Submission ID 131584
| Issue/Objective | Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights and central to global health equity. Malawi has committed to multiple global frameworks and enacted national laws such as the Gender Equality Act, which guarantees rights to bodily autonomy and access to SRHR services. However, these commitments remain largely unfulfilled in practice. Evidence shows that women's access to SRHR services is significantly shaped by male decision-making power, with only 18% of women able to make independent healthcare decisions. In a global context marked by fragmented governance, persistent inequities, and growing gaps between policy and implementation, these challenges reflect a broader failure to translate commitments into action. Despite continued advancement of global SRHR frameworks, insufficient attention is paid to how these commitments are realized in low-resource settings. This disconnect underscores the urgent need to move beyond rhetoric toward enforceable accountability mechanisms that can restore commitment to equity and ensure that no one is left behind. Objective: To examines the disconnect between global SRHR commitments and their implementation in low-resource settings, focusing on how gaps in accountability contribute to ongoing SRHR violations in Malawi. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Implemented through a partnership between FACT Malawi and Afya na Haki, the initiative adopts a rights-based, multi-stakeholder approach over a 15-month period. It involves documenting SRHR violation cases, supporting litigation processes, and building legal literacy among affected populations. The initiative generates evidence from litigation and community engagement to inform and influence global and national SRHR policy processes, ensuring that the lived realities of low-resource settings like Malawi are reflected in global policy design. |
| Results | Despite Malawi's commitments to global and regional SRHR frameworks, findings indicate that many individuals are not aware that these protections exist. Within this context, strategic litigation is proving effective in exposing systemic gaps between global policy commitments and lived realities on the ground. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | While global policies continue to evolve, countries like Malawi remain behind in implementation, highlighting the need to pause and assess how commitments translate into practice in low-resource settings. Litigation plays a vital role in exposing these gaps and generating evidence to inform more responsive policies, ensuring no one is left behind. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Madalitso Juwayeyi Forum for AIDS Counselling and Training (FACT-Malawi) Brian Chumbi Forum for AIDS Counselling and Training (FACT-Malawi) Thokozani Kasiya Forum for AIDS Counselling and Training (FACT-Malawi) |
