Protocol for a systematic review: Interventions addressing men, masculinities and gender equality in sexual and reproductive health: An evidence and gap map and systematic review of reviews.

ObjectivesWorking with men/boys, in addition to women/girls, through gender-transformative programming that challenges gender inequalities is recognised as important for improving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. The...

Putting sexual and reproductive health on the agenda

Clinician Perspectives on Ethics and COVID-19: Minding the Gap in Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are basic human rights: The FLASOG Panama Declaration and FIGO Cartagena Declaration.

Dorothy Shaw: promoting women's sexual and reproductive rights

Access to ART treatment and gender equality

BackgroundOne of the key targets of Ghana’s Adolescent Health Service Policy and Strategy is to ensure that 90% of adolescents and young people have knowledge of sexual and reproductive health services and rights. This phenomenon has led to the establishment of adolescent-friendly health facilities to increase access to health information and services among adolescents. Despite these efforts, access to health information and service utilisation remains low among adolescents. Our study seeks to examine adolescents’ perception of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and access to reproductive health information and services in the Adaklu district of the Volta region of Ghana.MethodsA baseline cross-sectional household survey of 221 adolescents aged 10–19 years in 30 randomly selected communities was used. A structured questionnaire was developed and administered to the respondents. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between adolescents’ perception of adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights (ASRHR) and access to reproductive health information and services.ResultsAdolescents’ perception of SRHR was poor, and this poor perception may have been reflected in a few proportions (10%) of adolescents accessing SRH information and services. Majority (91.9%) of adolescents do not use sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in the Adaklu district. Adolescents who attained primary education (aOR = 5.99, CI: 1.16–30.95), those who never had sexual communication with their father (aOR = 8.89, CI: 1.99–39.60) and adolescents who never experienced any form of sexual coercion (aOR = 11.73, CI: 1.61–85.68) had a higher likelihood of not utilising SRH services in Adaklu district. Regarding access to SRH information, adolescents who ever discussed sexual matters with their fathers, those who ever used contraceptives and adolescents who ever experienced sexual coercion had lower odds of accessing information on contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and teenage pregnancy.ConclusionsAccess to and use of sexual and reproductive information and health services among adolescents in Adaklu district remain very low, which has implications for adolescents’ knowledge and perception of their SRHR. Considering the factors predicting this phenomenon, it is recommended that interventions can be tailored to address the unique challenges faced by adolescent in accessing comprehensive SRH support.

In low-income and middle-income countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial implications for women's wellbeing. Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the gendered aspect of pandemics; however, addressing the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensively and effectively requires a planetary health perspective that embraces systems thinking to inequalities. This Viewpoint is based on collective reflections from research done by the authors on COVID-19 responses by international and regional organisations, and national governments, in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa between June, 2020, and June, 2021. A range of international and regional actors have made important policy recommendations to address the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's health and wellbeing since the start of the pandemic. However, national-level policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been partial and inconsistent with regards to gender in both sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, largely failing to recognise the multiple drivers of gendered health inequalities. This Viewpoint proposes that addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in low-income and middle-income countries should adopt a systems thinking approach and be informed by the question of who is affected as opposed to who is infected. In adopting the systems thinking approach, responses will be more able to recognise and address the direct gendered effects of the pandemic and those that emerge indirectly through a combination of long-standing structural inequalities and gendered responses to the pandemic.

What role can NHRIs play in the protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights in their countries? This paper seeks to answer that question through two case studies from the work of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR, the Commission). It starts by providing perspectives of various internationally accepted sources of what constitutes sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and then highlights Kenya’s normative framework thereon. The paper then goes on to discuss the findings of KNCHR’s from its Public Inquiry into Violations of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Kenya that was conducted in 2012 and from its work around the 2017 election period with regard to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases. Several recommendations from both activities are then provided which if implemented by the Kenyan government can enhance the realization of the reproductive and sexual health rights of its citizenry. Such implementation would also make the Kenyan state compliant with its national, regional and international obligations. Excerpts from the General Comments provided by two of Africa’s regional human rights mechanisms are also outlined in a bid to dissect how the ACHPR has interpreted its mandate in protecting women and girls’ SRHRs.

Donors, practitioners and scholars are increasingly interested in harnessing the potential of social norms theory to improve adolescents' sexual and reproductive health outcomes. However, social norms theory is multifaceted, and its application in field interventions is complex. An introduction to social norms that will be beneficial for those who intend to integrate a social norms perspective in their work to improve adolescents' sexual health in Africa is presented. First three main schools of thought on social norms, looking at the theoretical standpoint of each, are discussed. Next, the difference between two important types of social norms (descriptive and injunctive) is explained and then the concept of a -reference group‖ is examined. The difference between social and gender norms are then considered, highlighting how this difference is motivated by existing yet contrasting approaches to norms (in social psychology and gender theory). In the last section, existing evidence on the role that social norms play in influencing adolescents' sexual and reproductive health are reviewed. Conclusions call for further research and action to understand how norms affecting adolescents' sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) can be changed in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sexual rights have been defined as an evolving set of entitlements related to sexuality that contribute to the freedom, equality, and dignity of all people. Sexual rights are human rights related to sexuality that address a wide range of issues and often intersect with several other rights. Examples of sexual rights issues include, but are not limited to, sexuality education, reproductive rights, maternal morbidity and mortality, and sex work. More broadly, sexual rights are one field that falls under sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Three other related, but separate fields in SRHR are sexual health, reproductive health, and reproductive rights. In the broad concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate, but are inherently intertwined. Beyond this broad definition, what constitutes sexual rights is contested and means different things to different groups.

