KATHMANDU, APRIL 9
Rights activists have urged the government to ensure that women, particularly the victims of sexual violence who seek reproductive health services, should not be required to report to the police before seeking safe abortion and other reproductive health services.
Speaking at an interaction organised by Forum for Women, Law and Development, Policy and Governance Specialist of Ipas Nepal Madahbi Bajracharya said that if a service-seeker was delayed even by one day, they would not get safe abortion service and hence service providers should not deny women seeking reproductive health service on any pretexts. She said all barriers needed to be removed to guarantee the fundamental reproductive health right of women.
Executive Director of Forum for Women, Law and Development Sabin Shrestha said the One-Stop Crisis Management Centre or any other health service providers should not require the victims of sexual violence to report to the police before providing them reproductive health services. "We have seen the victims of sexual violence reporting the crime after months and even years. A victim might choose to report to the police after getting reproductive health services, including safe abortion.
If the service provider subjects them to report the incident to police immediately, they might find themselves in an uncomfortable position that could consequently result in denial of reproductive health services,"Shrestha argued.
"If the service providers compel the victims of rape and incestuous rape to report the crime to the police or document their incidents, many victims who might not be ready to report the crime at a time when they seek abortion or other reproductive health services might choose not to avail the service which could result in denial of reproductive health services."
Advocate Nabin Kumar Shrestha said government agencies needed to look at the issues of violation of reproductive health right and domestic violence as closely linked issues. Stating that service providers often ignore violence in the reproductive health rights issues, Shrestha said women trying to avail reproductive health rights, particularly safe abortion services, were often stigmatised. "Out of reproductive health service-seeker (women), 50 per cent were aware of safe abortion services," he added.
One participant shared, "Although there are 94 OCMCs across the country, many OCMCs lack space. As a result, differently-abled women are unable to seek reproductive health services from those centres. Such OCMCs should build infrastructure suitable for differently-abled women."
Participants said OCMCs should be equipped with all the resources and infrastructure to ensure that service-seekers get hassle-free reproductive health services. Earlier, Public Health Officer of Department of Health Services Nisha Joshi made a presentation on reproductive health services saying there was the need to making women aware about safe abortion services as 50 per cent of women were unaware about safe abortion services. She said the government had prepared a new bill to amend 'The Right to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act' to bring positive changes in the law. She said the bill intended to bring all provisions in one Act.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 10, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
