Our information, education and service provision reaches out, in particular, to the poor, the under-served, the marginalized and those living where public and private health facilities do not exist.

This includes those most at risk of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and HIV/AIDS.

Despite significant progress over the last three decades, access to sexual and reproductive health services and information remains beyond the reach of much of the world’s population.

• 120-150 million women worldwide want to limit or space their pregnancies, but are still without the means to do so effectively, according to statistics from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA, 1997).
• Tragic numbers of women in developing countries continue to die or suffer lifelong injuries because they lack access to sexual and reproductive health information, education and services. More information in our section on abortion.
• Young people face the barriers of cost, stigma and fear of going to a clinic. The lack of information targeted at their needs and (in many countries) the need for parental consent, limits young people’s awareness of the issues of sex and sexuality. High rates of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are powerful evidence that programmes are failing to meet their needs. More information in our section on young people.
• Gender discrimination against women leaves them powerless to make decisions about when to have sex, and whether to use contraception or to seek health care. Discrimination based on gender continues to be one of the major risk factors to women’s vulnerability to sexual and reproductive ill health.

The goal of our access strategy is to ensure that all people – particularly poor, marginalized and under-served communities – have the opportunity to exercise their rights and to make free and informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.

With this goal in mind, over the past ten years our Member Associations have expanded their scope beyond family planning to include:

• ante-natal care
• postnatal care
• mother and child health
• pregnancy tests
• gynaecological care
• infertility tests
• diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
• HIV/AIDS activities
• abortion related services
• cervical and Pap-smear tests
• counselling

Our members also work at a community level, with local leaders and the media, to overcome barriers based on misinformation, prejudice and gender discrimination.