Sexual Health Rights Research Articles

Disparities in Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Rights Among Adolescents and Young People During COVID-19 Pandemic: Culture, Economic, and Gender Perspectives.

Purpose of ReviewAs the world grapples with the health systems’ challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the needs of the already vulnerable adolescents and young people is vital. This narrative synthesis is aimed to highlight the current gender, cultural, and socioeconomic dynamics fueling inequalities to accessing sexual, reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services among adolescents and young people in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).Recent FindingsThe COVID-19 pandemic has in most countries exacerbated already existing inequalities due to economic, gender, cultural, and legal aspects. Strategies implemented by most governments to mitigate the spread of the virus have also had a negative impact on the access to SRHR services, some of which are long term. Few published studies have assessed the extent to which the pandemic has fueled each of these paradigms regarding access to SRHR, especially among adolescents and young people (AYP). Additionally, there is paucity in data on the same in most countries, as the systems to track such effects were not available at the inception of the pandemic.SummaryDespite efforts to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on this population, deficits remain and a multi-stakeholder approach is needed to achieve the intended goals, especially where cultural and gender values are deeply rooted. Further research is needed to quantify how the pandemic has fueled economic, gender, and cultural aspects to influence access to SRHR services among AYP especially in LMIC.

Populist strategy in the European parliament: How the anti-gender movement sabotaged deliberation about sexual health and reproductive rights

ABSTRACT We add to growing research on how rightwing populism undermines democracy by identifying how populist strategy works in parliamentary democracy. We examine the fate of the 2013 Estrela Report in the European Parliament, a legislative body which used to be characterised by a high degree of respect and deliberation. This Report became an unprecedented object of ultra-conservative mobilisation, shocking MEPs by unravelling a consensus-driven status quo. We trace the downfall of the Estrela Report, and show how populist strategy entailed (1) Destroying deliberative politics by, (2) Deploying what we call ‘antagonist politics’ meant to polarize and create an impression that compromise was impossible, and (3) Employing ‘thin proceduralism’, where procedural rules were expediently used to prevent discussions about the Report. Antagonist politics polarized centrists, and mobilized politicians otherwise disengaged with the topic, while thin proceduralism became a convenient and apparently rational solution to end a seemingly emotional and unresolvable debate.

Forced Sterilization

Forced Sterilization

Are women with disabilities less likely to utilize essential maternal and reproductive health services?-A secondary analysis of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey.

BackgroundPeople with disabilities deal with widespread exclusion from healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights. Studies analyzing the relationship between disability and key SRH utilization outcomes have often reported mixed findings. In Pakistan, very little to no literature is available on this topic, therefore we aim to determine inequalities in the utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities in Pakistan.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017–18 performed on a weighted sample of 6,711 women aged 15–49 years with a live birth in the 5 years preceding the survey. Six types of disabilities were assessed i.e. vision, hearing, communication, cognition, walking and self-care. Utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services was assessed through a set of four outcome variables: (i) modern contraceptive use; (ii) skilled antenatal care (ANC); (iii) skilled birth attendance (SBA); and (iv) skilled postnatal care (PNC). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Data were analyzed using Stata MP Version 16.0.ResultsA total of 6,711 women were included out of which 14.1% (n = 947) live with at least one form of disability. Mean age was 29.4 (S.E = 0.13) years. The most prevalent form of disability was vision (7.0%), followed by walking (4.8%), cognition (4.8%) and hearing (1.8%). Women with disabilities were comparatively less educated, belonged to older age group, and had higher parity than their non-disabled counterparts. With the exception of modern contraceptive use, which was more prevalent in the group with disabilities, women with disabilities were less likely to utilize skilled ANC, SBA and PNC in bivariate analysis. However, these associations turned insignificant in the adjusted model. Overall, no statistically significant differences were observed in the utilization of essential reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities after adjusting for important covariates.ConclusionOur analyses did not find any statistically significant differences in the utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities. In-depth research utilizing qualitative or mixed methods is required to understand how well the healthcare system in Pakistan is responsive to the different needs of disabled women.

Human rights-based accountability for sexual and reproductive health and rights in humanitarian settings: Findings from a pilot study in northern Uganda.

