Activists push for access to safe & legal abortion in SADC
Date: September 27, 2019
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On 28 September, International Day of Safe Abortion, organisations across the globe will join hands to demand safe legal and accessible abortion for women and girls. To observe this International Safe Abortion Day SafAIDS Gender Links and it Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance partners will collaborate to amplify and increase national and regional advocacy towards removal of policy restrictions to access of safe & legal abortion in SADC. The partners will host simultaneous roundtable meetings in 15 SADC countries.
These activities will form part of the SAfAIDS’ ‘My Choice: Our Choice’ Regional Campaign on Ending Unsafe Abortion as well as the Gender Links #VoiceandChoice Campaign taking place acrosss SADC.
Save the date :
GL and partners will convene these events on 30 September through to 11 October 2019 . See below for the activities.
| Description | Outputs | Outcomes |
| Roundtable discussions | ||
| Face-to-face discussions with key stakeholders including policy makers; CSOs; government; health professionals; young people. | Strategy for collective campaigning for safe unrestricted abortion, and national rollout of the ‘My Choice: Our Choice’ Campaign.
Report documenting the relevant in country issues on the impact of the Global GAG Rule that contribute to the SADC Gender Protocol communique. |
Reduce the levels of stigma and discrimination relating to abortion.
Strengthen initiatives to develop safe unrestricted abortion legislation.
Understanding of the impact of the Global GAG Rule. Contribute to the repeal of the Global GAG Rule in the US. |
| Regional cyber dialogue | ||
| Virtual discussion using the instant messaging platform on the GL website, https://glcop.org.za/comm/ | Report on the discussion.
Inclusion of information in the Alliance communique on the GAG Rule. |
Sharing of knowledge and strategies on reducing levels of stigma and discrimination across SADC.
Gather national levels perspectives on Global GAG Rule. |
| Signing the online petition | ||
| Online petition | Number of signatures gathered | Key stakeholder support and five thousand signatures gathered demanding laws for safe unrestricted abortion across SADC. |
The platform provided by these discussions will formulate a SADC gender civil society response to the Global Gag rule. The discussions from the International Safe Abortion Day event will be consolidated into a communique from the SADC Gender Protocol Alliance articulating the impact of the Rule across the region. This will be submitted to the International Women Health Coalition in support of the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act.
If you need more information, contact Kubi Rama, Gender Links, advisor@genderlinks.org.za or Charmaine Picardo, SAfAIDS, charmaine@safaids.net
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