Media center

Namibia is under the spotlight this month as it resumes public hearings on abortion on 16 January. This follows the hearings which took place late last year, and will hopefully play an important role in the liberalization of abortion laws in the country.  The current laws regulating abortion are no longer fit for purpose – not least because the Abortion and Sterilisation Act of 1975 was adopted under apartheid South African rule and has since been repealed in South Africa. The Act currently permits abortion only in very limited circumstances, and imposes criminal penalties on women who obtain and those who perform abortions outside of this limited scope. Those who can afford it are forced to travel to South Africa for abortion care, but this option is out of reach for many women. The law, therefore, impacts far more heavily on poor and black women, perpetuating the cycle of poverty and reinforcing injustices.  In 2020, 62,000 Namibians signed a petition calling for the liberalization of abortion laws, so there is certainly public backing for progress. The upcoming hearings are a key opportunity to make positive changes in the lives of all women, regardless of religious beliefs, age, race, and socioeconomic status.

The IPPF Africa region is concerned by the Namibian High Court ruling on the application of non-Namibian same-sex spouses to live and work in the country. It is the latest legal battle to push for equal rights in the country. According to the High Court’s judge, Hannelie Prinsloo, the legal decision was based on an outdated law preventing the LGBTI+ community from enjoying equal human rights across the country. IPPFAR strongly encourages African Governments to review and adapt outdated laws to reflect today’s societal realities ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights for all.

Sunday, 11 July 2021. As we commemorate the World Population Day with a projected 7.9 billion people on the planet today, our thoughts also turn to what were the reproductive needs and wants of women and girls in Africa during this extraordinary year and whether were they fulfilled. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the provision of health care services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, often more so in countries in Africa that are already struggling to keep up with normal preventative and curative services, let alone COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. While fertility rates across the globe are shifting in both directions, and with Africa accounting for the top 23 highest total fertility rates (TFR)[1] in the world, the IPPF Women’s Integrated Sexual Health project (WISH2) provides SRH care to women, men and young people in 15 countries across the world - 12 of them being in Africa, including in fragile and conflict affected countries. The WISH2 program offers quality integrated and inclusive family planning and SRH services to marginalized and hard to reach populations: the poor, youth under 20 years and people living with disability. Within this framework, the WISH2 project recognized that many of these countries’ health services have been devastatingly affected by waves of the pandemic and adapted SRH services to ensure, wherever possible, continued access to SRH care to support women to achieve their reproductive intentions during the pandemic. In Malawi, we can focus in on young people against the backdrop of COVID-19 and a health system struggling to cope. Youth in Malawi face a myriad of challenges such as early marriages, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, high new HIV infections, early childbearing, drug and alcohol abuse, high illiteracy rate, poverty, and HIV and AIDS pandemic. (NSRHR Policy 2017–2022). While young people make up the largest and fastest growing proportion of population in Malawi with 51% of the population below 18 years, access to SRH care remains low among Malawian youth with 41% of adolescent women aged 15–19 having an unmet need for modern contraception. A Family Planning training in Lilongwe, Malawi, by Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM). As the world celebrates population day, the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM), which is IPPF's Member Association in the country, has increased effective strategies for providing access to information and SRH care to youth, including persons living with disabilities throughout the pandemic in the country. Some of these strategies include; Training of youth leaders to conduct peer learning programs and training of health care providers in Youth friendly services.  Establishing youth friendly spaces at service delivery points.   Conducting awareness creation and demand for SRH services to youth including conducting dialogue sessions, and engaging on WhatsApp and other social media platforms like Facebook.  Sensitizing parents and guardians to create an enabling environment for youth to access SRH services.  Coordinating with the Malawi Council for people with disabilities (MACOHA) - a government agency - to increase access to SRHR for persons with disabilities. Community Reproductive Health Promoters sensitization on engaging with young people with disabilities in the community.  Use of the growing mobile phone market in Malawi as a new avenue for reaching young clients by working with a local mobile service operator to promote SRHR messaging on the 3-2-1 platform (a free to use mobile subscription app). These strategies can be found in full here. “Our work complements Government efforts. Through the WISH project and other projects, FPAM has been able to reach out to young women particularly in the hard-to-reach areas with SRH information and services which otherwise could not be available if FPAM was not present in those areas”, said Donald Makwakwa, Executive Director at the Family Planning Association of Malawi. A community training activity by FPAM. In this coming year, despite reduced funding, the project will aim to continue maintaining its innovative adaptations to support access to quality SRH services and rights for women and men living in the most difficult of circumstances. Joyce Ayong, IPPF Board of Trustee member and President of the Youth Action Movement (YAM) at the Cameroon National Planning Association for Family Welfare (CAMNAFAW) highlighted the importance of youth outreach and inclusion especially in the most difficult of circumstances. “We campaign for the cause of young people so that they are taken into account. Young persons with disabilities and youth living in hard to reach areas also need to access SRH care and information and it is our duty to continue to find ways to provide these lifesaving services to them”, said Ayong. The WISH2 program will continue to find adaptive strategies ensuring that the much-needed SRH care in some of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic is delivered to the most marginalized, leaving no one behind when it comes to family planning needs. About the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Project 2 The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme offers quality integrated and inclusive family planning and sexual and reproductive health services to marginalized and hard to reach populations: the poor, youth under 20 years and people living with disability. WISH is the UK Government’s flagship programme to support integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in a range of countries across Africa and Asia by 2021. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) manages the WISH programme through a consortium arrangement (Lot 2) with 10 IPPF Member Associations and hand - picked partners chosen for their expertise to maximise access and reach for people in 15 countries: Development Media International (DMI), Humanity and Inclusion UK (HI), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Marie Stopes International (MSI), and Options Consultancy Services (Options). The countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. For more updates on our work, follow IPPF Africa Region on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.   [1] Total Fertility Rate 2021 (worldpopulationreview.com)

