Africa confronts unsafe abortions

Policy makers from around Africa will gather in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in the week leading up to International Women’s Day (8 March) for the first ever consultation on the continent on one of the most thorny issues of our time: unsafe abortions.

Policy makers from around Africa will gather in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in the week leading up to International Women’s Day (8 March) for the first ever consultation on the continent on one of the most thorny issues of our time: unsafe abortions.

There is only one country in Africa, South Africa, in which women have the right to choose to terminate pregnancy should they wish to in a safe medical environment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 4.2 million unsafe abortions occur each year in Africa. African women suffer more from this tragedy than women in any other regions of the world, representing 44% of all women globally who die from abortion-related causes.

The landmark consultation will focus on policy and health care delivery, existing laws and policies in Africa, best practices, needs and challenges with a specific focus on access to safe abortion services. IPAS, a global organisation that works to improve women’s lives through a focus on reproductive health is responsible for the co-ordination and administrative arrangements of the consultation.

The consultation will take place during the week of the 5 – 7 March in Addis Ababa, at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). It will bring together health ministry officials, medical doctors, and policy makers to discuss this emotive issue in a reflective environment.

The consultation is consistent with Ipas’ recognition of a global need for better access to safe, high-quality, elective abortion services, and follows on the mandates of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW).

During the consultation, IPAS in conjunction with the African Gender and Media Initiative (GEM), comprising Gender Links, a Southern Africa NGO committed to the promotion of gender equality in and through the media, and the Africa Women and Child Feature Service (AWCFS) an organisation active in policy debates on gender and the media in East Africa, will publish a daily newspaper covering issues arising out of the conference.

The editorial content of the bulletin will be independently written and researched, by a team of professional journalists. GEM will also operate an electronic news service to disseminate these stories as widely as possible to mainstream media. Every effort will be made to tailor stories according to specific editorial needs, deadlines and requirements. Stories will be provided free of charge, on condition GEM is acknowledged.

If you are interested in receiving stories for your paper or in reproducing stories from the bulletin, which will also be available on-line at www.genderlinks.org.za and www.ipas.org please write to Lindiwe Nkutha at gem@webmail.co.za or call on +27 11 622 2877.