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Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination continue to block gains in sexual and reproductive health for women and girls - UNFPA

Despite significant progress in sexual and reproductive health rights worldwide over the past three decades, countless women and girls remain marginalized due to their identities and geographical circumstances.

“The world made zero progress in saving women from preventable deaths in pregnancy and childbirth,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, at the launch of the 2024 State of World Population report at the United Nations in Geneva.

The report, "Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights,” is being released today.

“One woman in four cannot make her own health care decisions. One woman in four cannot say no to sex. And nearly 1 in 10 are unable to make their own choices about whether or not to use contraception,” Ms. Kanem said at an embargoed briefing on Monday. The statistics paint a stark picture. Women and girls living in poverty, belonging to ethnic, racial, or indigenous minority groups, or residing in conflict-ridden areas, are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to essential healthcare services.

“We have, for the first time, data on whether women's bodily autonomy is strengthening over time and in 40 percent of countries with data it is actually diminishing. Why? One important reason our report shows is that we have not prioritized reaching those furthest behind,” said the UNFPA Executive Director.

The report underscores the persistent barriers faced by women and girls, exacerbated by racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination.

“When we look at ethnic disparities, we see that the groups that have benefited the most are those that had the fewest barriers to begin with. Access to modern contraceptives varies by race, refugee and migration status, education, and location,” Ms. Kanem reported. “While gender-based violence, sadly, is pervasive everywhere, risk increases based on age and sexual orientation.”

Ms. Kanem added that “indigenous women are routinely denied culturally appropriate maternal health care. As a result, these groups are much more likely, and in some places it's six times more likely, to die during pregnancy or childbirth. Women and young people with disabilities, migrants, people living with HIV and gender diverse people continue to experience discrimination and exclusion when they seek sexual and reproductive health care.”

The report found that women of African descent across the Americas are more likely to die when giving birth than white women.

Improvements in health care access have primarily benefit wealthier women, and those who belong to ethnic groups that already had better access to health care. Women and girls with disabilities, migrants and refugees, ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ people, people living with HIV all face greater sexual and reproductive health risks.

“For the one billion people estimated to experience disability in their lifetime, for the 700 million people living in extreme poverty, for the 160 million women with an unmet need for contraception and so many more,” said Ms. Kanem, “these inequalities should not be politicized. They should not be used as an accusation of bias, nor should they be points of division.”

Millions of women and girls remain far behind, and progress is slowing on key measures, according to UNFPA. More than half of all preventable maternal deaths – nearly 500 deaths per day – are estimated to occur in countries with humanitarian crises and conflict.

“It is indeed the responsibility of men to be champions of women's reproductive rights, of everyone's reproductive rights. And while we have seen progress in terms of, for example, women legislators and parliamentarians increasing in governments overall, it's nowhere near the parity and women are half of the world's population,” Ms. Kanem told reporters.

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UNFPA Press Conference: World Population Report 2024 - 15 April 2024

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