Helping Women and Girls Realize their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in South Africa

The project addresses discriminatory social norms that perpetuate sexual and gender-based violence and prevent women and girls to realize their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in some of the most marginalized districts of South Africa. It works with communities, including men and boys, and adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24, parents as well as youth and women networks to promote women and girls’ human rights, SRHR, and in preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The project also strives to foster multi-sectoral collaboration across institutions (health, social services, justice, police, education), to strengthen institutional capacity and evidence-based decision-making to increase the availability of quality SRHR and SGBV services (information, counselling and prevention) that respond to the needs of women and girls, free from bias and discrimination. Project activities include: (1) training health workers (doctors, nurses, managers and community health workers) in the targeted districts’ health facilities on proven integrated delivery models of SHRH, SGBV and HIV services that respond to the needs of women and young girls and are free of bias and discrimination; (2) training social service professionals and community health workers on integrated SGBV case management, including referral pathways, and field testing and documentation of results in selected locations in the targeted districts; (3) improving data systems and enhancing disaggregation of data (by sex, age, disability, ethnicity, etc.) to better target SRHR policy and programming; (4) training community networks that engage with men, boys, parents and caregivers, and young girls to run advocacy campaigns with government to invest in quality SRHR and SGBV services free from bias and discrimination and prevent and respond to SGBV. It is expected the project directly reaches 300,000 adolescents girls and young women (aged between 15 and 24) and further indirectly reaches 1,5 million beneficiaries.