Organization Advocates Safe, Legal Abortion
By
Mbonda Lizzy Noel with Reports
The Organization for the Dialogue
on Safe Abortion, ODAS, has reiterated its commitments to the values of the
association on pushing for safe and legal abortions.
According to the members, every
woman should have the right to be able to use a safe and effective method of
contraception to prevent unintended pregnancy and to have access to safe and
legal voluntary termination of pregnancy.
To pass on this message to the
population, the Organisation known by its acronym as, ODAS Center that works
with laws that govern sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights, has launched
its activities at the national level.
Themes related to safe abortion
in ODAS member countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea,
Mali, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Madagascar will be on
the agenda.
In Cameroon, the launch was led by local
partner, Women for a Change in the capital city, Yaounde, Cameroon on September
28th 2021.
The launch brought together participants
from a wide range of non-profit organizations, community organizations,
partners from academia and public health and government institutions.
The ODAS center has set itself
the mission of coordinating regional actions and unites the movement that
promotes access to safe abortion in Francophone Africa.
The activities carried out by the
ODAS Center takes into account the principles that govern the ecosystem of
sustainable abortion in French-speaking Africa.
But also, those defined in the
common agenda, namely: the provision of services, the legal and political
environment, product security, community engagement, research, advocacy and
campaigning.
The objective of this meeting, says Dr Rougiatou Baldé, director of the ODAS Center, is to make the vision and mission of the ODAS Center known to stakeholders in its network.
But also, to
present for the first time the advisory committee of the ODAS center and
discuss the strategies and approaches for implementing the centre's activities.
According to Dr Baldé the
meeting, also served as a framework for collecting ideas and suggestions for
strengthening the ODAS strategy.
The said organization places
particular emphasis on building the capacities of women and young people in
order to increase their demand for abortion services as framed by international
human rights bodies.
It should be noted that international, regional and national human rights bodies are increasingly recommending that States ensure the promotion and protection of women's health and life, even in contexts where access to abortion is restricted.
The long-term objective is
As such, ODAS staff is working in
collaboration with Ipas Afrique Francophone to set up an ambitious program of
knowledge sharing, knowledge circulation, learning, and advocacy and above all
strengthening of health systems and accountability processes in the region.
The Ipas Francophone Africa
Regional Office provides accommodation for the center and provides it with
technical assistance during its incubation phase.
Comments
Post a Comment