IPPF condemns the multiple school arsons across the French-speaking Wallonia region in Belgium over the past week, which have been connected to public protests against the compulsory “education in relationships, affective and sexual life” (EVRAS) program. These targeted attacks are evidence of a growing movement opposed to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curricula, and the duty of states to support and protect children in their sexual development. IPPF is deeply concerned that a small cadre of those with extremist views are targeting schools with violence, which serve as vital safe spaces for children and young people to become educated, empowered citizens.  In the face of global misinformation campaigns and attempts to silence the organizations and institutions providing high quality comprehensive sexuality education, IPPF affirms that these programs empower children and young people to protect their health and well-being and support them in developing healthy and positive relationships throughout their lives.  Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, IPPF Director General said:  “The violent attacks on schools in Belgium are proof of how anti-rights campaigners are multiplying around the world and fuelling divisions by spreading false or misleading information about existing education curricula. We know from decades of research and our own programmatic experience in this area that comprehensive sexuality education helps children and young people to understand and enjoy their sexuality, take responsibility for their own sexual and reproductive health and rights and respect other people’s. We stand with the educators in Belgium who are delivering on a sex education curriculum that promotes children and young people’s rights.”  Research shows that parents and young people agree that sexuality education should be offered in schools, and that parents are willing to join these programs, particularly as they help their children to navigate relationships and sexuality amid the complex challenges of the digital era. Many governments around the world, including Belgium, are making sexuality education programs a national priority to protect all children and young people from harm.  IPPF stands with the schools and educators delivering this vital education in Belgium and around the world, and we remain committed to providing children and young people with the knowledge to protect and promote their safety, health and wellbeing.  For media inquiries, contact [email protected]   Banner image: Shutterstock

Statement from Dr Alvaro Bermejo, IPPF Director General: The International Planned Parenthood Federation condemns the multiple attacks in Khartoum and Elfashir (North Darfur) against clinics and health centers run by the Sudanese Family Planning Association (SFPA) between 7-9 September. Unprovoked attacks against the health facilities in South Khartoum (Elshik Wad Hamad) and in Elfashir City (Aboshok Clinic) have destroyed the infrastructure of the facilities, injured clients and staff, and interrupted the delivery of the most needed health services for vulnerable people of Sudan, especially women and girls of reproductive age.  These attacks, just like the previous attacks against health facilities and medical professionals since the outbreak of violence in the country began on 15 April, will prolong the suffering of the Sudanese people. IPPF requests the protection of civilians and civilian institutions, especially healthcare facilities, to ensure the provision of healthcare and the basic humanitarian necessities for the Sudanese people. For media requests, contact [email protected]  About the Sudan Family Planning Association The Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was established in 1965 by pioneers in obstetrics and gynecology in response to increases in maternal, neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity. As the statistics show, Sudan is a country in great need of frontline sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Advocacy, and undertaking information, education and communication (IEC) programs are critical. In 2022, SFPA provided 26 millions of services through 24 clinics, 261 associated clinics, and 37 mobile clinics . Since the start of the crisis in 15th April; the association teams was successful in providing 2,500,000 services through 24 SFPA facilities and 8,500,000 services through non damaged associated and mobile clinics. SFPA was able to assist 1145 deliveries under bombarding and provided 167000 treatments of HIV in its static clinics.

