SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS

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SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS

• DR NAMAYANJA EDRINE KAMUGISHASTRAIGHT TALK
  FOUNDATION

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Outline of presentation

• Key Definitions
• Introduction
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Statistics
• What are the Sexual and Reproductive health
  rights
• How Abused
• How being implemented
• Challenges
• Conclusion
• Recommendations

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Definition

• Reproductive Health
• A state of complete physical ,mental and social
  well-being and not merely the absence of disease
  or infirmity, in all matters relating to the
  reproductive system and to its functions and
  process
• (International Conference on Population and
  Development-ICPD, 1994)

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Definitions (2)

• Reproductive health care
• The constellation of methods, techniques and
  services that contribute to reproductive and
  sexual health and well-being by preventing and
  solving reproductive health problems.
• It includes sexual health, the purpose of
  which is the enhancement of life and personal
  relations and not merely counseling and care
  related to reproductive and sexually transmitted
  diseases.

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Definitions (3)

• Reproductive Rights
• Are based upon rights recognized in
  international human rights treaties, declarations
  and other instruments, including the
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and
  Cultural Rights,
• International Covenant on Civil and Political
  rights,
• UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
  Discrimination Against Women( CEDAW),
• UN Convention on Rights of the Child, and
• International Convention on the Elimination of
  all Forms of Racial Discrimination

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Reproductive Rights cont..

• UN commission on Human Rights explicitly
  recognized women's sexual rights as essential to
  combating violence and promoting gender equity
• ICPC and ICPD 5 underlined the importance and
  contribution of rights to the population,
  reproductive health and gender equality issues
• The 2001 UN assembly s declaration of commitment
  on HIV and AIDS reinforced the ICPD commitments
  on sexual and reproductive health needs and
  placed a strong emphasis on women's empowerment
• ICPD recognized that peoples sexual and
  reproductive health needs are rights that they
  are entitled to demand for.

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Introduction

• Why Sexual and reproductive health
• Is important to us at all stages of our lives
• Yet many people are denied their rights to sexual
  and reproductive health
• Majority are poor women, men and young people in
  developing countries
• Lack access to sexual and reproductive health
  information and services.

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Introduction

• Lack access to contraception to choose their
  family size and improve their children's life
  chances.
• Millions are living with HIV and STDs which could
  have been prevented or treated
• Women die of complications from pregnancy, child
  birth , unwanted pregnancies, abortions from
  unskilled personnel and in unsafe places

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Introduction

• There has been some progress in improving the S
  R health but its not enough
• The goal of reproductive health during the 1994
  International Conference on Population and
  Development (ICPD) was
• Reproductive health for all by 2015.

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Global S RH Statistics

• Sexual and reproductive health is a human right
  and is essential to development.
• Poor people especially women and young people
  face huge social and economic barriers to S RH
• 120 million couples do not have access to family
  planning services.
• Over five hundred thousand (529,000) die from
  complications of pregnancy and child birth

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Global S RH Statistics (2)

• 3 million children die in the first week of
  life.
• Over 40 million people are currently living with
  HIV.
• 340 million contract STDs each year.
• S RH problems account for 20 of burden of
  global health among women aged 14-44 years and
  14 for men
• Most of these are preventable
• Majority live in the Sub- Saharan area.

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Ugandas S RH statistics

• HIV prevalence in the population is 6.4
• Age at first marriage, one fifth marry before
  15th birthday and half before 18 years (median
  age lt18)
• One third of men marry before 20 years (median
  age 22 years)

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Ugandas S RH statistics

• Contraceptive prevalence is 20
• Fertility rate 6.7
• Birth related services at government hospitals is
  only 24
• Maternal mortality is 507/ 10,000
• Infant mortality in 88 /1000 live births

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What are the S RH rights

• Right to the
• highest attainable standards of health
• Life and survival
• Liberty and security of person
• Be free from torture ,cruel, inhuman or degrading
  treatment

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What are the S RH rights

• Decide freely and responsibly the number and
  spacing of ones children and to have information
  and means to do so.
• Right of women to have control over and decide
  freely and responsibly on matters related to
  their sexuality, including sexual and
  reproductive health, free of coercion,
  discrimination and violence.

