Every year, on March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Rights Day, an opportunity to reflect on the advances made and the persistent challenges to gender equality. In 2024, the theme chosen for this day was particularly relevant: “Investing in women: accelerating the pace”.
Investing in abortion rights
It is crucial to emphasize the importance of investing in women’s right to abortion. Access to safe, legal abortion services is not only a fundamental right of women, but also an essential element of reproductive health and human rights. When women are denied this right, they are often forced to resort to clandestine and dangerous abortions, putting their lives and health at risk.
By investing in abortion rights, governments and organizations can help reduce maternal mortality rates, improve women’s reproductive health and promote their economic and social empowerment. Women have the right to decide freely about their own bodies and health, and access to safe and legal abortion services is essential to guarantee this fundamental right.
Moreover, investing in abortion rights also means investing in social justice and gender equality. Restrictions on abortion disproportionately affect the most marginalized and vulnerable women, such as poor women, women living in rural areas and young women. By guaranteeing access to safe and legal abortion services for all women, we are helping to create a more just and inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to live with dignity and autonomy.
So, by investing in abortion rights for women, we are investing in their health, well-being and empowerment, while promoting the values of equality, justice and respect for human rights. It’s an essential investment in a future where women are free to make informed decisions about their own lives and bodies.
The ODAS movement’s efforts to help accelerate the pace of abortion rights in French-speaking Africa
To conclude March’s activities, the ODAS Center was pleased to support initiatives to promote investment in women and accelerate the pace towards gender equality in Benin, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville and Burkina Faso.
In Benin, the young midwives’ network organized a meeting bringing together midwives of all generations and from all the country’s departments. The aim was to deepen reflection on the crucial role of midwives in the new legal context of pregnancy termination. In addition, a discussion circle between service seekers and midwives encouraged a fruitful exchange on women’s reproductive health needs and rights.
In Burkina Faso, the network of heroines of Faso and OJEPC organized a film-debate through the mini-series OMERTA produced by the NGO RAES to raise awareness and mobilize young women on the importance of advocacy for access to safe termination of pregnancy in accordance with the law. This activity illustrated the need to invest in the education and awareness of young women to strengthen their capacity to claim their reproductive health rights.
In Cameroon, women leaders from various sectors, including community, legal and health, organized a round table to discuss the actions needed to accelerate progress towards gender equality. Emphasizing a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach, these women stressed the importance of investing in initiatives that support women’s development and empowerment.