If you are covering the UK International Development Committee’s FCDO Equality Impact Assessment, and the implications for global sexual and reproductive health and rights, you may find the below statement from the International Planned Parenthood Federation helpful: The UK’s brutal cuts are a tragic blow for the world's poorest and most marginalized women and girls.    The assessment outlines cuts to the department's Overseas Development Assistance budget worth more than £900m for this year, including allocated funding for vital sexual and reproductive health services.   In particular, IPPF faces cuts to its flagship programme: the Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme (WISH), which delivers life-saving contraception and sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls in some of the world’s poorest and most marginalized communities. At inception in 2018 the programme delivered services across 15 countries in Africa and South Asia but had to scale down due to budget cuts with Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Zambia closing out in August 2021. Mozambique closed out in September 2021 and Afghanistan in December 2021. Finally, Pakistan closed out in 2022, leaving the programme running in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa at a smaller scale.   The 2022-2023 budget cut of over 50% has seen further scaling down of in-country programmes resulting in lowered programme implementation coverage with reduced health facility support, reduced community outreaches, reduced community engagement and overall reduced access to sexual and reproductive services to the most marginalised groups.  According to the latest assessment, cuts to WISH will reduce protection for women with "the number of unsafe abortions averted from nearly 300,000 to approximately 115,000; number of maternal deaths averted will drop from 2,531 to just over 1,000".  Mina Barling, IPPF’s Director of External Relations said:  “As we warned in 2021 and as demonstrated in the government’s own assessment, the devastating cuts to IPPF’s flagship programme in Africa and Asia mean thousands of women and girls will die - many from the indignity of an unsafe abortion, or in childbirth. To add further insult to injury, it has now left the most marginalised exposed to an aggressive opposition.   The UK aid cuts did not happen in isolation. They compounded a transnational far-right regime that began during President Trump’s reign in the United States. In the most extraordinary of circumstances, the space left by civil society meant autocratic actors were now able to move rapidly, shrinking democratic space, and in doing so, exploiting new opportunities to further embed an anti-rights agenda.   It is no coincidence that this has happened in countries (such as Uganda and Kenya) where the UK government had been a critical partner, where we are watching as anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation translates into increased violence and threatens incarceration and even the death penalty. This is a moment of crisis, which if left unaddressed, is an open invitation to others to replicate vitriolic policies, legislation and narratives.  We are reaching a tipping point. We must connect the dots and take action now. We implore the UK government to restore its aid budget to pre-pandemic levels of 0.7% of Gross National Income. We urgently need the UK’s leadership, support, and investment so that IPPF and its partners can continue providing critical care where it is most needed. The lives of millions depend on it."  Fact box  Since its launch in 2018 and the end of December 2022, the WISH programme prevented an estimated:    12.2 million unintended pregnancies    4.1 million unsafe abortions    20,500 maternal deaths                               Today, 218 million women want to access contraception but can't access it  35 million women each year still resort to an unsafe abortion.    20 million adolescents face an unmet need for contraception. For girls aged 15-19, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death globally.    Pregnancy and marriage are the main reasons why adolescent girls drop out of school, and Africa has the highest adolescent pregnancy rate in the world.    As a result of the pandemic, 12 million women and girls have lost access to contraception, leading to 1.4 million unintended pregnancies. This is what happens when access to SRHR care is uninterrupted.      About WISH  The Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme is the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) largest Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) delivery programme. The WISH programme delivers progress towards UK commitments on universal SRHR and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets by contributing to reductions in maternal deaths, unsafe abortions, and unintended pregnancies in Africa and South Asia.   The Lot 2 WISH consortium (W2A) is led by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) with Marie Stopes Reproductive Choices (MSI), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Development Media International (DMI), Options, and Humanity and Inclusion (HI).    In the project’s first phase, the WISH2ACTION Consortium operated in the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. For the second phase, the project has continued across Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.  About the International Planned Parenthood Federation  The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.    For over 65 years, IPPF, through its 118 Member Associations and 15 partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context.  We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.  For media inquiries please contact [email protected]   

A judge in England has sentenced a mother-of-three to 28 months in prison for using abortion medication to end her pregnancy. This sentencing represents a violation of human rights and highlights the urgent need for the reform of legislation and for the decriminalization of abortion across the UK.   The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is outraged by the decision to send a woman to jail for ending her own pregnancy and calls for the decriminalization of abortion to enable women and pregnant people to exercise their human right to reproductive autonomy, free from the threat of criminal prosecution.      In Britain, the number of women and girls facing police investigations and the threat of a prison sentence under current abortion laws has risen over the past three years. Despite significant public support for abortion rights and increasing recognition of abortion as essential healthcare, England, Scotland, and Wales still rely on an abortion law that is more than 50 years old, and which is underpinned by a criminal law dating back to 1861. This law is wildly out of date, out of step with public opinion, and is behind other countries which have moved towards extending and protecting abortion rights.    Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said:  "The decision to hand-down a 28-month prison sentence to a woman for ending her own pregnancy is appalling and a step-back for women's health and rights in the UK. Abortion is healthcare and should not be included in criminal law.   "One in three women in Britain will have an abortion in their lifetime. We need abortion policies and care that are supportive of every woman according to her unique needs and circumstances.  No woman should ever face criminal charges or the threat of jail for seeking abortion care.   "IPPF fully supports the urgent reform of the abortion law and calls for the decriminalization of abortion.”     Maïté Matos Ichaso, Director of Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF), the only global fund dedicated to abortion, hosted by IPPF, said:  “As a global Fund dedicated to abortion, we see the devastating impact of abortion criminalisation on a daily basis. Across the world, women are languishing in prison for choosing to end their pregnancies, but also for experiencing miscarriages. The very threat of criminalisation looms large and adds to the existing stigma and barriers people face in accessing safe abortion care. Our grantee partners regularly report raids and prosecutions, not only of those seeking abortion care but also of the doctors and nurses who seek to support them.   Abortion needs to be decriminalised across the UK, as well as around the world, if we really want to see the right to safe reproductive health care respected and protected.”  IPPF has signed a joint position statement with partners including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, calling on the UK government to reform the Abortion Act 1967 to decriminalize people seeking to end their own pregnancies. To read the full statement please click here.   IPPF will continue to work tirelessly to protect the rights of all people around the globe to access abortion care and ensure that women will not be forced to carry a pregnancy or give birth against their will.  Note on language - Within this statement we use the terms women and women’s health. However, not only people who identify as women need access to abortion care and this statement is inclusive of all people who can become pregnant, including intersex people, transgender men and boys, and people with other gender identities that may have the reproductive capacity to become pregnant and an abortion.   Header photo by Aleks Marinkovic on Unsplash

