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IPPF Africa Region Calls for Urgent Action Against Rising Femicide in Africa Nairobi, 11 September 2024 – The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) notes with grave concern the alarming rise of femicide across Africa, underscored by the recent murder of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei by her former partner. This tragic killing is a stark reminder of the growing epidemic of violence against women on the continent and globally. Femicide—the gender-based killing of women—is rooted in systemic misogyny and patriarchy. According to UN Women, 89,000 women and girls were murdered globally in 2022, the highest figure recorded in 20 years, however it is likely that these figures are significantly underreported. Furthermore, the African continent has the highest rate of femicide globally. More than half of these women were killed by intimate partners or family members, and this violence continues to thrive under a global culture of impunity. “Violence against women and girls is among the least prosecuted and punished crimes in the world,” noted the UN Assembly (Resolution no. 70/176). This impunity must stop, and governments must take immediate steps to address the issue. Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, IPPF Africa Regional Director, states, “Femicide is not just a women's issue—it is a human rights issue. Governments must invest in women-led strategies that have proven to prevent violence against women and girls and hold perpetrators accountable. The lack of standardized data and consistent reporting across regions only perpetuates this crisis. Additionally, marginalized women, such as LGBTIQ+ individuals, women with disabilities, female sex workers, and women living in precarious situations such as refugees and internally displaced women, face a heightened risk of femicide. The lives of women and girls are at stake, and the time for action is now”. Patriarchy fuels femicide, and when combined with systematic issues such as capitalism, poverty, unemployment, and a lack of support systems geared toward girls and women, results in the marginalization and ongoing violence against women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals. IPPFAR, through the Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) Project—funded by the French Development Agency and French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs—provides financial and technical assistance to feminist civil society organizations working to end gender-based violence and achieve gender equality. Collaborating with women’s rights organizations like Feminists in Kenya, The Wangu Kanja Foundation, Smart Ladies Youth Initiative, FON and IPPFAR are committed to dismantling discriminatory gender norms, engaging men and boys in the fight against patriarchy, and advocating for systemic change. Tatiana Gicheru from Feminists in Kenya, an organisation supported by the FON Project, shares her frustration: “Feminists in Kenya recognizes femicide as a violent manifestation of patriarchal power, and we remain dedicated to dismantling structures that enable all forms of violence against women in all their diversities. We urge the Kenyan Government to act decisively on our demands shared during the 2019 and 2024 nationwide anti-femicide marches. Enough is enough!” IPPF Africa and its partners urge Governments across Africa and the world to act decisively to end femicide. END For further information or to request an interview, please contact: -Mahmoud GARGA, Lead Strategic Communication, Voice and Media, IPPF Africa Regional Office (IPPFAR) – email: [email protected] / Tel: +254 704 626 920    ABOUT IPPF AFRICA REGION (IPPFAR) The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is one of the leading sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service delivery organization in Africa, and a leading sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy voice in the region. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the overarching goal of IPPFAR is to increase access to SRHR services to the most vulnerable youth, men and women in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by thousands of volunteers, IPPFAR tackles the continent’s growing SRHR challenges through a network of Member Associations (MAs) in 40 countries. We do this by developing our MAs into efficient entities with the capacity to deliver and sustain high quality, youth focused and gender sensitive services. We work with Governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, the Pan-African Parliament, United Nations bodies among others to expand political and financial commitments to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa. Learn more about us on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.   ABOUT FEMINISTS IN KENYA Feminists in Kenya is a social movement of Feminist and Queer activists committed to achieving gender justice. As organizers of the #TotalShutdownKe march against femicide, they are focused on mobilizing and organizing with women across Kenya to challenge systemic and interpersonal oppression. Founded on Community, Joy and Resistance, their vision is a world where women, in all their diversities, can live free from systemic violence in both public and private spaces.   ABOUT THE FEMINIST OPPORTUNITIES NOW (FON) PROJECT The objective of the project Feminist Opportunities Now (FON), is to build the capacity of women's movements, via sub-grants to feminist organisations, with a particular effort to reaching small, even non-registered organisations to address and respond to gender-based violence. The programme is developed based on an ecological model, using multi-disciplinary gender-transformative approaches. In addition to direct and flexible sub-granting (for € 7 million), FON also provides a unique opportunity for longer-term mentorship to support feminist organisations in their overall development, with trainings specifically tailored to their needs. FON also supports feminist organisations to identify other/diverse sources of funding and includes a research-action component to understand how these approaches can be scaled-up and made sustainable. Website: Feminist Opportunities Now

