Over seventy people attended a panel discussion organized by Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) and the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, on Wednesday 19 August, 2015.
The session, “SRHR in the Pacific: What’s been achieved? What lies ahead?” included the launch of two DAWN publications: the Pacific Regional Advocacy Tool (RAT) for Cairo+20, Keeping it under the mat: The struggle for sexual and reproductive rights in the Pacific Island region (pdf), co-written by Tara Chetty and Rachel Faleatua; and a special issue of the journal, Global Public Health, titled “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for the next decades: what’s been achieved? What lies ahead?”(http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/10/2)
The session began with a moving tribute to Josefa (Gigi) Francisco, former General Coordinator of DAWN, who passed away on 22 July, 2015. Claire Slatter (DAWN Board Chair) reminded people about Gigi’s powerful advocacy in support of SRHR for all in recent years, as a member of the official delegation of the Philippines to UN meetings, and as a member of the DAWN team.
Panelists included Tara Chetty (FWRM), Veena Singh (Pacific SRHR Coalition and Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Alliance), Miki Wali (Haus of Khameleon and Pacific Youth Council), Raijeli Nicole (Save the Children Fiji). Gita Sen (DAWN General Coordinator) moderated the session. She opened the session with a brief introduction to the state of SRHR thinking and advocacy globally, and introduced DAWN’s Regional Advocacy Tools project as well as the Special Issue of Global Public Health. She emphasized, in particular, that DAWN’s advocacy for the next phase of the implementation of the ICPD agenda in the Post 2015 era had drawn attention to the importance of ensuring equality, quality and accountability in services, programmes and policies.
Tara Chetty discussed the main findings of the Pacific RAT, focusing on access to sexual and reproductive health services, the needs and rights of young people, and interlinked sexual and reproductive rights. She pointed to a number of ongoing challenges to advancing SRHR in the region: limited access to quality services including safe abortion services, aid dependence and low levels of government spending on health, and young people’s lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education. These challenges are heightened by deeply conservative Pacific cultures, gender based violence, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
Veena Singh focused on the particular concerns of young people. She noted that, while the Pacific has made significant progress in the area of SRHR, with governments signing on to CEDAW, Beijing Platform For Action, Moana Declaration, and Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration, there is a need to have a more integrated approach that ensures equitable access to minimum core services including contraception, maternity care, and the treatment of STIs. She raised a number of questions concerning the lack of focus on quality information and services, insufficient allocation of finances and resources, and the lack of safe spaces where young people can receive guidance without the fear of stigma or discrimination. She emphasized the need to invest in quality services which must include comprehensive sexuality education accessible to all, regardless of geographical location, disabilities, gender or sexual orientation.
Miki Wali’s presentation highlighted the negative reactions, discrimination and violence faced by people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. She pointed out that Fiji’s Constitution provides the guarantee of non-discrimination, but this has to be matched by the state fulfilling its responsibility as a duty-bearer to respect, protect and fulfill the right to health of all its citizens. She argued that governments in the Pacific region need to show much more proactive leadership in fulfilling the sexual and reproductive health needs and rights of everyone, and particularly of those who face societal discrimination.
Raijeli Nicole reflected on the progress in maternal and child health in Fiji, drawing from a 2013 report by UNICEF and the Fiji Ministry of Health. Despite advances, programme challenges such as transport barriers for patients to visit health facilities, few standardized protocols and guidelines for staff at nursing stations, and a weak system for monitoring and evaluating services, still remain. Recommendations included focusing on equality of access, quality of service and accountability with specific attention to what is already happening on the ground through the health ministry’s campaigns and services. She emphasized the need to strengthen key partnerships and ensure public investment and use of resources to benefit every child and woman, especially those from marginalized and disadvantaged communities.
The session included a substantial open discussion focusing on different ways in which programme improvements and policy shifts can be made, on the need to build alliances across civil society for strengthened advocacy, and the importance of building on existing strengths and accomplishments.