Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education 2016 to access it. Economic distribution of the islands must be kept in mind while planning for such projects. In many of the islands in the Maldives, men are often forced to find meaningful employment which takes them away from their families for long stretches of time. Some are employed as fishermen, while others work in tourist resorts and hence it is not surprising to see that in general the population of most islands consists mainly of woman, children and the elderly. While it is without doubt that women and girls are at a higher risk of facing RH problems and have to endure the biggest burden during childbirth and pregnancy, educating just the women about their SRH will not be a solution in these largely conservative and patriarchal communities. Thus it is equally crucial to educate men on safe sex, family planning and the use of contraception, which can improve and safeguard the RH of the couple, and enable them to attain and sustain a better standard of living. Another vulnerable group in need of SRHE is the adolescents. WHO defines adolescents as those people between 10 and 19 years of age and as a phase of life with specific health and developmental needs and rights.24 It is also a time to develop knowledge and skills to learn how to manage emotions and relationships, and acquire the characteristics and abilities important for enjoying the adolescent years and assuming adult roles.25 However, it is distressing to see how little knowledge the majority of adolescent population has on SRH in the Maldives. This opens up these adolescent groups to risks such as engaging in unsafe sexual activities, STIs, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, infanticides and sexual abuse. To protect this vulnerable group, it is therefore critical to educate them on SRH on a formal level. 24 Health for the World’s Adolescents: A second chance in the second decade (2014). Retrieved from http://apps.who.int /adolescent/second‐decade/section2/page1/recognizing‐adolescence.html 25 Lloyd, C.B. (2005). Growing up global: the changing transitions to adulthood in developing countries. Washington, D.C., The National Academies Press. 7 INTRODUCTION