Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women of All Ages: A Global Perspective

When women lack access to safe, comprehensive and easily accessible reproductive health services, the  resulting consequences can be a major barrier to their general health and wellbeing but also affects their socio economic  and cultural wellbeing and that of their  families and communities. Unfortunately in many countries women face a tremendous challenge as there is a great unmet need for their contraceptive needs.

 Cultural practices such as early marriage and female genital mutilation in many countries cause tremendous harm to the sexual and reproductive health  of girls and women.

According to the World Health Organization “When national Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health strategies are not implemented effectively, adolescents and young people are unable to obtain the sexuality and reproductive health education they need in their schools and communities, and sexual and reproductive health services they need from health facilities in their communities. The result is unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and STIs including HIV infection.”

In order to address these challenges and improve access to reproductive health services for adolescents and women there needs to be sustained efforts at grass roots by the national and local governments, UN agencies, foundations, NGOs   and it is crucial to have policies and programs which are inclusive and focus on women’s reproductive and sexual health from the cradle to the grave.  This includes promoting contraceptive use among adolescent girls  and women globally and to have in place age appropriate and culturally acceptable sex education and  provision of confidential and respectful contraceptive access.