By Bill W. Cooper
The Amplifying Rights Network (ARN) in partnership with the government is expected to host a national stakeholders’ conference on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Liberia.
With funding from the Swedish Embassy, the three days conference slated for May 26-28, 2023 at the Ministerial Complex will be held under the theme; “Strengthening the Length of holistic Approach towards Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in Liberia.”
The ARN is a coalition of 10 Civil Society Organizations (CSO) from diverse backgrounds aimed at contributing to advancing SRHR through the promotion of social justice, mainly evidence-based advocacy, and accountability.
The SRHR conference which is the first edition in Liberia will stimulate a three-day intensive engagement and discussion amongst SRHR actors and rights holders in the form of awareness provision, dialogue, and advocacy.
The conference will also include educational and safe spaces for all as well as provide age-and context-appropriate information for rights holders to understand, identify, and debate the complex SRHR issues and topics.
Giving an overview of the conference yesterday in Monrovia, ARN’s Chairperson Naomi Solanke said the meeting will shine a spotlight on access to information and services delivery, SRHR, health, pleasure, wellbeing, fertility, menstrual hygiene management, and harmful practices.
She noted, “The symposium will also seek to promote and advance the SRHR agenda with strong perspectives of adolescents’ women, persons with disabilities, sexual minorities, and other groups while providing valuable information to the audience.
She further indicated that they are expecting about 400 participants to include adolescent girls and boys, women, persons with disabilities, sexual minorities and other groups from rural and urban locations across Liberia.
Madam Solanke added that the conference is a joint effort with the ARN, the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) and other SRHR actors in Liberia to have a space to jointly promote and popularize SRHR, by proving accurate information of stigma and discrimination for greater freedom of choice about SRHR in Liberia.
However, topics to be discussed are access to family planning, maternal and newborn health, safe and legal abortion/PAC, sexual health and wellbeing, sub fertility/infertility, harmful practices (FGM, early marriage, SGBV), young people and CSE, menstrual health and hygiene, and the link between SRHR and women’s leadership in Liberia.
UN special Rapporteur on SRHR Thaleng Mofokeng is expected to serve as guest speaker, while Liberia’s Health and Gender Ministers, including Sweden Ambassador to Liberia, UNFPA, OHCHR and others are expected to make remarks for their various institutions.
