Assessing the Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights of Women & Girls
Sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) of women are protected under various regional and international legal frameworks, including the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action. However, in conflict-affected countries such as Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Ethiopia, women’s SRHR are often undermined due to the destabilization of state institutions and a lack of access to services.
In Mali, the ongoing conflict has resulted in a decrease in access to basic healthcare, contraception, and other essential health services. There is a shortage of trained health workers and limited integration of sexual and reproductive health services into the healthcare system. Women in Northern Nigeria face similar challenges with restrictive cultural and religious beliefs resulting in limited access to reproductive healthcare and high maternal mortality rates. In South Sudan, major gaps in access to and quality of sexual and reproductive health services for women are attributed to weak rule of law, limited enforcement of women’s rights and high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) especially rape. In Sudan, women face barriers to accessing reproductive health services due to poverty, insecurity, inadequate healthcare infrastructure and cultural attitudes that view sexuality and reproductive health as taboo topics. The conflict in Central African Republic has contributed to a decrease in women’s overall health, an increase in child marriage, displacement of people, and poverty. In Ethiopia, the shortage of GBV prevention initiatives has been detrimental to women’s sexual and reproductive health. There are limited medical supplies in health facilities and inadequate medical staff to ensure sufficient access to sexual and reproductive health services.
