Policy Makers converge on Abeokuta to discuss progress of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights in Ogun state

Policy Makers on Wednesday converged on Abeokuta for a high-level roundtable meeting on the progress of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Ogun State between 2020 to 2025.

Penpushing reports that the meeting held at Mitros Residence situated at Government Reservation Area (GRA), Ibara, Abeokuta, was organized by Women Advocacy and Research Documentation Centre (WARDC) in collaboration with Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and Canada Government.

The meeting agenda include a topic, ‘Introduction to Global Project: Changing the Law, Changing Lives’, which was handled by Caroline Wambui of Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) team, while Dr Elijah Ogunsola Director Ogun State Public Health Care Board (PHCB) spoke on the status of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in the state

Penpushing further reports that the Ogun State Coordinator of Society of Gynecologists of Nigeria (SOGON), Dr Lukmon Olonade, a Consultant Gynecologist contributed to the meeting, while there was panel session, an observatory groups.

The panelists at the well-attended meeting include Mrs Funmilayo Hassan, Prof Olubunmi Anishulowo, Mrs Olufunmilayo Olatunji, Barrister Fehintola Lapite, Olufemi Olusola and Mr Akinpelu

Penpushing also reports that the Founder of Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) Dr Abiola Afolabi-Akiyode speaking with journalists during an interview noted that Gender Based Violence (GBV) is not only prevalent in northern part of the country.

The human rights activist stated that Gender Based Violence (GBV) has been on for legislation particularly the violence against persons prohibition act which is supposed to respond to the Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria, stressing that there are still a lot of issues with respect to documentation

‘We have what we call the sexual assault referral centre, in most places where sexual assault referral centres are, they don’t have enough funding to be able to support the response that we expect and police has not also been cooperating enough’, she stated.

‘There’s also still not enough political will by the government to ensure that these laws are effective.  So, women and girls are still subjected to gender-based violence because the reporting system is not strong and efficient enough’, Afolabi-Akiyode noted

‘We still see quite a number of girls and women that are raped and they get pregnant as a result of a way. There are a lot of unwanted pregnancy by adolescents and young ones because information is also not right in terms of what we need to do, what to prevent pregnancy when it comes’.

‘There are also a rise in incest, we have seen a lot of rape through close relative blood related persons both in women and girls. So, there’s a need for us to do more as a country and that’s why in a state where the doctors have seen how bad the situation has been, they had to go into evacuation to be able to save women life from dying’

‘The guidelines which is the safe termination of pregnancy guidelines would help to a large extent to address the issue of unsafe abortion. We are asking that government should do more to provide information to people and to also ensure that people have access to safe termination of pregnancy’.

‘Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortalities in the world. We are actually next to India in terms of the number of women who died while giving birth. So, the program today is to ensure that we save lives and we save women and girls from dying unnecessarily’, she emphasised.

‘We are appealing to policymakers, government to take steps to address it so that women won’t continue to die unnecessarily. That’s why Ogun State has passed guidelines, so we do hope it’s effective for them’.

‘The guidelines is not also not talking about rape and incest, is also talking about other circumstances where the abortion of pregnancy becomes necessary for example, if woman has cancer, diabetes, and some other issues that could become a threat to that pregnancy’.

Penpushing reports that the Senior Gender Equality Adviser at the Centre for Productive Rights, Nairobi Kenya, Caroline Wambui in her remarks explained that at the center they used the power of the law to advance reproductive rights.

‘This work that we are doing with is very important. It’s very good to see that Ogun state has interpret the law and have the developed the stop guidelines, which are an interpretation of what is in the Nigerian law and Ogun state law with regard to self- termination of pregnancy’.

‘We see it as an opportunity to offer women and girls ability to get services, to be able to come to the facility and the doctor does not have no ambiguity in the sense of what they can offer to  the person that is in front of them’, she said

We also see it as opportunity to save lives, in that having a stop guideline or a guideline that really expands interpretation of self- termination of pregnancy, helps to reduce the cases of unsafe abortion, that the services are available in the state’.

‘And we also watch other states within Nigeria to be able to do the same, to follow suit, and beyond, that we want the Ogun states to be able to follow suit. One thing, also we are pushing for with WARDC is their reinstatement of the stop guidelines in in Lagos state.’

‘They are worried that if they interpret the law for themselves, they will be prosecuted for offering self-termination of pregnancy. and what that does is that it increases the opportunities or the chances for unsafe abortion because women and girls are going to get services elsewhere If they’re not able to offer to receive them from the providers or from the skilled providers. So, our call to action is for other state to follow suit’, she added

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