This paper studies the effect of bride price on the realisation of the sexual and reproductive health rights of women in South Africa and Nigeria. It adopts the doctrinal research method by reviewing the nature and form of bride price in South Africa and Nigeria. The paper also considers the legal framework for sexual and reproductive health rights of women in South Africa and Nigeria and the consequential effects of bride price on the sexual and reproductive health rights of women in the two countries. It argues that the payment of bride price inhibits the realisation of the sexual and reproductive health rights of women entrenched in various international instruments which both South Africa and Nigeria are signatories and their respective domestic laws. The paper submits that men in the society should be educated that the payment of bride price does not translate to buying their wives but as a mere token to show their gratitude in anticipation for the gift of a wife. Payment of bride price should be seen as a mere cultural observation without the ulterior motive of subjugating the woman. Keywords: Bride Price, Women, Sexual Rights, Reproductive Rights, Nigeria, South Africa DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/96-04 Publication date: April 30 th 2020

BackgroundVarious countries in the world have achieved promising progress in promoting, protecting and guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHRs) since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. However, SRHRs have not been recognized to their maximum potential in Ethiopia, despite the domestication of the international instruments related to their successful implementation. This study was intended to determine the magnitude of SRHRs knowledge, reproductive health services utilization and their independent predictors among rural reproductive-age women in the Aleta Wondo District, Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 833 rural reproductive-age women from April to May 2019. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select households, and a structured questionnaire was used to gather the data. EPI INFO version 7 was used to enter the data, and SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association between outcomes and explanatory variables. Odds ratios at 95% CI were also computed and reported.ResultsOf 833 respondents, 43.9% had good knowledge of SRHR, and 37% had used at least one sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service. Variables that had a statistically significant association with SRHR knowledge in multivariable analysis were: had formal education, household with the highest income, having information sources for SRH services, and knowing about SRH services and providing institutions. SRH services utilization was associated with: having information sources for SRH services, had formal education, household with the highest income, and knowing about SRH services and providing institutions.ConclusionIn this study demographic and economic factors, such as education and household monthly income were positively identified as independent predictors for knowledge of SRHR and SRH services utilization. Therefore, responsible government sectors and NGOs should design and implement programs to promote women’s educational status and household economic status to enhance women’s SRHR knowledge and SRH services utilization.

Research is important for improving health outcomes and is a critical element of a functioning health system. Without locally generated data and analysis, well-intentioned programmes do not often respond to realities where they are implemented. (1) Hence strengthening research capacity in low-and middle-income countries is one of most powerful, cost-effective and sustainable measures of advancing health, health care and development. (2) The world health report 2013: research for universal health coverage referred to research capacity as the abilities of individuals, institutions and networks, nationally and internationally, to undertake and disseminate research findings of highest quality. (3) The report provides examples of efforts that build research capacity by national and international agencies focusing on particular element of capacity building. However, best results in capacity building are obtained when there are interactions between individuals, institutions and networks to support research. For example, graduate and postgraduate training are more likely to be effective when host institutions are also strong. (3) Since 1990 number of initiatives on strengthening research capacity in low- and middle-income countries has increased to over 300. (4) However, in many countries there is still insufficient capacity to engage in research that will influence evidence-based policies and programming at country level. (5) Lack of funding, expertise in preparing manuscripts for publication (6) and protected time for research pursuits, as well as infrastructure of institutions, are key constraints faced by researchers. (7) Traditionally, investments and efforts to strengthen research capacity in these countries have mostly been focused on individual research training such as masters, doctorate and fellowship programmes. (8) Lately Wellcome Trust African Institutions Initiative (9) has emphasized institutional development as an important component of strengthening capacity. Although there is an increase in initiatives to strengthen health research capacity, such initiatives are scarce in field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Mapping 303 global initiatives--which aims to strengthen health research in low-and middle-income countries--showed that 35% of initiatives focused on infectious disease, while only 3% of initiatives specifically focused on reproductive, maternal and child health. (4) To improve reproductive health by supporting national and/or regional research, human reproduction programme (HRP) was formed in 1972 as United Nations Development Programme/ United Nations Population Fund/United Nations Childrens Fund/World Health Organization (WHO)/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction. The programme is main instrument within United Nations system for research in human reproduction and has a global mandate to lead research and conduct research capacity strengthening in field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. (10,11) The programme consists of an alliance comprising: (i) institutions receiving support from HRP under its research capacity strengthening schemes; (ii) institutions and individuals who have engaged strongly with HRP on various multi-country thematic research projects; (iii) official WHO collaborating centres working with WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research; and (iv) WHO Regional and Country Offices. (10) Sexual and reproductive health research in low- and middle-income countries faces several key challenges in achieving high-quality research and publications. Often, research is underfunded, emerging institutions lack visibility and networking opportunities, there are few training opportunities for individuals and grant termination leads to inability to conduct or continue independent research. …

Defending and debating sexual and reproductive rights