Use of Reproductive Health Services in Tajikistan: Does Women’s Empowerment Matter?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Salima Kasymova
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 173-184
Author(s):  
Arianne Shahvisi

The Global Gag Rule has restricted access to reproductive health services across the Global South for over three decades. In 2017, Trump dramatically expanded the policy, further reducing the number of women with access to safe abortions. In this paper, I argue that Global North economic policies have left Global South people dependent on aid in order to meet their basic health needs. I show that the effects of inadequate access to healthcare and aid dependence are gender-differential in two ways. First, as primary care-givers, women are required to perform additional unpaid care-work when health services are inadequate. Second, women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services become vulnerable to the moral and political whims of foreign powers. These marginalising forces operate against the backdrop of “women’s empowerment” aid discourses which are wilfully imperceptive to this context. Global North economic policies have disempowered Global South women, and the Global Gag Rule imperils their bodily autonomy. The effect is a form of imperialism which must be resisted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 95-108
Author(s):  
Shanti Prasad Khanal

 The present study aims to examine the multi-level barriers to utilize by the youth-friendly reproductive health services (YFRHS) among the school-going youths of the Surkhet valley of Nepal. This study is based on the sequential explanatory research design under mixed-method research. The quantitative data were collected using the self- administered questionnaire from the 249 youths, aged between the 15-24 years, those selected by using random sampling. The qualitative data were collected using the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) from the 12 participants who were selected purposively. The study confirmed that school-going youths do not have appropriate utilization of YFHS due to multi-layered barriers. However, the utilization of the service was higher among females, those the older age group, studying in the upper classes, the upper castes, and married youths. The key findings and themes are recognized as multi-layered barriers including personal-level, health system-level, community-level, and policy-level on the entire socio-ecological field. Among them, the existing health system is the foremost barrier. Multi-level interventions are, therefore, required to increase the YFRHS utilization and improve concerns for school-going-youths.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-62
Author(s):  
D. N. Parajuli

 Reproductive rights are fundamental rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world, but have a commonality about the protection, preservation and promotion of a woman‘s reproductive health rights. Reproductive rights include the right to autonomy and self-determination , the right of everyone to make free and informed decisions and have full control over their body, sexuality, health, relationships, and if, when and with whom to partner, marry and have children , without any form of discrimination, stigma, coercion or violence. The access and availability of reproductive health services are limited due to geography and other issues, non-availability and refusal of reproductive health services may lead to serious consequences. The State need to ensure accessibility, availability, safe and quality reproductive health services and address the lifecycle needs of women and girls and provide access of every young women and girls to comprehensive sexuality education based on their evolving capacity as their human rights, through its inclusion and proper implementation in school curriculum, community-based awareness program and youth led mass media. It is necessary for strengthening compliance, in a time-bound manner, with international human rights standards that Nepal has ratified that protect, promote, and fulfill the basic human rights and reproductive health rights in Nepal and also need to review standards and conventions that Nepal has had reservations about or those that have been poorly implemented in the country.


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