Why Gen Z Must Care: Connecting SRHR, HIV, and Our Shared Future

September 04, 2025

Why Gen Z Must Care: Connecting SRHR, HIV, and Our Shared Future

Today, on World Sexual Health Day (September 4, 2025), the global spotlight turns to a powerful question: “Sexual Justice: What Can We Do?”. The 2025 theme, “Sexual Justice: Why Now?”, echoes discussions from the SHE & Rights July 2025 session, “Connecting the Dots: HIV, sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice, and the SDGs”, highlighting the urgent interconnection between sexual health, HIV, and justice.

That conversation made one thing very clear: if our generation, Gen Z, wants a healthier, more equitable future, we cannot afford to stay silent about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) or the fight for HIV justice.

A Story Too Close to Home

Last year, I met Amanda, a 19-year-old student at Lagos state university. She shared with me that she had never felt safe asking questions about her body. When she contracted a sexually transmitted infection, fear of judgment and stigma from health workers at her school clinic kept her from seeking care.

Amanda’s experience mirrors concerns raised during the SHE & Rights July session, where Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director, stated:

“In the last year, 28% of transgender people, 20% of people who inject drugs, 18% of sex workers, and 7% of men who have sex with men avoided healthcare services due to stigma and discrimination.”

This underscores the urgent need for safe, inclusive, youth- and community-friendly sexual and reproductive health services.

For Gen Z, the most connected generation in history, this reality is a call to action. Addressing SRHR is not just about individual access but also confronting systemic barriers. During the same session, Dr. Angelique Nixon, Director of CAISO: Sex & Gender Justice, Trinidad & Tobago, emphasized:

“When we talk about recolonization, we need to understand that this is a consequence of our colonial past. We need to decolonize our legal system and other institutions, and it’s an urgent priority.”

Her insights highlight that achieving sexual and reproductive health justice also requires dismantling systemic barriers rooted in history, ensuring young people like Amanda can seek care safely, access information freely, and exercise their rights without fear.

Why SRHR and HIV Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

Globally, 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2022, and almost 40% were young people aged 15–24. At the same time, teenage pregnancy continues to limit girls’ futures, keeping many out of school and increasing economic vulnerability. When youth are denied access to contraception and HIV prevention tools, their dreams are cut short.

This is not just a health problem, it’s a justice issue.

Family planning gives young people the power to decide if and when to have children, while HIV prevention and treatment allow them to live healthy, full lives. Together, these are the building blocks of sustainable development goals (SDGs) related to education, gender equality, and health.

From the SHE & Rights July session one thing was clear:

“Access to contraception without HIV prevention tools leaves young people vulnerable. We cannot talk about ending AIDS without talking about bodily autonomy. And we cannot talk about bodily autonomy without talking about HIV.”

Social Media: Where Gen Z Conversations Are Happening

If you scroll through X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, or Instagram, you’ll see that young people are already talking, often with frustration and urgency, about their unmet SRHR and HIV needs. Gen Z is already speaking out, using digital platforms to demand change.

Tweet 1: “It’s 2025, and people still act like asking for condoms is a crime. We need to stop pretending SRHR education is optional. #WorldSexualHealthDay”

Tweet 2: “This #16DaysOfActivism and #WorldAIDSDay, meet the UNITED! Movement youth redefining SRHR access, fighting GBV, and smashing HIV stigma.”

Tweet 3: We’re not asking, We’re not declaring: No more shame, no more silence, no more stolen lives. My body is mine.

Tweet 4: Adolescents face judgement and stigma from health providers when they try to access reproductive health services.

Tweet 5: “In sub-Saharan Africa, 6 in 7 new HIV infections among adolescents aged 15–19 years are among girls. This is unacceptable!”

These voices show that Gen Z isn’t indifferent, we’re hungry for real conversations. What we lack are the platforms, resources, and leadership opportunities to turn this energy into change. This kind of youth advocacy shows how HIV, gender-based violence, and SRHR are interconnected.

Connecting to the SDGs: Our Future on the Line

Why should Gen Z care? Because SRHR and HIV directly shape the future we are inheriting.

Education: Teenage pregnancy is one of the leading reasons girls drop out of school. Staying in school reduces poverty cycles and builds stronger economies.