The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) congratulates the Gabonese Republic on its recent removal of article 402 (5) in the penal code, which criminalized homosexuality. On 29 June 2020, Gabon’s Senate voted to repeal the country's sodomy law. The vote stood at 59 in favour of repeal, and 17 against. This followed the National Assembly’s vote of 23 June 2020 which saw 48 MPs vote in favour, 24 against, and 25 abstentions. It is now up to the Head of State to promulgate the text. IPPFAR celebrates this significant win with the Gabonese lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community and activists, including human rights organisations -all of whom have worked tirelessly towards this achievement. IPPFAR is one of the leading organisations at the forefront of advocating for the respect of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. We strongly believe that no law should criminalize a person’s sexuality, and that no one should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. IPPFAR hopes that this recent development in Gabon will inspire other African countries to take a similar approach -that of protecting and upholding the rights of every individual. IPPFAR reiterates its commitment to supporting and working with governments, organizations and individuals in the advancement of sexual reproductive health and rights for all. For more information about the work of IPPF Africa Region, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Every year on 4 February, IPPF Africa Region joins the world in marking the World Cancer Day. This is a day set aside to draw attention to the cancer disease and encourage action towards a future free of cancer. This year’s theme is ‘I Am and I Will’, which encourages personal initiative to take the necessary action to combat cancer. Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 70% of deaths from the disease occurring in low-and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. As a fast-rising major public health concern in many developing countries, cancer leaves behind devastating effects on families, communities and economies. Yet, if detected and treated early, many cancer deaths can be averted. Early diagnosis however remains a great challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to lack of awareness about cancer risk factors, many health systems across the continent are not fully capable of meeting the demands of early diagnosis, testing, treatment and management. At IPPF Africa Region, we complement government efforts in addressing the health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Through our Member Associations (MAs) in 39 countries, we work with different partners: both in the public and private sectors in providing sexual and reproductive health services. One of our focus areas is reproductive health cancers, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. Through our static clinics, mobile clinics and other outreach strategies, our MAs continually create awareness about cancer, by providing information on prevention, risk factors and where they can access related services. Our MAs also offer cancer-related services including visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer screening, HPV testing, mammogram screening for breast cancer, and referrals for surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and further management. Between 2017 – 2019, IPPF Africa Region saw an estimated 4,278,029 women tested for cervical cancer. A further estimated 2,398,576 people were tested for breast cancer. Through our clinics, an estimated 97,496 people underwent surgical treatment in the same period. Our contribution to such cancer data is important for the development of cancer control programmes and creation of cancer policies. We are also involved in cancer surveillance and research activities that inform the development of reproductive cancer drugs and vaccines. Our advocacy efforts include calling on African leaders to prioritize the health agenda in their countries and follow up on their commitment to various health instruments such as the Abuja Declaration. The Abuja declaration requires African countries to commit at least 15% of their annual budgets to improving the health sector.   The health of any country begins with an individual so on this day, we urge all of us to make a personal commitment to take various actions that will reduce the cancer burden in our countries. It is our responsibility to ensure that we go for regular screening and testing, avoid risk factors that predispose one to cancer, advocate for cancer prevention, treatment and management, including speaking out in support of research, as well as advocate for the implementation of international commitments to health care in our countries. What we do today matters towards the realization of a cancer-free future.

IPPF Africa Region is concerned about the alleged statement by Tanzanian President HE John Pombe Magufuli. The warning that schoolgirls who have given birth should not be allowed to return to school is contrary to Regional and Global policy commitments that seek to protect Africa’s Youth, to which the United Republic of Tanzania is a signatory. The Republic of Tanzania has ratified several protocols at the continental level – and these include the Banjul Protocol, the Maputo Protocol and most recently the Maputo Plan of Action 2016-2030. The Banjul Protocol specifically states in article 17 that ‘Every individual shall have the right to education” and part of article 18 declares that “The State shall ensure the elimination of every discrimination against women; and also ensure the protection of the rights of women and the child as stipulated in international declarations and conventions.” Education is not only a human right in itself, but also enables access to almost all other human rights (UNESCO, 2016). The right to education is enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948). Equal access to quality education is also an objective of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. When a girl is not enrolled, or is pulled out of school for any reason whatsoever, her rights are violated, her opportunities are lost and her future options are limited. In light of the above, we would like to appeal to the government of the United Republic of Tanzania to review its overall position on the status of the girl child in the context of the Demographic Dividend, Maputo Plan of Action, Maputo Protocol and the African Youth Charter. We firmly believe that Africa can harness the Demographic Dividend through investing in youth, particularly young girls if their rights are preserved.