18/05/2024
Our Shed Africa attended and took part in the just ended Global Conference on Sexual Health, Reproductive Rights, and Gender Equity in Refugee and Humanitarian Crises from May 7-10, 2023 in Toronto, Canada.
The theme of the conference was “Rights, Dignity, and Access: Advancing Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights Amidst Refugee and Humanitarian Crisis”
Refugees and displaced populations, including women and girls, often face significant challenges in accessing essential Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRHR) services and achieving gender equity and equality.
Limited access to quality SRH services, including family planning, abortion and post-abortion care services, maternal health, and gender-based violence support, puts the health and well-being of displaced populations at risk.
According to WHO estimates, about 4.3 million sexually active persons worldwide receive poor and/or limited access to SRH services in their lifetime. Up until the end of June 2020, 200 million women and girls globally still endured female ge***al cutting along with the severe lifelong physical and psychological consequences that accompany this practice (Lancet Global Health 2020). In addition, approximately 33,000 child marriages still occur daily, 25 million unsafe abortions occur annually, and a host of other unresolved Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) agenda gaps remain unaddressed.
These gaps are even greater among women and girls in refugee and humanitarian settings where SRH conditions like gender-based violence, unsafe abortions, and poor obstetric care are among the leading causes of female morbidity and mortality. Indeed, women and girls in refugees and humanitarian settings globally continue to be deprived of basic SRH services resulting in devastating consequences.
