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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.

Last week, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the United Nations General Assembly during the High-Level General Debate. Glaringly absent, however, is the purview on gender. He commits to upholding justice, respecting human rights, and maintaining international peace and security, but these are nothing but empty promises if women and girls continue to unjustly face barriers to achieving their human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) particularly the inability to access safe abortion.

The Philippines has one of the most restrictive laws against abortion in the world, without clear exceptions on any grounds. Despite legal restrictions, however, abortions have happened, and no severity of the law can stop them from happening. A thousand die each year attributed to clandestine abortions; this translates to three lives lost every day. Deaths from unsafe abortion complications are one of the leading factors to the country’s high mortality rate. For as long as the proper legal and policy guarantees are not institutionalized, more people will be put to danger.

The Woman’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights joins civil society organisations in pressing for the immediate release of Reina Mae Nasino, a woman human rights defender illegally arrested in November 2019. The decision of the 12th Division of the Philippine Court of Appeals dated August 31 junks the warrants of arrests served on Nasino as […]

by: Maurice Angeli, member of the Young Advocates for SRHR (YAS) People mostly call me ‘Mau’ in our community, and I started my youth advocacy journey at age 15. As a youth leader and a campus journalist, I was immersed in working with children and young people. My background exposed me to the lived realities […]

#Sept28 International Safe Abortion Day is just a month away. To mark our countdown, we bring you the 2022 Campaign Toolkit and Resources – tools to help advocates take action and speak out for access to safe and legal abortions around the world! Each year, on September 28 – International Safe Abortion Day activists around […]

The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights stands in solidarity with women and reproductive justice activists in Turkmenistan that are fighting against regressive abortion laws that impose a virtual ban on nearly all abortions. May 2022 – overnight, with no notice nor public consultation, the Turkmenistan government covertly passed a ruling that virtually bans all […]

WGNRR is currently seeking a consultant to assist its Board and Executive Director in assessing the current strategic plan and facilitate the development of a new Strategic Plan.  Consultant/s who are experienced in evaluation, strategic thinking and planning are invited to submit their proposals in accordance with the terms of reference to support our strategic planning efforts.