Ensuring accountability for the realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights is a human rights obligation and central tenet of strategies to improve health systems and outcomes in humanitarian settings. This pilot study explored the feasibility and acceptability of deploying human rights strategies, specifically through a participatory community-led complaints mechanism, to hold humanitarian health systems to account for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of refugee and host community women and girls in northern Uganda. Over a fifteen-month period we conducted a multi-methods exploratory study with refugee and host community rights-holders and duty-bearers using longitudinal in-depth interviews, focus groups, and secondary data document review. Deductive and inductive coding techniques were used to analyze data iteratively for content and themes. 107 sexual and reproductive health and rights related complaints and feedback were collected through the community complaints mechanism. Complaints concerned experiences of disrespect and abuse by health care workers; lack of adolescent access to sexual and reproductive health services and information; sexual and gender-based violence; and lack of access to acceptable and quality health goods and services. Participants reported an increased understanding and claiming of human rights through the intervention, acceptability of rights-based accountability strategies among humanitarian health system actors, and improved access to remedies when sexual and reproductive health rights are not respected. Findings demonstrate integrating rights-based social accountability mechanisms at the level of humanitarian response as a promising approach for strengthening and holding humanitarian health systems accountable for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls affected by humanitarian situations.

The treatment of the issue and the target group in sexual and reproductive health policy

This writing is an exercise of reflection on the way policy issues and policy target groups are addressed during the policy design process. Some theoretical approaches, from the cognitive realms of the policy studies, suggest that issues and targets’ treatment of public policies depends on a series of cognitive and socially constructed aspects that interfere in the design as it is a process handled by actors. The proposed written discusses sexual health and reproductive rights as a subfield of policies as well as on trans people as examples of a policy issue and target groups that depict the way in which social artifacts of making sense of the world and cognitive processes such as framing could affect the development of the policy and the benefits for a group of people.

A Report from LGBTI Philanthropy

A Report from LGBTI Philanthropy

Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of Adolescent Girls and Young Women: A Narrative Review

: Adolescent girls and young women constitute a vulnerable population worldwide and an easy target to secondary impacts of a pandemic due to societal norms, existing age, gender-based inequalities, leading to a condition known as “second pandemic”. Due to local and national lockdowns to prevent coronavirus spread, educational institutions, workplaces, and health services have been shut down, making adolescent girls and women prone to sexual, physical exploitation, gender-based violence, educational, financial loss, lack of sexual and reproductive services. The present review briefs some of these secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent girls and women, which, if taken care of, can prevent many long-term consequences. Methodology: The literature was searched from governmental, non-governmental sites and agencies like WHO, UN, UNICEF, Guttmacher Institute, International Labor Organization, and English peer-reviewed journals, using the USA National Library of Medicine (Pubmed) database, the regional portal of Virtual Health Library, and Scientific Electronic Library Online. The data from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic till March 2021 about the impact of COVID-19 on women and children were searched and studied. The descriptors used were school drop-out children, adolescent girls, women suffering at home/work, unmet need for contraception, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, child marriages, and female genital mutilation. Results and Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a “hidden pandemic” against women and children. There is a skyrocketing rise in violence against women/girls, teenage pregnancies, school drop-outs, child marriages, abuse, and female genital mutilation. Hence, women and adolescent girls should be protected from the shadowing effects of the pandemic.

THE EFFECT OF AUDIO VISUAL MEDIA ON IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH RIGHTS

Background: Social norms that assume that talking about reproductive health is taboo and that basic education is often misunderstood can encourage adolescents to engage in uncontrolled sexual behavior. Lack of knowledge regarding the importance of reproductive health can increase deviations in social behavior. The number of early marriages that occurred in Ponorogo increased by about 50 percent in the range from January to August 2020. The purpose of the research was to know about the effect of audiovisual media on improving knowledge about reproductive and sexual health rights in SMK N 1 Ponorogo. Methods: The design of this study is quasi-experimental with the research design of the pretest-posttest questionnaire with control group design. The total sample of 84 respondents was taken using a simple random sampling technique. The population used is class XII students of SMK N 1 Ponorogo. The sample used met the inclusion criteria, namely a healthy state, class XII and was willing to be a respondent. The independent variable is education using audio-visual media about reproductive and sexual health rights and the dependent variable is the level of knowledge. The collected data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Results: There was an influence of providing education through audio-visual media on increasing knowledge about reproductive and sexual health rights in the experimental group after being given audio-visual media on health education with a p value (0.001). Conclusions: Providing audio visual media about reproductive health education can improve knowledge and information in adolescents. Keywords : knowledge, reproductive and sexual health rights, audio-visual media