The unmet need for contraceptives is estimated to have soared to nearly 50% in some parts of Turkiye, including Hatay province, following the earthquakes on 6 February 2023. This is a worrying trend, as the unmet need had already been on the rise from 6% in 2013 to 12% in 2018 in Turkiye.  The Association of Public Health Specialists (HASUDER), IPPF’s local partner in Türkiye, is the only provider of contraception in some camps for internally-displaced persons (IDPs) following the devastating 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and displaced millions. Professor Bülent Kılıç, head of HASUDER, said that while government services are mandated to deliver contraceptive supplies to health clinics inside IDP camps, services have generally focused on pregnancy and birth services. He said: ”Physicians who provide contraceptive methods, including inserting intrauterine devices (IUDs) are rare or fully absent. There is no awareness about this service gap.” Kılıç also describes serious hygiene problems for women in the camps, where basic needs such as clean toilets and bathrooms are not being met. Kılıç continued: “We have seen that contraceptive services are only provided in gynaecology clinics in hospitals, and even then it is offered very little and only if requested. This issue is related to the government's perspective on women and women's rights.” HASUDER’s reproductive health unit, which was established with support from IPPF and Hatay Municipality in Lions and Mersin Municipality Tent City in Hatay, has been providing sexual and reproductive health services to 3,000 people since March 2023. These services include maternal and neonatal care, contraceptive care, safe abortion care, and counselling for sexual and gender-based violence. HASUDER is providing contraceptive methods including intrauterine devices, oral contraceptives and condoms, but reports that underwear, sanitary pads, birth control pills, emergency contraception pills and condoms are still among the most needed items for women. HASUDER has also reported a rise in unplanned pregnancies due to the dearth of contraceptives available. Violence against women and girls - already a serious issue in Turkey - is exacerbated in every humanitarian emergency, and persists in the IDP camps. IPPF estimates that 3.9 million women of reproductive age, over 175,000 pregnant women, and more than 1.2 million adolescent girls (aged 10-19) were affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye. We anticipate more than 8,700 currently pregnant women will experience delivery complications. For media enquiries, please contact [email protected] or Nerida Williams, Senior Humanitarian Communications Advisor, [email protected]  About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.  For 70 years, IPPF, through its 118 Member Associations and seven partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organisations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people have the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.  

The International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region (IPPFAR) is appalled and deeply disturbed by the recent enactment of the anti-homosexuality act 2023 by President Museveni of Uganda. This regressive law represents a grave violation of human rights and sexual and reproductive rights, affecting not only the LGBTIQ+ community but all Ugandans. The draconian and abhorrent provisions of this law criminalize same-sex relationships and any promotion of homosexuality, subjecting individuals to severe penalties, including life imprisonment. Its implementation will have dire consequences, fostering a climate of homophobia, hatred, and hate crimes. The law instills fear not only among those directly targeted and their families but also among health workers providing essential Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services in Uganda. IPPFAR is extremely concerned that this law blatantly violates numerous human rights, including the right to bodily autonomy. The right to life and dignity, freedom of expression and association, protection from discrimination, the right to a fair trial, protection against arbitrary arrest, and access to health services are all undermined, compromising the full realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights. "The IPPF Africa region vehemently condemns the anti-homosexuality act 2023, which targets the LGBTIQ+ community and their allies in Uganda. This law marks a sorrowful day for Uganda and its people," stated Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, IPPF Africa Regional Director. "Targeting a community based solely on their shared characteristics is extremely dangerous and an undeniable violation of human rights. Instead, we should strive to empower all members of our society to be positive contributors, rather than driving them into hiding and marginalization," Petrus-Barry added. Since March 2023, IPPF has witnessed a surge in physical attacks against the LGBTIQ+ community, threats to the safety of civil society organizations, and an alarming increase in hate speech targeting LGBTIQ+ individuals and their allies. The anti-homosexuality act 2023 is discriminatory and flagrantly violates the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Uganda constitution. By isolating itself from the international community, Uganda risks alienating potential collaborators and donors. Already, the U.S. Government has expressed intentions to suspend development funding to Uganda, including through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund and UNAIDs, potentially jeopardizing the progress in the fight against the HIV pandemic in Uganda. As the foremost provider of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in Africa, IPPFAR is immensely concerned that this law will deter individuals from seeking vital SRH services due to fear of being targeted. This will inevitably hinder access to life-saving services, including HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, provision of antiretroviral therapy, contraceptive services, and accurate SRH information. Moreover, the law obstructs healthcare professionals from fulfilling their duties and providing high-quality care in a safe and confidential environment. IPPFAR joins the chorus of condemnation against this harmful and regressive law. The safety, health, and dignity of all Ugandans must remain paramount. IPPF stands resolutely with the LGBTIQ+ community and their allies in Uganda and worldwide during this challenging time.   For media enquiries, please contact [email protected]   About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.  For 70 years, IPPF, through its 118 Member Associations and seven partners, has delivered high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare and helped advance sexual rights, especially for people with intersectional and diverse needs that are currently unmet. Our Member Associations and partners are independent organizations that are locally owned, which means the support and care they provide is informed by local expertise and context. We advocate for a world where people have the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.