Eswatini (27 August 2024) - IPPF’s Member Association in Eswatini, the Family Life Association of Eswatini (FLAS), is soon to roll out the first women-controlled HIV prevention product, the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR). FLAS will be among the first organisations to offer the DVR outside implementation or pilot studies anywhere in the world. Made of flexible silicone, the ring is inserted into the vagina by a woman and slowly releases the antiretroviral drug dapivirine in the vagina over a one-month period, helping to reduce a woman’s risk of acquiring HIV. In 2023, in sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections and every week, 3,100 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years became infected with HIV. Therefore, there continues to be an urgent need for HIV prevention methods that females can use to protect themselves. The DVR is a product women can control themselves and use without the knowledge or consent of their partners, unlike condoms, which men often refuse to use. The DVR is inserted into the vagina and left for a one-month period, where it can then be replaced each month for continued protection. Unlike daily oral PrEP, the DVR does not rely on remembering to take a pill each day and is also discreet as it stays inside the vagina throughout the month. The DVR does not prevent pregnancy or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), so women choosing to use the ring may want to consider combining it with condoms and methods of contraception. The availability of the DVR is an exciting step in supporting women’s autonomy and choice in HIV prevention. This need for women-controlled HIV prevention products has long been advocated for, with the African Women Prevention Community Accountability Board launching the HIV Prevention Choice Manifesto in early 2023. The Choice Manifesto prioritises the principle of choice to ensure that women and girls have the right to choose which HIV prevention methods work for them. Currently the ring is available at selected facilities through implementation studies across six countries in East and Southern Africa; South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Uganda.  Diantha Pillay, Associate Director for Product Access for IPM South Africa NPC (an affiliate of the Population Council), said:  “It is encouraging to see the efforts made by FLAS and IPPF to support the choice agenda for HIV prevention for women and make effective HIV prevention methods, like the DVR, more widely accessible in a real-world setting. We hope this can pave the way for introduction of future pipeline products that speak to the needs of women.” The Population Council is currently developing a longer duration DVR that women would use for three months versus one month to significantly lower annual product costs and offer women a more convenient option to protect themselves. Thabo Lizwe Masuku, Programs Manager for FLAS, said: “Women have been telling us for a long time that  there is a need for a variety of methods for HIV prevention, since they are highly exposed. For women and girls to truly have choice about what works for them as they navigate different stages and circumstances of their lives, policy makers, donors, governments and implementers must ensure the mix of HIV prevention methods are available, accessible, and affordable. Access to the ring through our clinics in Eswatini now gives women choice and options to protect themselves against HIV.” IPPF is committed to ensuring that choice in HIV prevention is a reality for women and girls and aims to roll out the dapivirine vaginal rings at as many Member Associations as possible, as well as offer other HIV-prevention choices, as we work alongside our partners towards a future free of HIV in Africa and beyond.   For more information and to speak to staff in Eswatini, please email [email protected]   Notes: The dapivirine vaginal ring has been recommended by the WHO since January 2021. (25) In clinical trials, the  ring was shown to reduce HIV infection by 35% in The Ring Study (26,27) and 27% in the ASPIRE Study. (28,29) Recent open-label studies show greater adherence to the ring, and modelling data suggest that HIV risk could be reduced by about 50%. (30) The dapivirine ring has received regulatory approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as from local medicines regulators in Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana and is currently under regulatory review in a number of other countries Our Member Associations (MAs) that provide clinical services are required to provide comprehensive SRH services through our Integrated Package of Essential Services (IPES) which include services for sexual health and well-being, contraception, abortion care, sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/reproductive tract infections (RTIs), HIV, obstetrics and gynaecology, fertility support, and sexual and gender-based violence. IPPF’s new five-year strategy, Come Together, focuses on expanding choice. In support of this, we recently launched a special programme to expand our HIV prevention options, which aims to integrate the newest HIV prevention methods – the vaginal ring and injectable PrEP - into our comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services.  