By Lewis S. Teh
The Executive Director for Community Health Initiative and Chair of the Amplifying Rights Network Ms. Naomi Solanke discloses here that all is set for Liberia to host its first national stakeholders’ Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights conference from May 26-28, 2023.
The Amplifying Rights Network or ARN is a coalition of ten civil society organizations from diverse backgrounds aimed at advancing sexual reproductive health and rights through promotion of social justice, mainly evidence-based advocacy and accountability.
Addressing reporters Monday, May 8, in Monrovia, Ms. Solanke said the pending conference is the first of its kind in Liberia and will be characterized by three days of active engagement and discussion amongst SRHR actors and rights holders in the form of awareness, dialogue and advocacy.
“This SRHR conference will shine the spotlight on important themes such as access to information and service delivery, sexual and representative health and rights, health pleasure, wellbeing, fertility, menstrual hygiene management and harmful practices”, she explains.
According to her, the upcoming conference also seeks to promote and advance the SRHR agenda with strong perspective of adolescent women, persons with disabilities, sexual minorities and other groups, while providing valuable information to the audience.
“Countries and societies that invest in people, their rights and their choice have proven that is the path to wellbeing, prosperity and peace.”
She adds that though Liberia has made some progress around maternal mortality, girls’ retention and completion in schools, and improved access to contraception, the pace remains so far slow and the SRHR movement still faces strong setbacks in Liberia due to tradition, religion, widening inequality, poverty and political will.
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She says the national conference on SRHR is a joint effort with the Amplifying Rights Network, the Swedish Association for Sexual Education (RFSU), and other SRHR actors in the country.
She names access to family planning, maternal and newborn health, safe and legal abortion, sexual health and well-being, among others as topics that are expected to be discussed by various speakers. Editing by Jonathan Browne
