AD1183: Zimbabweans support women’s autonomy in marital and reproduction choices, but hold mixed views on contraceptives and abortion

Majorities endorse sex education and allowing pregnant pupils to stay in school.

Simangele Moyo-Nyede
13 May 2026

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are an essential facet of public health, human rights, and sustainable development. For women, they entail physical, mental, and social well-being with autonomy in matters of sexuality and childbearing, including access to contraceptives (Starrs et al., 2018).

Zimbabwe has made great strides on SRHR in recent years, with legal and policy frameworks, anchored in the 2013 Constitution, that prioritise SRHR in the 2026-2030 National Health Strategy, increase funding for SRHR services, and prohibit child marriage through the Marriages Act (United Nations Population Fund, 2025, 2026; World Health Organization, 2020).

Continued: https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad1183-zimbabweans-support-womens-autonomy-in-marital-and-reproduction-choices-but-hold-mixed-views-on-contraceptives-and-abortion/

13.05.2026

News

Medical Services Amendment Bill

National Health Strategy

public support for abortion

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Hungary’s New Government and SRHR Commitments

ASTRA Network Commentary
May 11, 2026

Hungary’s 2026 election marks a major political shift. The new government led by Péter Magyar has presented a program with several constructive commitments relevant to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), equality, institutional independence, and civil society space. These include pledges to restore key institutional safeguards, improve the operating environment for civil society, address menstrual poverty, and strengthen responses to violence against women.

At the same time, the program remains marked by strategic ambiguity and serious omissions. It does not amount to a coherent SRHR or human rights agenda. Core issues such as contraception, abortion-related barriers, comprehensive sexuality education, LGBTQ+ equality, Roma women’s health, and socio-economic barriers to reproductive autonomy are either absent or insufficiently addressed. ASTRA Network welcomes the positive openings in the program, but stresses that these must be translated into explicit guarantees, implementation mechanisms, and protections for those most exposed to discrimination and rights violations.

Continued: https://astra.org.pl/astra-network-commentary-hungarys-2026-elections-and-the-incoming-governments-commitments-on-srhr-and-human-rights/

11.05.2026

Commentary

ASTRA Network

Péter Magyar

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Uganda – Youth-Led Initiative Launched to Close SRHR Gaps Among University Girls

By Kenneth Kazibwe
Thursday, April 23, 2026

Voices for Health and Development, a youth-led organisation championing girls’ rights in health and development, has launched the My Choice Campaign at Nkumba University.

The initiative aims to expand access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information and services for young people, with a particular focus on university girls across the country.

Continued: https://nilepost.co.ug/news/336858/youth-led-initiative-launched-to-close-srhr-gaps-among-university-girls?amp=1

23.04.2026

News

My Choice Campaign

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Voices for Health and Development

Just the Numbers: Australia’s Support for Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

New Evidence on Impacts of Investment in Family Planning, 2024

April 23, 2026
Meltem Odabaș, Chelsea Polis, Elizabeth A. Sully, Guttmacher Institute

Investments in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are among the most cost-effective development interventions available. Supporting SRHR improves health, prevents unintended pregnancies, reduces maternal and infant mortality, and expands educational and economic opportunities for women and girls. The evidence is clear: Funding for sexual and reproductive health is central to resilient health systems, human rights, gender equality and sustainable development.

In Asia and the Pacific,* the need for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services remains substantial, driven by persistent gaps in health system capacity, geographic barriers to service delivery, and increasing vulnerability to humanitarian crises and climate-related disasters. These challenges contribute to significant gaps in access to essential services, including contraception, safe abortion care, and maternal and newborn health services.

Continued: https://www.guttmacher.org/2026/04/just-numbers-australia-global-srhr-investment-impact-2024

23.04.2026

sexual and reproductive health and rights

AD1162: Gambians support women’s autonomy on marriage but want restrictions on contraceptives and abortion

Citizens favour teaching sex education in school and allowing pregnant girls to continue their education.

Luqman Saka and Bill Clinton Alex
3 Apr 2026

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental aspects of public health and human rights, encompassing physical, mental, and social well-being related to sexuality and childbearing (Starr et al., 2018). At their foundation is the right of individuals to make informed, autonomous decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives, free from coercion, violence, and discrimination.

In The Gambia, public attitudes toward SRHR are evolving within a context of generally conservative dispositions on issues such as women’s agency and autonomy over their bodies, contraceptive use, and abortion (see Afrobarometer, 2024, 64-66).

Continued: https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad1162-gambians-support-womens-autonomy-on-marriage-but-want-restrictions-on-contraceptives-and-abortion/

03.04.2026

public support for abortion

sexual and reproductive health and rights

AD1087: Ghanaians support women’s autonomy but are divided on abortion and contraceptives

Most citizens back sex education and letting pregnant girls stay in school.

