Experts want more efforts on sexual, reproductive health rights
Experts have called for increased efforts from governments and all stakeholders towards protecting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all girls and women and other gender diverse communities including persons with diverse disabilities. They said ending all forms of gender-based violence is also critically important to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). […]
L – R: Olayinka Kenny, Child rights activist; Ameh John, Ochanya’s Brother; Betty Abah, founder, CEE-HOPE Nigeria; and Princess Olufemi Kayode, a sexual-violence response expert at the launch of the book titled Justice for Ochanya during a child protection workshop in Lagos.
Experts have called for increased efforts from governments and all stakeholders towards protecting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all girls and women and other gender diverse communities including persons with diverse disabilities.
They said ending all forms of gender-based violence is also critically important to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
They made the call during the third virtual session of the SHE & Rights Media Initiative.
Debanjana Choudhuri, Executive Director, Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), one of the co-hosts of SHE & Rights initiative, said: “What is alarming is that some governments are trying to underplay women’s rights, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights. We are seeing a huge pressure to dilute the language around rights, equality and equity.”
She said there is a huge push within the anti-rights groups to create narratives to further increase the gap of access for sexual and reproductive health services.
“The rhetoric against sexual and reproductive health and rights is increasing. It is coming from various angles – we are hearing again about ‘traditional values’ (such as, where a woman’s place is in the kitchen) and pro-natal narratives are emerging which are extremely dangerous,” she said.
Abia Akram, founder-leader of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities and leads Disability Rights group at Asia Pacific Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism, said women and girls with disabilities face four times greater gender-based violence and sexual harassment as compared to other women and girls.
She said recent research indicated that even family members and care support workers are perpetrators of gender-based violence when it comes to women with disability.
“Persons with disability need to be treated as equals with other citizens and have the right to talk about gender-based violence and sexual harassment faced by them,” she added.
Benedicta Oyedayo Oyewole, Community Engagement and Partnership Lead, International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region, said it is crucial to recognise that the intersection of ageism, sexism and systematic exclusion affects violence faced by women and girls, and also creates additional layers of vulnerability and marginaliSation.
“Intersectionality reminds us that gender-based violence cannot be disentangled from other forms of oppression, whether rooted in disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. In Africa we face an increase in anti-rights movements,” she said.
While saying that patriarchal politics and cultural forces are pushing back against the gains of feminist movements, she added that this backlash has manifested in legislation that criminalises and underfunds gender equality programmes and excludes marginalised communities.
Benedicta said the anti-rights movement strives on division and uses the divide and conquer method to sustain oppression, adding that is why cross-movement solidarity is a necessity.
She said this further underscores the need for the disability justice movements, feminist movements, women’s rights movements, people struggling against oppression and gender-based violence to come together.
She added that the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence offer a critical platform to build solidarity. “We must also confront the reality that gender-based violence is a symptom of broader systems of oppression, like patriarchy, ableism, racism and economic inequality reinforcing one another.”
Shobha Shukla, Coordinator of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights) said “Our governments have promised sustainable development for everyone by 2030 – where “No one is left behind.” Gender equality for all is enshrined in the SDGs.”
She said to end all forms of gender-based violence economic justice, redistributive justice, social and cultural rights, climate justice and health justice, accountability to people are critical.
“The only pathway to a socially just and ecologically sustainable world for all of us and our planet is if we walk the talk on a feminist fossil-fuel-free future.
“The International Human Rights Day and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, and 16 Days of Activism against all forms of gender-based violence give us an opportunity to connect some dots,” she stated.
Stephanie Musho, lawyer and Regional Coordinator, Catalysts Africa, said “There is no way you can advance human rights if you say that you work on disability rights, but you are not going to address LGBTQI+ rights, or you are not going to address safe abortion rights, or you draw the line where comprehensive sexuality education starts. Human rights are indivisible, and we cannot cherry-pick them.”