IPPF’s IMAP Statement on Biomedical HIV Prevention can be found here. About the Family Life Association of Eswatini (FLAS)  For over 30 years, the Family Life Association of Eswatini (FLAS) has provided sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to the people of Eswatini (formally Swaziland). While family planning, antenatal, post-natal and post-abortion care form a key part of FLAS services, there’s a significant focus on HIV and AIDS programmes. Eswatini has some of the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence rates in the world. As a result, the prevention and management of HIV and AIDS, the provision of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), and the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) are central to FLAS’s work. FLAS has 15 service points, including three permanent clinics and three mobile facilities, staffed by a permanent team of 40 staff backed by 230 volunteers, 180 Youth Action Movement members and 29 peer educators. About the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Our work is wide-ranging, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptives, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crises.  We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote. Our services are available to all, and reach the most marginalised groups in societies, including key and priority populations, youth, and people with disabilities. Most of our MAs have special programs to engage youth (10-24) inside and outside of school settings. Because our clinics offer comprehensive services, attending our clinics is non-stigmatizing and does not label people as having a particular disease or membership to a particular group. This model of services that are integrated and open to all, embedded in indigenous, locally owned organisations, is ideal for ensuring that the most vulnerable and marginalised groups can access the HIV prevention services they need. About the Population Council The Population Council is a leading research organization dedicated to building an equitable and sustainable world that enhances the health and well-being of current and future generations. The Council transforms global thinking on critical health and development issues through social science, public health, and biomedical research. We generate ideas, produce evidence, and design solutions to improve the lives of underserved populations around the world.  

Senegal: IPPFAR Calls on Government to honour Maputo Protocol Obligations in Wake of Press Release  4 July 2024, Nairobi, Kenya: On 8 June 2024, the Ministry of Health and Social Action, Senegal, issued a statement titled ‘On the dangers of induced abortions’ (‘Sur les dangers des avortements provoqués’).   While the Senegalese Ministry of Health is correct in warning its citizens of the dangers of unsafe abortions, we are concerned about the interchangeable use of the terminologies “induced abortions”, “clandestine abortions”, and “unsafe abortions” in the statement. Senegal’s penal code completely prohibits the termination of pregnancy, while the medical code of ethics allows an abortion if three doctors agree that it is necessary to save a woman’s life. Such restrictive laws lead to clandestine abortions, while unsafe abortions refer to procedures done by an unskilled provider in a manner that does not adhere to WHO guidelines.  “IPPF Africa reiterates that abortions are a safe medical procedure when provided by a trained provider or when a person has access to high quality medication, information and support to safely undergo a medical abortion”, said Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, IPPF Africa Regional Director.  The statement makes clear the Government’s concern for the health and wellbeing of women and girls, therefore IPPFAR urges the Ministry of Health and Social Action of Senegal to recognise that without access to safe abortion care, women will continue to suffer and seek life-threatening alternatives.  Legally restricting abortion does not reduce rates of abortion, instead, they increase the rates of unsafe abortion and the associated risks including high rates of maternal mortality, which runs counter to the aims of the Senegalese Government as outlined in its press release.   Access to safe abortion services is grounded in international legal frameworks and standards, supported by fundamental human rights principles.  “We encourage  the Senegalese Government to recommit to its obligations under the Maputo Protocol which it ratified in 2005, particularly Article 14(2)(c), which says that States must protect the reproductive rights of women including legally permitting abortion care in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical health of the mother or the life of the mother or foetus”, added Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry.  Access to legal and safe abortion reduces preventable maternal mortality. IPPF Africa supports the call by local civil society organisations to break the stereotypes around abortion while also providing accurate health-based information.     END For further information or to request an interview, please contact: -Mahmoud GARGA, Lead Strategic Communication, Voice and Media, IPPF Africa Regional Office (IPPFAR) – email: [email protected] / Tel: +254 704 626 920 ABOUT IPPF AFRICA REGION (IPPFAR) The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is one of the leading sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service delivery organization in Africa, and a leading sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy voice in the region. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the overarching goal of IPPFAR is to increase access to SRHR services to the most vulnerable youth, men and women in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by thousands of volunteers, IPPFAR tackles the continent’s growing SRHR challenges through a network of Member Associations (MAs) in 40 countries. We do this by developing our MAs into efficient entities with the capacity to deliver and sustain high quality, youth focused and gender sensitive services. We work with Governments, the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions, the Pan-African Parliament, United Nations bodies among others to expand political and financial commitments to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Africa. Learn more about us on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.