Case Report: Another Burden to Bear: The Impacts of Climate Change on Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Services in Bangladesh

Climate change disproportionately impacts women, particularly those who are already restricted by gender inequality. Climate related events (CRE), such as extreme weather events, droughts, rising sea levels, leave millions vulnerable. Increasingly, the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women are negatively impacted during and post climate change related events. In the absence of climate related events, access to SRHR services is already limited due to economic, cultural, and social constraints that prevent women from making decisions concerning their bodily autonomy. During and post climate disasters, such constrains are worsened. Limited access to SRHR services increases women's risk of physical, mental, and psychological harm; it also impacts on their ability to build capacity and resilience to climate change. This article examines the rise in climate related events in Bangladesh and the corresponding harm of climate change on women's access to sexual and reproductive health care. The article argues that the impact of climate change on women needs to be viewed through a reproductive justice framework. The first step to prevent the gendered impacts of climate change is for international and national frameworks to identify individual needs to build capacity and resilience.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs Assessment & Interventions in a Female Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit

IntroductionThis quality improvement project was a collaboration between an adult, inpatient female psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) in South London and the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Inclusion and Empowerment (SHRINE) programme. SHRINE is a London-based programme delivering SRH care to any individual with serious mental illness, substance misuse and/or learning disability.ObjectivesThe primary aim of this quality improvement project was to assess patients’ sexual and reproductive (SRH) needs, and the acceptability of providing SRH assessments in a female PICU setting. Secondary aims were to explore the barriers to access and the feasibility of providing SRH assessments and SHRINE interventions in the PICU.MethodsA bi-monthly SRH in-reach clinic and a nurse led SRH referral pathway were implemented on the PICU over a seven-month period. Within a quality improvement framework, a staff training needs assessment was performed, training delivered, a protocol developed, staff attitudes explored, and patient and carer engagement sought.Results30% of women were identified as having unmet SRH needs and proceeded to a specialist appointment, representing a 2.5-fold increase in unmet need detection. 42% of women were assessed, representing a 3.5-fold increase in uptake. 21% of women initiated SRH interventions of which 14% had all their SRH needs met.ConclusionsResults identified SRH needs for PICU admissions are greater than realised. Staff highlighted the acceptability and importance of SRH care, if interventions are appropriately timed and the patient’s individual risk profile considered. Providing a nurse-led referral pathway for an SRH in-reach clinic is acceptable, feasible and beneficial for PICU patients.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

A critical review of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights in Kenya

Despite recent efforts from governments and international organizations to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights, some of the current policies fall short of achieving the desired outcomes because of a failure to understand adolescent emerging needs and capacity, the diversity of adolescent populations, and the recognition that deliberate and intense actions are required to make this a reality.

Low-Level Knowledge and Associated Factor of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Among Aksum University Students, Aksum Ethiopia.

BackgroundReproductive health rights in Africa are unknown. According to international studies, reproductive health rights of young people particularly university students, are violated, and most of these violations go unreported due to a lack of information and awareness of these rights. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and associated factors on sexual and reproductive health rights in Ethiopia.MethodsInstitution-based cross-sectional study using an interviewer-administered and structured questionnaire was conducted. The study population consisted of students of the selected department between November, 2018 and June, 2019. A simple random sampling method technique was used to select 420 students. Bi-variate and multi-variate logistic regression analysis was performed.ResultsThe knowledge level of the respondents was 16.4%. The majority of students 205 (51%) were in the age group < 20 years. Male [AOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.09–1.95]; coming from urban areas [AOR: 2.11, 95% CI: (1.02–4.37)]; provision of sexuality education or lecture in departments [AOR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02–1.91] and discussion about reproductive health with anyone else [AOR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.48–3.62] were significant association for the knowledge of sexual and reproductive health rights.ConclusionsRespondents' knowledge level was found to be very low. Therefore, strengthening students' lectures or education on reproductive health in the curricula of high school, encouraging discussions with parents, and anyone might improve the knowledge toward sexual and reproductive health rights.

