Making Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Women and Girls a Transformational Reality (SRR-TR)

• Reproductive Health and Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Women and Girls

In the majority of West African countries, young people, especially girls and young women, do not have the required information on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sexuality is still considered as taboo in the region, which prevents parents and education systems from meeting even the most basic information needs of adolescents and young people. In countries where access is somewhat higher, quality is not guaranteed. Still in some contexts, national laws and policies impede the use and delivery of services. More importantly, socio-cultural norms such as pressure to have children, gender inequalities, stigmatization by providers…, etc., are barriers to the use of sexual and reproductive health services by adolescents and youth.^[1]  With the advent of the Internet, adolescents and young people are forced to find themselves in a self-service environment when it comes to information on their sexuality. The situation of girls and young women is even worse. Gender norms and unequal power relations, lack of knowledge of their sexual and reproductive rights, lack of access to information on the same basis as boys is an obstacle to the enjoyment of their rights. In rural African communities where girls and women are almost totally economically and socially dependent on boys and men, it is almost impossible for them to subscribe to a contraceptive measure without the agreement and/or financing of their spouse, they are more prone to non-consensual sexual intercourse. Furthermore, the issue of sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls is still a taboo subject in many communities in West Africa

• Our work

The network has been committed since 2019 to contribute to a better knowledge by women and girls of their rights in the field of sexuality and sexual and reproductive health as well as to help transform the norms that are not favourable to the enjoyment of these rights.

• Project: « Preventing gender-based violence and violations of adolescent sexual and reproductive rights to reduce early pregnancy in Togo »

Financial partner : International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

 Country : Togo

Objective : to propose an integrated model of responses to adolescent pregnancy that takes into account gender-based violence in order to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescent girls in Togo

Results

• A baseline study on explanatory factors of teenage pregnancy available ;
• an intervention model proposed by the researchers available ;
• one hundred (100) young girls and boys trained on gender and sexual and reproductive rights violations of adolescents in relation to early pregnancies in the four (4) project localities (Akparé, Yorokpodji, Lavié and Tové) ;
• 29 multi-sectoral service providers (competent technical services of the state and representatives of civil society organisations) from the prefectures of Kloto and Ogou trained on the prevention and comprehensive management of gender-based violence ;
• 80 community actors, including 40 women, members of the adult intervention platform strengthened in human rights and the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people ;
• Four (4) intervention platforms for adults and young people set up in Akparé, Yorokpodji, Lavié and Tové ;
• a Policy Brief : “Teenage pregnancy in Togo : a phenomenon encouraged by gender-based violence ;
• an pictures box designed to raise awareness against the phenomenon ;
• a Scientific article : “Sexual harassment and rape of young girls under spell : representations and social practices linked to witchcraft in the context of non-consensual sexual relations in Togo” ;
• individual interviews (32) and home visits (9) conducted by members of GBV response platforms reached in Ogou, 795 people including 676 young people, and in Kloto, 2901 people, including 1265 young people ;
• awareness raising activities reached 3696 people in Agou And Kloto ;
• 1,817 SRH clinical services and 235 legal and GBV services as a mobile strategy in beneficiary localities, reaching 1,962 people ;
• a protocol on the comprehensive care of survivors of gender-based violence and victims of early pregnancy available ;

engagement signed by traditionnal leaders available.

[1] UNFPA, Adolescent and Youth Appropriate Sexual and Reproductive Health Services. Key elements for implementation and scaling up in West and Central Africa