The impact of the African continental framework of sexual reproductive health – Healthcare Assignment

Internal Code: MAS5986

Healthcare Assignment:

In 2003, the African Union declared SRH as a continental emergency. In response, they developed the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (2003) popularly known as ‘Maputo Protocol’. The Maputo Protocol is a
women’s rights legal instrument that expands and guarantees extensive rights to African women and girls and includes progressive provisions on 1) Harmful traditional practices, eg “child marriage” and female genital mutilation (FGM) 2) Reproductive health and rights 3) Roles in political processes 4) Economic empowerment 5) Ending violence against women. In 2005, the protocol further adopted the continental policy framework on SRH and rights (SRHR) including those of adolescents. The African continental policy framework on SRHR asked African governments to the mainstream of SRHR in primary health care in order to accelerate the achievement of health-related MDGs. This was to be achieved by 1) increase resource allocation to health sector up to 15% of GDP in line with the Abuja recommendation of the 2001 Summit of Heads of State and Government; 2) increasing women’s participation in national and economic development; and 3)
improvement of SRH commodity security by including SRH commodities in the Essential Drug Lists. The Continental Policy Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights was adopted by the African Ministers of Health in October, 2005 and endorsed by the Summit of the African Heads of State and Government in January 2006 The objectives of this empirical paper is to assess whether implementation of the Maputo protocol’s Continental Policy Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights was associated with a change in the adolescent total fertility rate, unmet need for contraception, resource allocation to health, maternal mortality rates, women representation in parliament and poverty indexes.