Women and girls are dying around the world because of abusive partners denying them safe contraception Shutterstock Photo

By John Dunne – July 10, 2017

Thousands of women and girls are dying around the world because of abusive partners denying them safe contraception and abortions, a report reveals today. 

Millions are being raped and forced to have multiple pregnancies, according to the research by ActionAid ahead of a summit on family planning in London. The charity helps poor women and girls across the world. 

The report gives harrowing case studies of women being raped, abused and denied contraception in dozens of countries including Liberia and Rwanda.

It estimates that out of 212.5 million unwanted pregnancies over the past five years in 69 “focus” countries with the biggest abuse problems, 31.8 million were women who had suffered physical abuse from their partner. 

The research also calculated that 14,100 women’s lives could be saved, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The report is being published ahead of the Family Planning Summit, co-hosted in London by the UK Government, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund.

ActionAid supports the Summit’s aim to empower 120 million women and girls to use modern contraception by 2020. It is asking Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel to build on the UK Government’s strong record on these issues to take action on the link between violence and reproductive rights — including support for women’s rights organisations working on the issue.

The report — Common Cause Collaborative Response — claims many women are not able to access reproductive health services because of domestic violence.

Report by Action Aid: Common Cause, Collaborative Response – Violence Against Women & Girls & Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights

2017 – 17 Pages - https://www.actionaid.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/actionaid-familyplanning-report.pdf

Извор: WUNRN – 16.07.2017