Meeting the Challenge
Poor sexual and reproductive health is a source of enormous suffering for millions of the world's poorest people. High levels of mortality and morbidity as a result of sexual and reproductive health problems compromise efforts to reduce poverty. Yet in many countries the issues remain invisible and taboo. Despite two decades of sustained effort, sexual and reproductive rights are poorly understood and articulated and progress on improving sexual and reproductive health indicators is slow.
We aim to respond to these challenges, using research to raise the profile of sexual and reproductive health and rights in developing countries and working in partnership to find innovative solutions.
Latest News
What's new for July 2008?
Realising Rights at the upcoming International AIDS Conference in Mexico
The conference will see the official launch of the Global Mapping of Pleasure. To find out more read the press release (pdf).
Discover what other sessions we are involved in.
Monograph from BRAC now available to download
Learn about the practices and restrictions surrounding
menstruation, concerns surrounding infertility and
its causes and the patterns of health seeking behaviour of Bangladeshi women to treat their
menstrual illnesses. (pdf)
Study on sexual and reproductive health concerns of married men and access to services in rural Bangladesh
Realising Rights partner, Dr. Farah Mahjabeen, has provided an update on BRAC's work around men's sexual health and informal health care providers.
BRAC will be communicating this research through a series of workshops with formal and informal health care providers.
Institute of Development Studies in the news
The Realising Rights letter to the Guardian on unsafe abortion was picked up by our local paper the Evening Argus.
Factsheet on syphilis
12 million people are infected with syphilis each year despite the means to prevent onward transmission and the existence of screening technologies and inexpensive treatment. This factsheet explains how policy makers can help tackle syphilis as part of their work on reproductive and maternal health. (pdf)
The Realising Rights Newsletter is now available
This regular update from our partners highlights news, resources and meetings.
Abortion in the news
Unsafe abortion has had a high profile in the UK in recent weeks due to proposed changes to domestic legislation. A Realising Rights' letter to the Guardian Editor focussed on the international situation.
Media Prizes!
As a way of increasing the quality and quantity of media coverage of research, as well as interesting journalists in reporting on research, APHRC sponsored two journalist awards.
Bringing sexy back!
"A Mongolian sex worker once said the workshop led
her to see that just telling people to use condoms is
like telling someone to use a saddle to ride a horse –
there’s a lot more to both safe sex and horse riding!”
Cheryl Overs, Asia Pacific Network of Sexworkers
A fascinating insight into how safer sex can be made more sexy. Brought to you in partnership with The Pleasure Project the Global Mapping of Pleasure identifies when and where pleasure is being used as an effective tool to promote safer sex.
Publications Update!
All Realising Rights resources from 2007 are now listed on the website. Please see the publications
pages for more on this. Contact us for more information.
"Politicising Masculinities: Beyond the Personal".
During October 2007, a diverse mix of people came together in
Dakar, Senegal, to debate issues of men, gender and power:
unconventional practical academics, open-minded policymakers,
reflective practitioners and activists. Read the report here.
The annual planning meeting for Realising Rights was held in West Sussex, UK on the 23-25 January 2008.
The Realising Rights RPC was well represented at the 5th African Population Conference: Emerging Issues in Population and Development, held in Arusha, Tanzania from 10-14th December 2007. APHRC organized the meeting in conjunction with the Union for African Population Studies (UAPS) and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Empowerment of the United Republic of Tanzania. Dr Eliya Zulu, Deputy Director of APHRC, is the President of UAPS and delivered an opening speech to over 900 conference delegates from many countries. Click here for conference report, photos and copies of the presentations.
Realising Rights organised a panel session at the Marie Stopes International Global Safe Abortion Conference in London 23 & 24 October 2007. Click here for outline of panel and biographies of participants.
Listen to the interview about unsafe abortion on Network Africa, BBC World Service
by Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance (RHRA), Kenya partipants in the Realising Rights panel. 
Kaosar Afsana and Hilary Standing represented the Realising Rights RPC at the Women Deliver conference on maternal health in London on 18 October. They presented at a session called 'Improving women's lives in Bangladesh: Experiences of BWHC and BRAC'
Research Highlights
IDS work
on sexuality
Key issues guide on universal access to sexual and reproductive health services
The guide examins factors that inhibit access to and use of SRH services...>>
Gender and sexuality
A Siyanda gender and development quick guide... >>
Eldis key issues guide on SRH rights
Aimed at policymakers, donors and practioners...>>
Sexuality and Rights Workshop
Report of the Worskhop, January 2007, BRAC...>>