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What are the S RH rights

• The same right of men and women to marry only
  with their free and full consent.
• Right to enjoy the benefits of scientific
  progress and its applications and to consent to
  experimentation
• Right to privacy

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What are the S RH rights

• Right to
• participation
• freedom from discrimination on basis of sex,
  gender, marital status, age, race and ethnicity,
  health status/disability
• access to information
• education
• freedom from violence against women

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Why S RH rights?

• Men and women should be able to enjoy a
  satisfying and safe sex life, have the capacity
  to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when
  and how often to do so.
• This requires informed choices and access to
  safe, effective , affordable and acceptable
  health care services
• Reproductive rights must be protected, promoted
  and fulfilled if sexual and reproductive health
  outcomes are to be improved particularly for the
  poor and vulnerable

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Why S RH rights?

• The rights perspective highlights the importance
  of people to take their own decisions about their
  S RH lives.
• Strengthens the ability of poor and vulnerable
  people to demand and use services and information
  and to be heard
• Puts emphasis on equitable access o services and
  women's empowerment

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Sexual Reproductive ill health

• Includes death and disability related to
• pregnancy and child birth
• STDs,
• HIV and AIDS
• Reproductive tract cancers
• Infertility
• Sterility

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How S RH rights are abused

• Failure to uphold various rights in law, policy
  and practice adds to the barriers in accessing
  services and information to adopt healthy
  behaviors
• Millions of women have no power to challenge
  violation of their rights.
• Eg in some areas women require husbands consent
  to be offered contraception

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How abused

• Gender discrimination and other forms of social
  exclusion increase vulnerability to HIV and STDs
  particularly among girls and women
• Social restrictions, lack of financial security
  and decision making in the household, lack of
  inheritance and property rights, and inequitable
  access to education limit women's use of services
  and ability to adopt healthy S RH behavior.
• Programs often lack components that address such
  issues.

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How abused

• Violence against women and violation of their
  rights like forced prostitution, child marriages,
  rape, wife abuse, sexual abuse of children,
  intimidation at the workplace and harmful
  practices and traditions e.g. Female genital
  mutilation (FGM) affect S RH.
• Coercive Family planning e.g. forced sterilization

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What are countries doing for set targets on
reproductive health

• Developed polices and action that focus on the
  poor and vulnerable
• Increased access to a range of family planning
  options
• Try to reduce maternal mortality by provision of
  information and services targeting ANC, Natal and
  PNC.
• Increase literacy levels (UPE,USE)

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What are countries doing for set targets on
reproductive health

• Male involvement/participation to improve their
  access to information and services
• Strengthening health systems-increase
  availability and improve health services to cater
  foe increasing demand
• Better coordinated systems nationally and
  internationally for needs assessment, financing,
  procurement, regulation and distribution to
  improve supply of commodities.

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What are countries doing for set targets on
reproductive health

• Community based and community led action
• Sex education (PIACSY)delays sexual onset and
  increases safer sexual practice
• Adolescent friendly services
• Polices and activities that promote gender
  equality and reduce social exclusion
• Education and information
• Rights based legal and policy frameworks

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Aim of ensuring S RH rights is to achieve these
outcomes

• Improved maternal and newborn health
• Accessible, high quality family planning choices
• Elimination of unsafe abortions
• Reduced incidence of HIV and STDs
• Greater awareness of sexual health and reduced
  risky behavior
• Gender equality, rights, accountability and
  equity.

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Challenges to S RH

• The increasing and devastating impact of HIV
• Increasing number of young people entering their
  reproductive years
• Increasing demand for S RH services and
  commodities
• Weak or deteriorating health systems
• Few health workers especially in poor areas
  mostly rural
• Weak polices, laws and regulations

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Conclusion

• Sexual and reproductive health is an essential
  element of good health and human development
• Sexual and reproductive health is a human right
• Observing these rights would lead to quality S
  RH and contribute to a quality and productive
  life, eradicates poverty and hunger

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Recommendation

• Integrate health services ie HIV with S RH
  services.
• Advocate nationally and internationally for
  polices and resources that address peoples
  rights to S RH.
• Continue to address controversial issues like
  safe abortions, harmful and coercive practices
  like FGM, early marriages and unwanted
  pregnancies

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Recommendations (2)

• Improve access to comprehensive services
  especially for poor and vulnerable groups (women,
  adolescents, Internally displaced people-IDPs)
• Address social cultural and economic barriers
  using a rights based approach
• Support research, monitoring and evaluation and
  apply knowledge and lessons learnt in policy and
  planning

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING