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This May 28 International Day of Action for Women’s Health, SRHR activists and allies take action, mobilize, and amplify demands for realizing sexual and reproductive health and rights, and justice. Let us stay firm in our resolve and assert stronger that #WomensHealthMatters and demand #SRHR4ALL!

This May 28, we highlight that an attack on SRHR anywhere attacks all our rights everywhere. Therefore, addressing these critical issues is a matter of globally concerted efforts, multisectoral and intersectional collaboration, and seeking accountability on a global scale. May 28 is also a time to celebrate and take encouragement from the hard-fought gains in health and SRHR won by social movements worldwide.

These attacks and regressions are not deterrents to us but instead, fuel our mobilization as we stand firm. We are stronger and louder when we come together, in solidarity with women and girls and our allies across the world – be it in celebration of their gains or the continuing struggle for the full realization of #SRHR4ALL.

Advance SRHR! Persist in the face of regressions!

The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), in collaboration with the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights and Maguindanao Alliance of Youth Advocates (MAYA), presented an oral statement on SRHR at the 4th Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines last March 27, 2023.

This is in direct violation of #Uganda’s obligations to ensure non-discrimination, equitable gender inclusion, and respect for human dignity for all people in Africa under the CEDAW, the ICESCR, and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, as well as the Maputo Protocol!

As a vital element of young people’s SRHR, CSE is essential in the prevention, treatment, and care of HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections. An enabling environment in schools and communities, especially in poor and rural areas, should be created to ensure young people have access to age and development-appropriate, rights-based, and evidence-based information. When they have the appropriate information, young people develop the life skills to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives, such as having safe sex and healthy relationships that recognize consent and gender equality.

SRHR is an important part of all people’s human rights and development; it is inextricably linked to social justice issues such as poverty and climate crisis, among others; and a crucial part to the fulfillment of universal health coverage. Therefore, the social and economic gaps that hinders the full realization of their sexual and reproductive rights must be addressed through government accountability, including access to innovation and technological opportunities. 

WGNRR is currently seeking a Knowledge Management Specialist (Consultancy), hereinafter “Specialist”, to facilitate a workshop on Knowledge Management (KM) and development of a KM plan for the Manila Coordination Office. The Workshop is projected to be held on the 3rd or 4th week of February 2023. The submission of a finalized Knowledge Management Plan will be on March 24, 2023.

As a signatory to international human rights treaties including the UN CRC, the Philippine Government committed to ensure the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights of all especially of adolescents. The UN CRC Concluding Observation is a major win for adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights in the country. Our solidarity and commitment to SRHR and children’s rights made all these possible. As SRHR, women’s rights and child rights advocates, we will continue to hold the government accountable to its commitments and monitor its implementation of the UN CRC recommendations and other human rights obligations.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child finished its review of the Philippines and released its Concluding Observations. They considered the issues that we raised in our joint NGO submissions and other interventions and urged the Philippine Government to, among others, ensure adolescents’ access to modern contraception and confidential testing and HIV treatment without parental consent, ensure comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools, address sexual violence, and review of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act No. 10354. And for the first time, the UNCRC urges the government to legalise abortion and ensure access to abortion and post-abortion care services for adolescent girls.