– To increase people’s knowledge about SRHRs including health Professionals (Nurses, midwives, medical Doctors).
-Trainings on human rights issues, training media, lawyers, CSO, etc.
-Local law enforcement authorities.
-Issues facing women in general, Female Sexual Workers in particular.
-Legal framework of sexual reproductive health rights and abortion (National and International Laws e.g. the mainstreaming of the Maputo protocol).
With the support of solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), GLIHD is implementing a project entitled “Empowering communities and engaging stakeholders to decrease stigma and discrimination caused by unsafe abortions among women and girls of reproductive age using the Maputo Protocol”:
ENDING UNSAFE ABORTION AND REDUCING STIGMA, DISCRIMINATION AMONG WOMEN AND GIRLS OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE
Sexual and reproductive health and rights is a major thematic area in advancement of women’s rights. Sexual and reproductive health and rights remains an issue in Rwanda, Inflexible social customs/culture, religious beliefs and low knowledge on SRHR legal regime limit women’s rights. One of the concerns is unsafe abortion practices, where women put their lives at risk to end unwanted pregnancies. Unsafe procedures have led many towards permanent infertility and even death. Possible solutions for the issue; removal of abortion barriers, legal environments awareness raising, promotion of legal and safe abortion methods. Only in this way can women’s rights and their sexual and reproductive health be realized. Denying adolescent girls and young women the opportunity to freely access SRHR information is a failure. In response, GLIHD is implementing a project entitled “Empowering communities and engaging stakeholders to decrease stigma and discrimination caused by unsafe abortions among women and girls of reproductive age using the Maputo Protocol”. The project is funded by Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), GLIHD carried out trainings, meetings, lobbying meetings to amend some policies and laws to reduce unsafe abortion.
Under the generous support from SOAWR from January to December 2021, GLIHD will continue SRHR advocacy under a project entitled “Breaking SRHR barriers; for accessible health services among Adolescents girls and Women in Rwanda”. Popularization and utilization of Maputo protocol (African Charter on Women’s Rights) is the pathway; awareness-raising training, workshops, and multi-sectoral meetings with different stakeholders to increase knowledge around SRHR information and services, improve policy, legal and social conditions for adolescents girls and women to decide properly about their health as this is in line with key international instruments.
