Colloquium unpacks sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa

The Socio Economic Rights Project (SERP) in conjunction with the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN), held a colloquium on the role of regional/sub-regional human rights bodies in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Africa, from the 28 – 29 June 2018.

Participants representing personnel of Regional/Sub-regional human rights bodies, civil society organisations, academia, activists and other stakeholders attended the two-day colloquium. They discussed different issues relating to SRHR based on broad themes including:

The normative framework for sexual and reproductive health and rights at international, regional and sub-regional levels
Emerging issues on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa
Case studies from regional/sub-regional human rights bodies and SRHR.

Key viewpoints shared at the colloquium include- the tailoring of legal frameworks in many African countries on sexual and reproductive health and rights towards the heterosexual, married female. These give rise to exclusion of several groups in discussing a regional outlook to sexual and reproductive health and rights on the continent.

The need to involve men in the sexual and reproductive health and rights discourse; the under-utilisation of regional and national laws and policies in addressing rights violations of sex workers was highlighted at this event.

Other topics discussed were drivers of and strategies for ending child marriage in the horn of Africa; the usefulness of special mechanisms such as the South African health ombudsman in ensuring accountability for the realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Participants during the colloquium came from Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, The Gambia and South Africa.

You can find the presentations from the session here, and a gallery of pictures here.