Meet the Activists
Fighting for sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world
-
Navigate this story by interacting with the next and back buttons at the bottom of the screen. -
For the best immersive experience, we recommend the use of headphones. -
The experience should take approximately 6 minutes to complete.
There is a world where we are all able to enjoy our sexual and reproductive rights.
|
A world where we can all make decisions about our bodies in a way that is informed, fulfilling and empowered.
But we're not all there yet.
There are countless activists, survivors, advocates and leaders fighting to achieve this vision for all.
Here are some of their stories.
The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia.
Geographical isolation, armed conflict and deeply rooted social norms make it difficult for women and girls to take control of their sexual health.
Opens a new window Many adolescent girls and boys do not have access to proper services and information about their sexual and reproductive health and rights as doing so requires permission from their parents. This contributes to more than 500 teenagers becoming pregnant every day in the Philippines, one of the highest rates in the world.
Opens a new window But there are activists fighting for the rights of women and youth to exercise control over their own bodies. Luz, founding member of the National Rural Women's Congress in the Philippines (PKKK), is one of them.
Opens a new window With support from
Oxfam's Sexual Health and Empowerment (SHE) project 
Opens a new window,
PKKK is advocating for women's sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly in the Indigenous communities where they work.
Opens a new window According to Luz, it is thanks to this project that women and girls are starting to recognize what their bodies are capable of. In the past, even mentioning their reproductive parts was a hard thing to do.
Opens a new window So far, SHE has reached over 30,000 people in the Philippines by training public health workers and promoting positive attitudes on gender and sexuality with young people and communities.
Opens a new window For Luz, the fight is personal.
"I am doing this because I am a single mom. I know what it is to be a single mom and to be a mother who strives hard for her children's future. And I do not want my children to experience not having the ability to make decisions about their own bodies."
Opens a new window "I sincerely look forward to the day when women are able to stand up for themselves and proudly say, 'This is me. I have the capability to do this, and I know my worth as a woman'."
Opens a new window 10,000 kilometres west of the Philippines, is Mozambique, a country in Southeastern Africa.
Opens a new window It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Adolescent birth rates are among the highest in the world.
Opens a new window In Canada, 10 maternal deaths occur for every 100,000 births.
Opens a new window In Mozambique, it's 489 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births.
Opens a new window At 16, Elisabeth is the mother of a 6-month old son. Before he was born, she spent six months in a women's safehouse after two young men from her community raped her.
"...two boys with a machete came and said : 'if you scream I'll cut you.'"
Opens a new window Traumatized and unsure what to do, she contacted the Núcleodas Associações Femininasda Zambézia (NAFEZA), a women's rights organization and partner of the Her Future, Her Choice project.
Opens a new window With their support, Elisabeth went to the police, filed a report and tried to get the boys arrested.
Opens a new window But they fled and police could not find them.
Opens a new window Soon after, Elisabeth returned to the hospital and learnt she was pregnant.
Opens a new window NAFEZA took Elisabeth to a women's safehouse where she could recover, feel protected, have access to legal resources and counselling, and receive medical attention.
In this safehouse, women and girls like Elisabeth get vital information and support to understand their rights and exercise decision-making power over their lives and their bodies.
After six months at the safehouse, Elisabeth left to have the baby.
Shortly after her son was born, she moved in with her grandparents in another village, where she is raising her child.
Finding out about NAFEZA and Oxfam's Her Future, Her Choice project allowed Elisabeth to be taken to the safehouse and think through what she wanted for her own life.
For Elisabeth, it means supporting her son, returning to school and raising awareness with other girls about their rights.
It is 5PM on a Thursday in Ontario, Canada.
Opens a new window Third-year Western University medical students Brintha, Claire and Dilini rush from the clinic to meet virtually.
Opens a new window They are the founders of the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) Women's Health Network, one of the
community-based SRHR initiatives supported by Her Future, Her Choice Opens a new window
in Canada.
Opens a new window Dilini explains, "As a medical student myself, I really realized the gaps in our medical education. It really centres the voices of cis white men. We don't often get education that is really inclusive of all races and sexual and gender minorities."
Opens a new window The idea for the initiative came during a school project, when they realized how difficult it was to find data on the healthcare experiences of Indigenous and racialized women in Canada.
Without data, it is nearly impossible to make a case for impactful change.
Brintha explains,"We decided to get together with colleagues across different provinces and different medical schools and create the BIPOC Women's Health Network which is an organization that is geared at improving healthcare experiences for racialized and Indigenous women. It is also geared at working upstream by re-innovating medical education and improving how we centre Indigenous and racialized women in healthcare curriculums across the country."
Opens a new window Dilini adds, "I think what ties a lot of these disparities that we see in racialized and marginalized communities is that they occur as a result of systemic discrimination and racism that we have within our health care system."
Opens a new window Some of the sexual healthcare disparities faced by racialized women in Canada include cultural, linguistic and economic barriers.
To address these community needs, they teamed up with Women's Health in Women's hands, the only racialized women's health centre in North America.
Opens a new window Claire explains, "So one of the projects that we undertook, is that we paired with a clinic in Toronto that was serving a population who were living at or below the poverty line to make these prenatal care kits that were more inclusive for this population. A lot of times when you look at a prenatal diet, it's catering to someone who has a stable financial budget, stable housing and for example, eats a typical western diet. "
Opens a new window "Well, what does that look like if most of your food is coming from a food bank? Or if you're housing insecure? Or if you are a newcomer and you're not used to seeing the foods in a typical Western food guide? "
Opens a new window The medical student trio's work is also welcomed by healthcare workers and students.
One of their most recent offerings include a guide for students, professors and practitioners on culturally-sensitive Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (2SLGBTQ+) care.
Looking forward, what does the BIPOC Women's Health Network hope for? An equitable healthcare system.
"I really hope that in the future we're able to have folks who feel safe going to their doctor, feel safe walking to an emergency department, who don't feel the need to advocate for themselves because they know their physicians, and nurses, and other folks there looking out for them who will advocate on their behalf. I hope that we're able to create a healthcare system that is safer for all people and that is able to provide equitable care for all folks across the country."
Opens a new window There is a place where every woman and girl has the power to decide how long to stay in school or work.
To decide whether to have children.
A place where all people, regardless of their age, race, gender identity or sexual orientation, can make informed choices about their bodies, and in turn better choices for their families, their education, their livelihoods and their happiness.
With projects like
Her Future, Her Choice Opens a new window
and
Sexual Health and Empowerment Opens a new window,
we and our partners are breaking down barriers to sexual and reproductive health, rights, information and services…
...while trailblazers like the BIPOC Women's Health Network are transforming the future of sexual health care in Canada from the inside out.
There is a world where we are all able to enjoy our sexual and reproductive rights.
It's our future, if we act now.
Join Oxfam in creating a world where all people have an equal opportunity to enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights
Visit OXFAM.CA
to sign up or donate today
Share this story
These projects are undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada, and the generous Canadian public.