Tag Archives: international

Report finds sexual and reproductive health of women and girls missing from most national climate plans – UNFPA and others

Women and girls are among the hardest hit by the climate emergency, but fewer than one third of countries that have published their climate plans have committed to upholding the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, according to new findings by UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency.

The report Taking Stock: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Climate Commitments: A Global Review, is being published and launched in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London and IDRC Canada*. In a global first, the report examines the climate plans of 119 countries and whether they integrate access to contraception, safe birthing, and protecting women and girls from gender-based violence into their adaptation goals. Many countries have made commendable progress in highlighting sexual and reproductive health and rights in their plans; but a majority fall short.

“The climate crisis is not gender-neutral. In those countries most at-risk, women and girls are disproportionately affected even though they have contributed the least to the global climate emergency,” says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “Highlighting emerging evidence of the impacts of climate change on the health and wellbeing of women and girls – from increased poverty and food insecurity to poorer maternal health outcomes to increased risk of gender-based violence and harmful practices – this review is a timely reminder of why it is so critical that countries prioritize sexual and reproductive health and rights in their climate strategies.”

Key findings include: 

  • 38 out of 119 countries integrate sexual and reproductive health and rights in national climate plans.
  • Many countries recognize the direct and indirect impact of climate change on maternal and newborn health. Heat exposure can increase infant and maternal mortality (South Sudan) and pose risks to pregnant women and those in the process of menopause (Côte d’Ivoire).
  • Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by climate-crisis-driven food insecurity and malnutrition and they make up the majority of the malnourished in the four countries where famine or famine-like conditions are present, (Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia and South Sudan).
  • Other countries outlined the need to build climate-resilient health systems that can respond to extreme weather events (Paraguay) and improve maternal and newborn health outcomes (Seychelles, Benin).
  • Nine countries include a description of policies or interventions to address the increase in incidence of gender-based violence in the context of climate change (the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Sierra Leone, the Comoros, Seychelles, Costa Rica, Jordan, Tunisia and Guinea).

Part of a longer press release at https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-report-finds-sexual-and-reproductive-health-women-and-girls-missing-most-national

October 19, 2023

The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution condemning all forms of sexual and gender-based violence

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution on 2 September 2022 condemning all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and urging all countries to provide victims and survivors access to justice, reparations and assistance.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Sierra Leone and Japan, was adopted by consensus after votes were held on four amendments attempting to water down its language. All four were defeated by a more than 2-1 margin.

Sierra Leone’s foreign minister, David Francis, who introduced the resolution, cited U.N. World Health Organization estimates that 35% of women worldwide — about 1.3 billion — are survivors of sexual violence.

He called the resolution, titled “International cooperation for access to justice, remedies and assistance for survivors of sexual violence,” a “significant first step” to “address the scourge of sexual violence.”

“Our focus is to increase cooperation to eliminate sexual violence and step up the international response to support victims and survivors,” Francis said.

One amendment would have eliminated a reference to “intimate partner violence” in expressing grave concern that domestic violence “remains the most prevalent and least visible form of violence against women of all social strata in the world.”

Two of the amendments would have gotten rid of references that recognize “the particular risk of sexual and gender-based violence faced by all those who suffer multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.”

The fourth amendment would have eliminated language from a previous General Assembly resolution urging countries to protect women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, including by strengthening health systems “that make universally accessible and available quality, comprehensive sexual and safe and effective methods of modern contraception, emergency contraception, prevention programs for adolescent pregnancy.”

Nigeria introduced the amendments and many Middle East countries supported them, as did Russia, China, Malaysia, Nicaragua and others. Several countries claimed the language on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights would permit abortions.

In the end, the original resolution, which was overwhelmingly supported by Western nations and many other countries, was adopted without any changes and included all the language the amendments’ supporters sought to strip out.

Part of a longer news report at https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/condemns-sexual-violence-urges-justice-survivors-89250032

September 5, 2022

Forced Marriage Unit statistics 2021 – Home Office

Key points

In 2021, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice and support in 337 cases related to a possible forced marriage and/or possible female genital mutilation (FGM). It also responded to 868 general enquiries.

A case in which advice and support is given (‘advice and support cases’) is one where the FMU is provided with details of a specific individual at risk of, or affected by, forced marriage (or FGM), and actively provides advice and support for as long as required.

A general enquiry is one where the FMU may be asked to provide general advice and/or signposting to other sources of guidance or information. FMU began to record these in 2018, separate to the advice and support cases which comprised the annual published statistics.

In preparing the 2020 statistics, FMU made some changes to recording practices. In doing so, some contacts that might previously have been included as a case of ‘potential or actual forced marriage’ but which did not relate to a specific individual where advice and support was requested of the FMU, were more appropriately categorised as a ‘general enquiry’. As set out in the 2020 statistics, this had some impact on the reduction in the number of advice and support cases compared with the previous year, although FMU’s assessment is that the effects of the pandemic likely constituted the main factor.

