Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)’s Post

🇺🇸 YOUR VOTE MATTERS 🇺🇸 The fear-mongering, hate-filled Trump agenda is taking cues from PROJECT 2025. One of the first goals is to: “make the institutions of American civil society hard targets for woke culture warriors. This starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (‘SOGI’), diversity, equity, and inclusion (‘DEI’), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists.” https://lnkd.in/gyCVPkam

On Thursday the 11th of April, the European Parliament has voted in favour of including access to abortion in the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. A win for SRH and rights in a period where we are seeing a global pushback. Although crucial, women's health extends beyond SRH, and gender equality should be acknowledged as a barrier to access and equity. Gender equality is central to driving access to all forms of health and social care, as well as accelerating progress towards multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals. n the past half century, progress has been made to improve women and girls’ access to SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) products, services and information, but distinct inequalities persist both within and between countries that prevent women from realising their full rights to health. Especially low- and middle-income countries, women’s health services, specifically SRHR are often not provided at a level of quality that meets minimum medical and human rights standards. There are clear and stark inequalities in health between women( beyond SRHR) which are related to socio-economic status, ethnicity and geographic region, for example: - Across different stages of women’s lives there are different social and economic factors which drive health and associated health inequalities; including experiences during early childhood, education, family building and working life and through retirement and into older age. - Two in every three deaths among women are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – largely heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. The global discourse on health, however, largely views women in terms of their reproductive capacity, a persisting myth reflecting gender bias that shifts the focus away from NCDs, violence, and other injuries. Risk factors for NCDs are similar for men and women. - The World Bank suggests that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. - Pharmaceutical companies have a key role to play in developing products to address urgent needs in LMICs, and in expanding access to existing products in their portfolios. Such essential products include contraceptives; treatments for uterine, breast, cervical and ovarian cancers; treatments for maternal sepsis; and products targeting STIs such as HIV/AIDS. Overall, applying a gender lens will help reach new populations, support inclusive services, and deliver health for all. #womenshealth #humanrights #SRH #SRHR #genderequality

From passing laws that combat violence against women to removing barriers to abortion access, the European Union’s most recent political cycle was a GAME-CHANGER for gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Here are 10 ways the EU is driving progress on gender equality and SRHR. 💪 💪 💪

🇪🇺 In the midst of the 2024 European elections, let’s take a moment to inquire how this pivotal event may affect women’s rights in Europe. Global Human Rights Defence’s women’s rights team has once again formulated an insightful report illuminating this subject. This paper explores a variety of aspects, such as:  👉 Women’s representation and their inclusion in political processes 👉 Populism and women in politics 👉 Economic inequalities 👉 Gender mainstreaming and intersectionality 👉 Gender-based violence 👉 Sexual health and reproductive rights “Gender equality is thus not simply part of the EU’s agenda but must be an underlying theme of all European policies” (p.12) While the representation of women in the European parliament is remarkable, the European Union still has a long way to go in achieving gender equality. With populist parties on the rise, “the 2024 European elections represent a critical opportunity for voters to reaffirm their commitment to upholding women's rights and resist the tide of reactionary ideologies” (p.20). #HumanRights #WomensRights #Equality #Feminism #Empowerment #Representation #GenderEquality #Intersectionality #EuropeanUnion #Elections #UseYourVote #GHRD

As we stand on the brink of the 2024 European Elections, I am happy to share my latest report for Global Human Rights Defense: "2024 European elections: What is at stake for women's rights" The specter of right-wing victories in these elections brings with it a deep concern for the future of women's rights in Europe. Let us bear in mind that populism's first victims are also women and threatens the hard-won progress in women's rights. “The 2024 European elections represent a critical opportunity for voters to reaffirm their commitment to upholding women's rights and resist the tide of reactionary ideologies”. (p.20) We must ensure that women's rights remain at the forefront of the fight for justice and equality. #WomensRights #EUElections2024 #GenderEquality #GlobalHumanRightsDefense #PolicyAnalysis #Advocacy

Gender norms and harmful traditional practices, like female genital mutilation and child marriage, negatively impact millions worldwide, especially women and girls. These practices perpetuate inequality, violate human rights, and limit opportunities. Addressing them requires raising awareness and promoting change. Join our webinar to learn more about these issues and how we can work together to create a more equitable society.

Since it can be hard to find online, here is the full text Project 2025: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://lnkd.in/eFT6UYkx. Here are a couple of provisions from just a quick look: --"[delete] sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists." --"Educators and public librarians who purvey [pornography] should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered."

Our team just issues these two resources for those interested in work at the intersection of climate change, climate justice, and reproductive rights: 1. https://lnkd.in/exa-UrDQ Our new legal and policy brief highlights the current protections and guarantees for gender equality and SRHR within international and regional legal and policy frameworks and identifies areas where these norms could be further strengthened for greater protections. 2. https://lnkd.in/emcj24uu This position paper highlights the intersections between climate justice, environmental justice, and SRHR and provides examples of the ways the Center for Reproductive Rights is advancing legal and policy initiatives to address and create accountability for related SRHR violations.   Hopefully, these resources are helpful. Please reach out to me with any questions, feedback, etc. #climatechange #climatejustice #reproductive #rights

Family planning is central to gender equality and women’s empowerment. See the #ThreadsOfHope and let the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) explain why we must end inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights (#SRHR): unf.pa/toh #ICPD30 #GlobalGoals

Some women accept abuse as a form of wife discipline, which affects their autonomy. Our new manuscript sheds light on a critical link between women's attitudes towards wife abuse and their reproductive autonomy in Southern Africa. Analyzing data from over 17,000 women across eight countries, we found that opposing wife abuse significantly boosts a woman's autonomy in making reproductive choices. Our findings highlight the importance of shifting societal attitudes to foster gender equality, sexual and reproductive health. Interested in how attitudes impact reproductive rights in Southern Africa? Dive into the details in our latest publication. [Link to the full article: https://lnkd.in/dhqda4ir] We would love your thoughts on this vital issue. Let's start the conversation!