Sexual and reproductive health and rights, a must in gender equality

Sexual and reproductive health and rights, a must in gender equality

Justinewangui@gmail.com

 United Nations, New York: A report from the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), both a service provider and an advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights has said that Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls cannot be accomplished in the absence of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).  This was given by speakers from the Permanent Missions of Uruguay, Denmark and Costa Rica to the United Nations, UN Women and UNFPA at a high-level panel event in New York organized by IPPF on 16^th March this year.  They termed SRHR as the cornerstone of gender equality.

The launching of the new report “Sexual and reproductive health and rights- the key to gender equality and women’s empowerment” took place on the 20th anniversary of the Beijing+20 Platform for Action during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). 

 IPPF Regional Director for the Western Hemisphere, Carmen Barroso opened the event with intense emphasis on the need for these women rights.   

“We can tackle inequalities and change things. This goes to the very heart of poverty eradication and development goals. Sexual and reproductive health and rights give women the ability to control their fertility which, in turn, affects many other aspects of their lives – employment, education, family life, and social and economic participation. It’s the freedom from which all other freedoms flow.”   This statement was seconded by Honorable Gonzalo Koncke, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Uruguay as he talked on Uruguay’s prioritization of gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The key facts relayed by the report show that one in three women experience either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence during their lifetime and that domestic workers are among the most vulnerable groups in the global workforce.  Women make up 83% of domestic workers worldwide.  The risk of maternal death is 2.7 times higher among illiterate women and girls than women with more than 12 years of education.  Globally, women make up only 22% of parliamentarians.   Estimations are that women account for two-thirds of the 1.4 billion people currently living in extreme poverty.

The new report recommends   governments, multilateral organisations and the donor community to make sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality a reality.  This is by including these rights in the post 2015 sustainable development framework and in governments’ national plans within gender and health ministries. The success of sexual and reproductive health interventions must be supported fully by prioritizing the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls in the financing framework.  Engaging men and boys as partners in programmes on sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls must be considered as a crucial necessity. 
 

Sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls needs to be eradicated through protective domestic laws.   Additionally, governments must increase data collection by working with agencies such as UN so as to elevate examination of links between sexual and reproductive health and rights and the empowerment of women and girls. These recommendations, if accomplished fully, will see women and girls undergo superb transformation and enjoy a fuller life. 

Source:  http://tinyurl.com/n5u7seb, UN women