Today as part of our 16 Day of Activisim Against Gender Based Violence campaign, we take a step back to understand what GBV means as well as Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, another issue that is important to us;
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Violence Against Women (VAW) are terms that are often used interchangeably. They are often times used to mean the same thing since most gender-based violence is inflicted by men on women and girls. Violence against women is an expression of power inequalities between women and men. It is a persistent and universal problem occurring in all cultures, religions and social groups.
Sexual Reproductive Health Rights is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality and reproduction. It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and reproduction as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual and reproductive experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. These rights include access to sexual and reproductive health care and information, as well as autonomy in sexual and reproductive decision making for example choosing family planning methods, decisions on how many children to have and when to have them and even having protected sex. Unfortunately, there is a myth that because we are living with HIV, everyone but ourselves can make decisions regarding our sexual and reproductive health on our behalf.
#16DaysofActivisim
Day two: Understanding Gender Based Violence and Sexual Reproductive Rights