The change in recording practices was in place throughout 2021. As such, some of the cases which would previously have been recorded as advice and support cases have now been recorded as general enquiries (and therefore feature in the figure of 868 rather than 337). This is likely to be the principal factor in the fall in the number of advice and support cases from 759 in 2020 to 337 in 2021, and the increase in the number of general enquiries received from around 400 in 2020 to 868 in 2021. The effects of the pandemic also persisted during 2021 (for example, restrictions on weddings and overseas travel). As shown above, the total number of cases (advice and support cases, and general enquiries) in 2021 was similar to that in 2020.

The 337 advice and support cases comprised 316 cases solely related to forced marriage, three cases related to both forced marriage and FGM, and 18 cases solely related to FGM. This figure includes contact that was made to the FMU through the public helpline or by email in relation to a new case. The figures in the rest of this document refer to the 337 cases.

Of the cases that the FMU provided advice or support to in 2021:

  • 118 cases (35%) involved victims below 18 years of age
  • 120 cases (36%) involved victims aged 18-25
  • 53 cases (16%) involved victims with mental capacity concerns
  • 251 cases (74%) involved female victims, and 86 cases (26%) involved male victims

The FMU remained fully operational throughout the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic and took steps to ensure that this was publicised extensively. FMU caseworkers have been more regularly invited to attend multi-agency strategy meetings following the widespread move to virtual working in several professional sectors.

In 2021, the FMU further increased its outreach activities and delivered training to over 1,000 UK professionals in how to support victims of forced marriage. This was more than double the number of professionals who attended our training in 2020. Our outreach included the continuation of bespoke, half-day training workshops for social care staff and police officers. We also delivered ad hoc training on request to groups including: police officers, social services, health professionals, local authorities, Border Force staff and community groups. In 2021, 9,964 people from a wide range of professions took the FMU’s “Awareness of Forced Marriage” free online course.

Forced marriage is not a problem specific to one country, religion or culture. In recent years, the FMU has handled cases relating to countries across six continents.

In 2021, the FMU handled cases relating to 32 ‘focus countries’, excluding the UK. The ‘focus country’ is the country to which the forced marriage risk relates. This could be the country where the forced marriage (or FGM) is due to take place, the country where it has taken place, and/or the country that the spouse is currently residing in. The ‘focus countries’ (other than the UK) with the highest number of cases in 2021 were:

  • Pakistan 159 cases (47%)
  • Bangladesh 32 cases (9%)
  • Somalia including Somaliland 10 cases (3%)
  • Kenya 8 cases (2%)
  • Iraq 7 cases (2%)
  • Romania 7 cases (2%)

The majority (72%) of victims were in the UK at the time the case was referred to us.

In 2021, 11 cases (3%) had no overseas element, with the potential or actual forced marriage taking place entirely within the UK. This continues to highlight that forced marriages can and do take place in the UK.

This document is accompanied by a data sheet which contains the figures quoted in this report. Categories containing data relating to fewer than five cases have been recorded as “<5” to preserve the anonymity of victims.

These statistics represent only the cases that have been reported to the FMU and where the FMU has actively given advice or support. Forced marriage is a hidden crime, and these figures will not reflect the full scale of the abuse.

For full details go to https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/forced-marriage-unit-statistics-2021/forced-marriage-unit-statistics-2021

August 4, 2022

Roe v Wade ruling is “an assault on women’s human rights, their lives, and their families” – BPAS

Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, the UK’s leading abortion provider, said:

“We are appalled by the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke women’s constitutional right to abortion. This is an assault on women’s human rights, their lives, and their families. Everyone at BPAS today (24 June 2022) stands in solidarity with the women of America.

“Banning abortion does not remove women’s need to end a pregnancy. It simply makes it more difficult and more dangerous.

“We are calling on the UK government to publicly condemn this assault on women’s human rights, and make clear on the international stage that removing women’s access to swift, safe abortion services has absolutely no place in any society that calls itself civilised in the 21st Century.

“For our politicians to watch silently as women’s rights are rolled-back would be unforgiveable. We urge the government to show leadership as a matter of urgency.”

https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/roe-v-wade-ruling-is-an-assault-on-women-s-human-rights-their-lives-and-their-families/

 

June 24, 2022

BPAS comment on Roe vs Wade

“We are shocked and appalled by the draft opinion from the Supreme Court to remove women’s constitutional right to abortion in the US. If Roe v Wade were overturned women in a string of US states would lose access to abortion altogether or face even greater restrictions than they do already. It represents a body blow to reproductive rights and women’s bodily autonomy in the so-called land of the free.

“Banning abortion does not remove women’s need to end a pregnancy. It simply makes it more difficult and more dangerous for women. It forces women to either make long journeys to access the care they need, or take matters into their own hands. Those that suffer the most are those who can least afford it. While abortion pills in the post may represent a lifeline for women in these circumstances, many women will still need in-clinic care. Removing these women’s access to swift, safe abortion services is utterly contemptible and has absolutely no place in a society that calls itself civilised in the 21st Century.

“We are also concerned about the message this sends to the world at a time when women in many countries are still struggling to achieve abortion rights. It further underlines the need for the UK to be a beacon for women’s reproductive choice  and we call on the UK Government to clearly condemn what is nothing short of an assault on women, their families and their lives.”

Clare Murphy, Chief Executive at BPAS:

https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/bpas-comment-on-roe-vs-wade/

 

May 5, 2022