Maame Akua Amoah Twum
2 Dec 2025

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) remain a critical challenge in Ghana, particularly with regard to teenage pregnancy and access to contraception. Between 2016 and 2020, Ghana recorded 13,444 pregnancies among girls aged 10-14 and 542,131 pregnancies among adolescents aged 15-19 (UNFPA-Ghana, 2022). Teenage pregnancy rates are about twice as high in rural areas as in cities (Mohammed, 2023). Poverty, limited education, and stigma surrounding SRHR continue to restrict access to essential services (Amoadu et al., 2022).

One profound consequence of teenage pregnancy is educational disruption. A study in a suburb of Accra (Chorkor) showed that more than 80% of pregnant schoolgirls drop out permanently (Gyan, 2013), and participants in re-entry programmes often face stigma, a lack of support, and economic hardship.

Continued: https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad1087-ghanaians-support-womens-autonomy-but-are-divided-on-abortion-and-contraceptives/

02.12.2025

Research

public support for abortion

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Malawi – Masamba calls for stronger national action on women’s health rights

Dec 01, 2025
Eric Chiputula

Parliamentary Committee on Health chairperson Anthony Masamba has called on Malawi to move beyond policy dialogue and implement concrete measures to advance women’s sexual and reproductive health rights.

Speaking during a day-long engagement on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and access to safe abortion services in Salima, the Mchinji North East legislator told policymakers, civil society leaders, and health experts that ongoing discussions are crucial to improving the lives of millions of women and girls.

Continued : https://malawi24.com/2025/12/01/masamba-calls-for-stronger-national-action-on-womens-health-rights/

01.12.2025

News

Anthony Masamba

Maputo Protocol

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Research series: navigating the politics of backlash to sexual and reproductive rights

ODI Global
Nov 24, 2025

Based on three case studies from across the African continent, this research explores the politics of anti-gender backlash against sexual and reproductive health and rights. By sharing insights from three country contexts: The Gambia, Kenya and Sierra Leone, these case studies offer a clear analysis of the salient economic, social, political and cultural factors that defined the legislative outcomes of rights-based initiatives in each nation.

Each paper sets out to understand the stakeholder motivations, political economy and foreign influences that shaped the debates over three legislative proposals relating to LGTBQI+ rights, access to safe abortion, and a ban on FGM. Within a context of intensifying backlash to women’s rights in a world defined by rollbacks to legal protections and slashed spending on ODA, this research aims to support international development actors seeking to better assess opportunities and obstacles to their initiatives on gender rights.

Continued: https://odi.org/en/about/our-work/gender-equality-and-social-inclusion/research-series-navigating-the-politics-of-backlash-to-sexual-and-reproductive-rights/

24.11.2025

Research

LGBTQI+ rights

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Safe abortion is life-saving healthcare: A call to action

3rd October 2025
Equality Now
By: Mumbi Mugo, Program Officer and Elizabeth Alukudo, Associate Program Officer

On the 2025 International Safe Abortion Day, commemorated on 28 September, we join women, girls, and human rights defenders across Africa and the globe in reaffirming a simple truth: safe abortion is life-saving healthcare.

As we reflect on progress made, and the road still ahead, we are reminded of the transformative potential of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, more widely known as the Maputo Protocol. Adopted by the African Union in 2003, the Protocol remains one of the most progressive and comprehensive legal instruments for the promotion and protection of women’s rights globally, particularly in the realm of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

Continued: https://equalitynow.org/news/news-and-insights/safe-abortion-is-life-saving-healthcare-a-call-to-action/

03.10.2025

Commentary

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa

Article 14(2)(c)

Equality Now

International Safe Abortion Day

Maputo Protocol

maternal deaths

Mumbi Mugo

sexual and reproductive health and rights

Climate resilience can’t be achieved without addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights, new study shows

Applying an intersectional climate justice lens to understand climate crisis impacts on sexual and reproductive health and rights and identify local solutions: Qualitative findings from Khulna, Bangladesh

Aug 4, 2025
Published in Sage Journals

A qualitative study by Ipas Bangladesh reveals how extreme weather events (EWEs) caused by climate change worsen sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) outcomes for women and girls in coastal Bangladesh. The study shows that people’s experiences during climate crises vary. Factors like gender, age, marital status, religion, income level, and social background shape them. The study found that effects such as increased gender-based violence, unintended pregnancies, challenges with menstrual health, and difficulties in accessing health services vary widely based on these intersectional factors.

Continued: https://www.ipas.org/news/climate-resilience-srhr-study/

04.08.2025