Nigeria – IWD: NRHJN seeks increased investment in family planning to reduce maternal deaths

By Idowu Abdullahi
March 11, 2026

The Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria has called for increased investment in reproductive health services, particularly family planning, to reduce maternal deaths as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the 2026 International Women’s Day.

The reproductive health journalists noted that many Nigerian women still face barriers in accessing family planning services, maternal healthcare, and other reproductive healthcare due to poor funding.

Continued: https://healthwise.punchng.com/iwd-nrhjn-seeks-increased-investment-in-family-planning-to-reduce-maternal-deaths/

11.03.2026

News

Elizabeth Kah

Hajia Sekinah Lawal

International Women's Day

maternal deaths

National Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications

Network of Reproducwive Health Journalists of Nigeria

Foundation demands legal reform, supportive care for women, girls in Nigeria

March 11, 2026

A nonprofit group, Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, has called on government and all stakeholders to ensure a more supportive environment that empowers women and girls in the country to make informed decisions about their lives and health.

The Country Director of Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, Dr. Lucky Palmer, in a press statement to commemorate the International Women’s Day called for reform of outdated laws in the country to protect women’s access to safe abortion care and equip healthcare workers with adequate training to deliver safe and high-quality services.

Continued: https://thenationonlineng.net/foundation-demands-legal-reform-supportive-care-for-women-girls-in-nigeria/

11.03.2026

News

Give to Gain

International Women's Day

Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation

Teenage Girls Struggle to Access Contraceptives in Public Hospitals Despite Women’s Day focus on Rights

March 8, 2026

Every year on the 8th of March, the world pauses to celebrate women. Flowers are given, speeches are made, and hashtags trend. But for millions of women and girls across Kenya, International Women’s Day is not a celebration it is a reminder of a systemic betrayal.

It is the story of a young mother in Kisumu who walked three hours to a public clinic, only to hear the words: “Hatuna stock” we have no stock. It is the reality of a teenage girl in Mathare who wanted to stay in school but left the clinic empty-handed because the shelf was completely bare.

Continued: https://ghettoradio.co.ke/teenage-girls-struggle-to-access-contraceptives-in-public-hospitals-despite-womens-day-focus-on-rights/

08.03.2026

Commentary

bodily autonomy

Conference on Population and Development

contraception shortage

International Women's Day

Kenya Demographic and Health Survey

Kenya – OPINION: Women’s month and the silent crisis of unsafe abortion

Many Kenyan women and girls are still negotiating their bodily autonomy in fear, confusion, and silence.

by KELVIN MOKAYA
6 March 2026

March invites us to celebrate women. It calls us to reflect on progress made, to name injustices that persist, and to recommit ourselves to a future anchored in dignity and equality. In Kenya, Women’s Month often comes with colorful events, inspiring hashtags, and powerful speeches about empowerment. Yet beneath the celebration lies a quieter, more uncomfortable truth. Many Kenyan women and girls are still negotiating their bodily autonomy in fear, confusion, and silence.

This month, as we mark International Women’s Day, we must confront a pressing thematic concern that sits at the heart of sexual and reproductive health and rights in Kenya: the growing confusion, stigma, and systemic barriers surrounding access to safe abortion, despite constitutional guarantees.

Continued: https://www.the-star.co.ke/opinion/2026-03-06-opinion-womens-month-and-the-silent-crisis-of-unsafe-abortion

06.03.2026

Opinion

International Women's Day

Kelvin Mokaya

Know Your Rights Own Your Choices

Maputo Protocol

maternal morbidity and mortality

safe abortion guidelines

sexual and reproductive health and rights

“We will continue to move forward. There is no turning back”

By Guillermina Edith Juárez Leyva, human rights defender from Oaxaca, Mexico
6 March 2026
(for Amnesty International)

My name is Guillermina Edith Juárez Leyva and I am a Zapotec woman from Oaxaca, Mexico. I am the founder and legal representative of Mano Vuelta AC, an organization of indigenous and Afro-Mexican women who work for human rights from an anti-racist and intercultural perspective.

