Botswana failing to protect human dignity
Access to safe abortions, HIV prevention are universal rights
Southern African countries including Botswana, are failing to alleviate human right violations regardless of the tools put in place.
This is characterised by power asymmetries, as access to HIV prevention services and commodities as well as safe abortion are still not a reality.
Communication and advocacy specialist Moses Magadza said this in a presentation during a virtual webinar for media on bodily autonomy and integrity organised by AIDS Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA).
Speaking on Gaps in Reporting Group Experiences of bodily autonomy and integrity, Magadza said personal subjugation to dignity remains a common threat to human rights and dignity, and this is especially true for meeting the health and rights needs of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
He paraphrased director of ARASA Felicia Hikuam who has indicated that bodily autonomy and integrity are critical for the creation of just, equal, productive and resilient societies, in which social justice and human dignity are at the centre of all development, policy and organising; and health and well-being are promoted for all.
“Rights activists called for the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity of everyone, particularly marginalised and disenfranchised people, including sexual minorities, to be considered in Sexual and Reproduction Health Rights programming, and for implementation to be prioritised”.
Magadza also noted that media must live up to the moniker of WATCHDOG and bark when: a young university student has to sleep with a taxi driver, sugar daddy or sugar mom in exchange for money or means to reach campus; people of a different sexual orientation are the subject of homophobia, assault or even murder as well as health providers becoming barriers to access to safe health resources.
The ARASA virtual workshop for media practitioners was held to increase awareness and knowledge of the right to bodily autonomy and integrity with ARASA partner organisations and the constituencies they represent, in continued efforts to build national and regional movements around bodily autonomy and integrity issues.
This is done so that there can be “collective advocacy towards policy change to support Bodily autonomy and integrity, in order to reduce inequality, especially gender inequality and promote health, dignity and well-being for sustainable development in southern and east Africa.”
The ARASA campaign focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity, HIV prevention, access to safe abortion and integration of sexual reproductive health rights into universal health coverage.
ARASA envisages that at regional level, work during the campaign would involve collaboration with sub-regional bodies that include the SADC Parliamentary Forum (PF), the SADC Secretariat and others to ensure implementation of standards that lead to the realisation of bodily integrity and autonomy.