Providing access to sexual and reproductive health information and services for women refugees, decreasing the incidence of unsafe abortion, and engaging stakeholders in twelve refugee camps in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Why is this work important?
Restrictive laws and religious beliefs as well as the prevailing conflict situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) restrict women’s opportunities to access the sexual and reproductive health information and services they need.
Induced abortion is only legal if a woman’s life or that of her foetus is endangered.
Further restrictions imposed upon women’s access to information and services include the lack of commitment amongst policy makers, the controlled flow of external information entering the refugee camps, the lack of trained staff, and the weak medical referral systems.
Within the difficult social, political, and legal contexts of the OPT, there is a great need to provide women with access to information that will enable them to make informed, safe choices about their sexual and reproductive health.
What is innovative about this project?
This project is the first of its kind to address the incidence of unsafe abortion and emergency contraception in the OPT refugee camps, playing a crucial role in defending women’s sexual and reproductive rights and complementing UNWRA health services.
The project has adopted a three-pronged, rights-based, innovative approach that consists of the following:
• A far-reaching information campaign aimed at reducing the incidence of unsafe abortion through sensitization and education;
• Provision of post abortion care and emergency contraception for women in twelve refugee camps; to prevent unwanted pregnancies
• Advocacy with a range of stakeholders including men, policy makers, religious and community leaders, youth, and other women’s organisations that aims to build a sustainable framework for women’s rights in the OPT.
How is the strategy working?
The political situation in the OPT presents a formidable challenge to the PFPPA’s work in terms of project logistics and travel. Additionally, the project must work within the restrictive limits of the national abortion law as well as religious and social barriers to tackle such issues.
Despite these obstacles, the PFPPA has succeeded in raising awareness of women’s rights and the dangers of unsafe abortion by:
- visiting 120 organisations to build a network committed to women’s rights
- creating an alliance with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA)
- distributing 2,000 leaflets on unsafe abortion
- conducting 96 group counselling sessions
- making 184 home visits
- training 55 peer educators—just to name a few examples
Key factors of success were the involvement of the community, partnership with concerned organizations and the contribution of the media to the dissemination of key messages.
One outstanding achievement of the project is the involvement of the local Mufti, or Islamic leader, who issued a fatwa sanctioning the use of emergency contraception.
The fatwa helped to legitimize the PFPPA’s work in the eyes of the community and bring to light women’s concerns about abortion and their sexual and reproductive health.
What next?
Although much remains to be done, the project has made the crucial first step towards fulfilling the rights of women in the OTP improve their sexual and reproductive life.
The project will continue to advocate openly for sexual and reproductive rights and raise awareness of unsafe abortion in the camps through lectures, symposiums, brochures, theatre, youth involvement, home visits, counselling and media.
Additionally, the project will continue to provide post-abortion counselling and family planning advice to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
In relation to the provision of services, the project plans to distribute 880 boxes of emergency contraceptives and provide training for health workers working in UNWRA and other clinics to improve the quality of services.
Want to find out more?
Please contact the Innovation Fund team at innovation@ippf.org or visit the IPPF Arab World Region website (http://www.ippfawr.org/) to find information about the Member Association.
An IPPF Innovation Fund project implemented by the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA), an IPPF Member Association in the Arab World Region.