The name of our organization, Mano Vuelta, is inspired by an ancestral form of community organization that promotes work and sharing for the common good. If I plant corn and need help, I can ask for it and then in return I help others with my work. These practices have sustained the lives of our communities since ancient times. This is also how we see the work of providing access to abortion.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/03/we-will-continue-to-move-forward-there-is-no-turning-back

Justice for Women and Girls: Five Global Wins to Celebrate this International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day and the UN’s 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Center is celebrating our biggest wins on securing access to justice for women and girls.

March 6, 2026
Center for Reproductive Rights

Ensuring women’s access to justice is key to the Center’s mission of protecting reproductive rights around the world. It is also a central pillar of International Women’s Day (IWD) and the theme of this year’s session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), taking place March 9-19 at the United Nations.

CSW is an annual opportunity for the global community to take stock of progress on gender equality, to identify challenges and roadblocks, and to set goals for the future. This year Center leaders and partners will join human rights experts on panels across the session, as well as hosting two public side events that examine the intersection of women’s access to justice and their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/news/international-womens-day-five-wins/

06.03.2026

Commentary

A.R. v. Poland

Center for Reproductive Rights

European Court of Human Rights

International Women's Day

Termination of Pregnancy Act

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Indonesia – Abortion limits in KUHP ignite women’s rights debate Maretha Uli

The Jakarta Post
Tue, March 3, 2026

Women’s rights groups have criticized the country’s new Criminal Code (KUHP) for continuing to criminalize abortion except in cases of rape or medical necessity, calling the law a setback for women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.

At a recent discussion to commemorate the International Women’s Day this month, speakers highlighted how restrictive abortion regulations continue to limit women’s control over their own bodies.

Continued: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/03/03/abortion-limits-in-kuhp-ignite-womens-rights-debate.html

03.03.2026

News

abortion law reform

Indonesia criminal code

International Women's Day

Accelerate action: Reproductive rights and abortion access in Lagos State

—WEWIN
March 11, 2025

Every year on International Women’s Day (IWD), we reflect on progress, celebrate achievements, and reignite our commitment to gender equality. IWD 2025’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” underscores the urgent need for swift and tangible progress in achieving gender equality and reproductive justice.

Nowhere is this acceleration more critical than in the fight for reproductive rights, particularly the right to safe and legal abortion in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Continued; https://businessday.ng/opinion/article/accelerate-action-reproductive-rights-and-abortion-access-in-lagos-state/

11.03.2025

Commentary

Accelerate Action theme

gender equality

International Women's Day

maternal mortality

reproductive justice

WEWIN

Women Empowering Women Initiative

Uganda – Unsafe abortions surge at Kigungu landing site

MON 10 MAR, 2025
By Kenneth Kazibwe

In the shadows of Uganda’s fishing villages, a silent crisis unfolds—one that claims lives and exposes deep-rooted inequalities.

At Kigungu Landing Site, unsafe abortions are a daily reality, driven by poverty, stigma, and lack of healthcare.

This pressing issue highlights the critical need for enhanced reproductive health services and support for marginalized populations.

Continued: https://nilepost.co.ug/health/246787/unsafe-abortions-surge-at-kigungu-landing-site

10.03.2025

News

Family Medical Point

International Women's Day

Uganda Demographic and Health Survey

Voices for Health and Development

Poland first “abortion clinic” opens amid protest

Mar 9, 2025
Notes from Poland

A facility that reproductive rights activists describe as Poland’s first ever abortion clinic has opened in Warsaw. The launch – held on International Women’s Day – was met with protests by anti-abortion groups.

Critics say that the initiative violates Poland’s strict abortion laws, which allow terminations in only two narrowly restricted circumstances and criminalise those who assist women in obtaining unlawful abortions. However, the group behind the clinic argues that it conforms with all relevant regulations.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/03/09/poland-first-abortion-clinic-opens-amid-protest/

09.03.2025