Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

This project aims to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes and the realization of rights among different population groups with distinct SRH needs in Bangladesh. This project identifies gaps in current SRH service provision and assesses the SRH target groups’ unmet needs through research. These groups include adolescent boys and girls, pregnant women and newly married couples and people with distinct SRH needs, women in the ready-made garments sector, sex workers, people with diverse sexual orientations and drug users. The project designs, develops and implements several inventions and innovations that include: (a) increasing knowledge and evidence regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) burden, needs, risk factors, service gaps and challenges; (b) identifying interventions/innovations to promote prevention and protection and improve treatment (accessibility, availability, readiness and quality); and (c) increasing capacity for the use of the evidence generated through SRHR research in national policy and practice.

Project activities include: (1) establishing cohorts with population groups with distinct SRHR needs in selected rural and urban areas; (2) estimating SRH-related disease burden, risk factors and outcomes in different populations with distinct SRH needs; (3) understanding COVID-19-related susceptibility, role in transmission dynamics and clinical outcomes in different populations with distinct SRH needs and vulnerability; (4) assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behaviour, practice and health of different populations with SRH distinct needs; (5) setting up invention and innovation hubs through selective inventions and innovations designed, developed and tested for promoting prevention and protection and for improving treatment; (6) conducting research prioritisation exercise for promoting prevention and protection and for improving treatment; (7) establishing a health facility network of selective public and private facilities providing SRHR services; (8) assessing the service availability, accessibility, readiness and quality of essential SRHR services in selective public and private facilities; (9) tracking the trend and pattern of SRHR service utilisation and case-mix in selective public and private facilities; and (10) creating SRH interest group, developing short course on SRHR programs and research.