Teaching for Comfort or Diversity in Comprehensive Sexuality Education Classrooms? Third-Year Student Teachers' Perspectives

Discussion of sexual rights in the context of disability is an often neglected and underdeveloped terrain within the human rights discourse, worldwide. More so, it becomes taboo to discuss the sexual health and reproductive rights of adolescents living with disabilities. This group of adolescents are often constructed as being sexually innocent, asexual, or lacking sexual agency thus denying their sexual autonomy. In other contexts, adolescents living with disabilities are constructed as hypersexual, thus putting them at risk of sexual exploitation and harm. While the human rights terrain has begun to acknowledge adolescents living with disabilities as ordinary citizens with rights equal to those of other citizens, they have not fully been recognised as sexual beings in their own right as human beings, especially in the Global South. Thus, in this article I aim at rethinking an inclusive sexuality education in South African schools that caters for the special needs of adolescents living with visual impairment. I employ theatre-in-education processes to explore student teachers' understandings and perceptions of teaching sexuality education to learners with visual impairment. Thirty-five student teachers participated in the study and engaged in theatre-in-education presentations and discussions. Data for this paper consist of students' discussions of their experiences of the theatre-in-education processes, which were thematically analysed. The findings indicate that the student teachers resorted to their comfort zones when designing their lesson portrayals-in line with their socialisation. However, their understandings and perceptions of using assistive devices to teach sexuality education were challenged and deconstructed through their engagement in theatre-in-education processes, thus highlighting the importance of engaged scholarship in deconstructing harmful norms towards transformative pedagogies.

Sexual and reproductive health rights of Ukraine's young sanctuary seekers: Can we pre-empt risks and uncertainty?

Sexual and reproductive health rights of Ukraine's young sanctuary seekers: Can we pre-empt risks and uncertainty?

Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Among Married Women

Sexual and reproductive rights are aspects of human rights. Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) incorporate the rights of all people, regardless of age, gender and other characteristics, to make choices regarding their sexuality and reproduction. This article has been conducted with the prime objective to examine the decision-making on the use of contraception and the prevalence of sexual violence in Bhojpur Municipality-5 Bhojpur District. This study is based on qualitative, quantitative and mixed research designs. To conduct research, 64 married women of reproductive age are selected as a sample by using the purposive sampling method. In the same way, this article is based on primary and secondary data. Observation and interviews as tools for primary data collection and books, articles, and journals related to sexual violence and sexual rights are used as tools for secondary data collection. Descriptive statistics are used for analysing the data. The study concludes that the sexual and reproductive rights of women are violated by their husbands regarding sex. Likewise, the family prefers sons as a result women are harassed. Women are sexually harassed in society too.

When Misfortune Becomes: Evolving Human Rights Struggles for Health and Social Equality

ABSTRACTAlicia Ely Yamin offers a journey through a half a century of struggle for the recognition and expansion of human rights in their social, economic and cultural dimensions, focusing on the right to health and, more specifically, on the sexual and reproductive health rights of women. This chronological journey examines laws and regulations, decision‐making forums and legal cases that have been milestones in the global history of human rights—events that the author selects from her vast direct knowledge and involvement.

Teaching for Comfort or Diversity in Comprehensive Sexuality Education Classrooms? Third-Year Student Teachers' Perspectives

Discussion of sexual rights in the context of disability is an often neglected and underdeveloped terrain within the human rights discourse, worldwide. More so, it becomes taboo to discuss the sexual health and reproductive rights of adolescents living with disabilities. This group of adolescents are often constructed as being sexually innocent, asexual, or lacking sexual agency thus denying their sexual autonomy. In other contexts, adolescents living with disabilities are constructed as hypersexual, thus putting them at risk of sexual exploitation and harm. While the human rights terrain has begun to acknowledge adolescents living with disabilities as ordinary citizens with rights equal to those of other citizens, they have not fully been recognised as sexual beings in their own right as human beings, especially in the Global South. Thus, in this article I aim at rethinking an inclusive sexuality education in South African schools that caters for the special needs of adolescents living with visual impairment. I employ theatre-in-education processes to explore student teachers' understandings and perceptions of teaching sexuality education to learners with visual impairment. Thirty-five student teachers participated in the study and engaged in theatre-in-education presentations and discussions. Data for this paper consist of students' discussions of their experiences of the theatre-in-education processes, which were thematically analysed. The findings indicate that the student teachers resorted to their comfort zones when designing their lesson portrayals-in line with their socialisation. However, their understandings and perceptions of using assistive devices to teach sexuality education were challenged and deconstructed through their engagement in theatre-in-education processes, thus highlighting the importance of engaged scholarship in deconstructing harmful norms towards transformative pedagogies.

Women's Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in an Urban North-Western Nigerian Community

Women's Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in an Urban North-Western Nigerian Community

Women's Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in an Urban North-Western Nigerian Community

Women's Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in an Urban North-Western Nigerian Community