Stakeholders have advocated legal reforms and enforcement of relevant laws and policies to address gaps in policy and access to reproductive healthcare for women in conflict contexts.
They made the call at a stakeholders consultative meeting on addressing gaps in policy and access to reproductive healthcare for women in conflict context, organized by Theodora Anavhe Adamu Foundation (TAAF) in Abuja.
The convener, Theodora Anavhe Adamu Foundation, Odion Ikyo said that “they have carried out a survey and during this baseline survey which was carried out between the month of July and August, 2023 the following categories of respondents were reach out to; organization working with women group, policy makers, CSOs, service providers at health facilities, service receiver such as clients and humanitarian aiders.
But they discovered that in some parts of Nigeria, women find it difficult even to access reproductive healthcare without the permission of their husbands.
She added that there were supposed to be international laws, humanitarian laws and even the state laws that safeguard women’s rights in conflicts but we found out that there has been a gap. So we have called stakeholders together to start this conversation with them.
“We want to see how the policies affect women’s rights and if they are actually good policies, how effective are they?
“I have always been passionate about women’s health, especially maternal health and for the past eight years, I have been working with women in the state’s IDP camps. We are saying that whatever law that is in place to safeguard women and children, needs to be strengthened to close this gap. Coordination needs to be in place especially for stakeholders, government and international bodies. Sometimes, you see that these laws are over-repping. Whatever laws that are in place need to be reviewed or strengthened to address that gap,” she said.
On her part, Dr Sabastine Esomonu, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation said a survey that represents national reflection should not just be on one zone.That the researchers should have pick one state from each of the zones across the country and that will give a national results.
She said health is critical to everyone because it affects women, both the youths, children and old, adding that government at all levels needs to be strengthened
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