were described as multi-layered, operating across individual, community, societal, institutional, and health system levels.
The multi-level framework encompassed five distinct levels: individual, community, societal, institutional, and health system
This conceptualization suggests that no single intervention at one level would be sufficient to address access barriers
The layered nature of barriers was identified through qualitative focus group discussions with CSO representatives
Both male and female CSO perspectives were captured through gender-separated focus groups
Results
Despite facing significant obstacles, CSOs found creative ways to reach out and offer SRHR information to young people.
CSOs developed innovative outreach strategies to circumvent cultural, religious, and familial barriers
The specific creative methods were identified through focus group discussions with CSO participants
This finding highlights CSO adaptability and resilience in the face of structural and social constraints
The study did not quantify the reach or effectiveness of these creative approaches, as it was a qualitative study
Methods
The study used a qualitative focus group design with four separate groups stratified by gender, comprising approximately 10 participants each, conducted with CSOs in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Two focus groups comprised women and two comprised men
Each group had approximately 10 participants, yielding approximately 40 total participants
Data collection was conducted in Kinshasa specifically
Interview transcripts were subjected to inductive thematic analysis
The study aimed to explore both challenges and enabling factors CSOs experience in delivering SRHR services
Discussion
Cultural, religious, and familial barriers were identified as key obstacles requiring policy intervention to improve young people's access to SRHR information.
The study highlights that existing cultural norms, religious institutions, and family attitudes collectively restrict SRHR access
CSOs were identified as playing an essential role in the advancement of gender equality in this context
The authors call for creation of structures and enactment of policies to overcome these barriers
Universal access to SRHR was framed as fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly regarding gender equality and women's health
What This Means
This research explores how civil society organizations (CSOs) — community groups working on health and rights issues — experience the challenge of providing sexual and reproductive health information and services to young people in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Researchers held four focus group discussions, separating men and women, with about 10 CSO representatives in each group. They found that the biggest obstacle these organizations face is the fact that sexuality is widely considered a taboo topic — something not to be openly discussed — in families, communities, and churches. Beyond this cultural barrier, challenges exist at multiple levels, from individual attitudes all the way up to weaknesses in the healthcare system itself.
Despite these significant challenges, the research also found that CSOs have been resourceful and creative in finding ways to reach young people with important health information. This suggests that these organizations are not passive in the face of obstacles, but actively develop strategies to work around cultural and institutional resistance. The study underscores how deeply rooted social norms around sexuality can limit young people's ability to get information that affects their health and well-being.
This research suggests that improving young people's access to sexual and reproductive health information in settings like the DRC requires more than just providing services — it requires addressing the cultural, religious, and family-level attitudes that prevent open discussion of these topics. Policymakers are encouraged to create supportive structures that recognize and strengthen the role CSOs play, and to develop policies that can help overcome the social stigma that keeps young people from accessing the health information they need.
Egbende L, Mayala V, Mbunga B, Viberg N, Mapatano M, Alfvén T, et al.. (2025). Perspectives on delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services to young people: focus group discussions with civil society organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.. Global health action. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2429631