Health: Without access to HIV prevention tools like PrEP, condoms, and testing, young people face higher risks that affect lifelong health.

Equality: Denying young people reproductive rights is denying them equality.

Workforce & Innovation: A healthy generation is a productive generation. For Gen Z, whose future depends on decent jobs and innovation, health justice is economic justice.

We are the SDG generation: By 2030, most of us will be in our prime working years. If SRHR and HIV justice are not prioritized now, we will inherit broken systems that limit our potential.

From World Sexual Health Day to Everyday Action

Commemorating World Sexual Health Day is important, but what matters more is what we do every other day of the year.

The She & Rights panel emphasized that action must be youth-centered and youth-led. That means:

Expanding youth-friendly services: Health centers must be safe spaces where young people feel respected, not judged.

Integrating HIV and SRHR education into schools and communities: No young person should have to Google their way through sexual health questions.

Using media for change: Digital media can break stigma and spark conversations in ways traditional channels often can’t.

Media as a Tool for Change

Mainstream and digital media have a critical role to play. When stories about young people like Adanma are amplified, they shape public opinion, challenge stigma, and influence policy. Gen Z consumes most content online, on X, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts, making social media a powerful driver of awareness and advocacy.

“Media is not just about visibility; it’s about transformation.”

By turning conference insights, grassroots stories, and expert knowledge into relatable content, media leaders and youth advocates can ensure that HIV and SRHR stay at the center of public conversation.

What We Can Do

Governments must fund youth-friendly SRHR and HIV programs, not just talk about them.

Civil society must partner with young people as equal leaders, not token participants.

Gen Z must keep raising our voices, online and offline, to demand accountability. With creativity, digital skills, and a passion for justice, we have the power to connect the dots between HIV, SRHR, and our shared future.

“If Gen Z does not claim their rights now, the future will be written without them.”

World Sexual Health Day and the She & Rights dialogue are wake up calls. Caring about SRHR and HIV justice is not optional. It is about who we are, the futures we deserve, and the kind of world we want to inherit.

If we connect the dots now, we can build a generation where Amanda, and millions like her, can speak openly about their health without fear.”

Call to Action

It’s time for us to step up:

👉 If you’re a young person, educate yourself and your peers about SRHR and HIV.

👉 If you’re a policymaker, invest in youth-friendly health systems that integrate family planning and HIV prevention.

👉 If you’re a media leader, amplify youth voices and grassroots realities.

Gen Z has the tools. We have the platforms. What we need is the will to act. Because a future where young people thrive is not just possible, it’s urgent.

Learn more and get involved through UNAIDS youth programs and Citizen News SHE & Rights initiatives.”

8 thoughts on “Why Gen Z Must Care: Connecting SRHR, HIV, and Our Shared Future ”

Islamiyat Mukthar
September 5, 2025 at 2:34 pm

As someone working in public health, I can say this article captured the heart of the issue: SRHR and HIV cannot be separated if we want to achieve the SDGs.

Adeola Adegbo
September 5, 2025 at 2:39 pm

This piece really highlights how stigma continues to silence young people. Amanda’s story is a reminder of why we need youth-friendly health systems everywhere.

Victor Abimbola
September 5, 2025 at 2:39 pm

Powerful read, Peace. The call to action at the end really stood out, Gen Z has the tools, but we need to use them.

Damilola
September 5, 2025 at 2:43 pm

Thank you for writing this! The stats you shared about HIV infections among young people are shocking, and I think more of us need to be talking about it.

Martins
September 5, 2025 at 2:43 pm

I love how you connected World Sexual Health Day to the SHE & Rights session, it makes the global theme feel very real and urgent for Gen Z.

Damilola
September 5, 2025 at 2:45 pm

This blog gave me a lot to think about. How can young people like me actually get involved in SRHR and HIV advocacy on the ground?

Oluwatosin
September 5, 2025 at 2:50 pm

Thank you for making this topic so relatable. Sometimes SRHR discussions feel too technical, but this blog speaks directly to us.

Joy
September 5, 2025 at 2:51 pm

Amanda’s story broke my heart. No young person should be afraid to ask questions about their own health.

Sexual Health is a right not a choice.

Why Gen Z Must Care: Connecting SRHR, HIV, and Our Shared Future