Operationalising sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa: constraints, dilemmas and strategies

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Research

Latifat Ibisomi¹  Nana Oye Lithur²  Rose Ndakala Oronje³  Sally Theobald⁴  Joanna Crichton⁵ 

[1] Demography and Population Studies Programme, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa;INDEPTH Network, 11 Mensah Wood Street, East Legon, Accra, Ghana;Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, BN1 9RE, Brighton, UK;African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Royal Offices, Mogotio Road off Chiromo Lane, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya;Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, L3 5QA, Liverpool, UK;School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, BS8 2PS, Bristol, UK;

关键词: Domestic Violence;    Sexual Violence;    Sexual Offence;    Safe Abortion;    Marital Rape;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1472-698X-11-S3-S8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe continued poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa highlight the difficulties in reforming policies and laws, and implementing effective programmes. This paper uses one international and two national case studies to reflect on the challenges, dilemmas and strategies used in operationalising sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in different African contexts.MethodsThe international case study focuses on the progress made by African countries in implementing the African Union’s Maputo Plan of Action (for the Operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) and the experiences of state and non-state stakeholders in this process. The case was developed from an evaluation report of the progress made by nine African countries in implementing the Plan of Action, qualitative interviews exploring stakeholders’ experiences and perceptions of the operationalisation of the plan (carried out as part of the evaluation) in Botswana and Nigeria, and authors’ reflections. The first national case study explores the processes involved in influencing Ghana’s Domestic Violence Act passed in 2007; developed from a review of scientific papers and organisational publications on the processes involved in influencing the Act, qualitative interview data and authors’ reflections. The second national case study examines the experiences with introducing the 2006 Sexual Offences Act in Kenya, and it is developed from organisational publications on the processes of enacting the Act and a review of media reports on the debates and passing of the Act.ResultsBased on the three cases, we argue that prohibitive laws and governments’ reluctance to institute and implement comprehensive rights approaches to SRH, lack of political leadership and commitment to funding SRHR policies and programmes, and dominant negative cultural framing of women’s issues present the major obstacles to operationalising SRH rights. Analysis of successes points to the strategies for tackling these challenges, which include forming and working through strategic coalitions, employing strategic framing of SRHR issues to counter opposition and gain support, collaborating with government, and employing strategic opportunism.ConclusionThe strategies identified show future pathways through which challenges to the realisation of SRHR in Africa can be tackled.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Oronje et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011