Women’s right to access family planning, information and services during humanitarian emergencies: a case of cyclone idai in chipinge and chimanimani districts of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Women’s access to family planning information and services during humanitarian emergencies is a key component in the advancement of gender equality, women’s empowerment and social development. The exercise of women’s reproductive rights allows them to make informed choices, take control of their bodies and is a crucial determinant of their enjoyment of other rights. The domain of reproductive rights enables women to live lives endowed with dignity and well-being. International and regional norms and standards require that state parties respect, protect, promote and fulfill reproductive rights. Zimbabwe has registered commitments to upholding reproductive rights through the Constitution and other laws. Despite these provisions, rural women affected by humanitarian emergencies are confronted by a host of challenges in accessing family planning information and services, in contravention of Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations. The aim of this study was to interrogate if Zimbabwe’s laws, policies and programmes adequately advance women’s family planning, information and services during humanitarian emergencies using the case of Cyclone Idai in the Chipinge and Chimanimani districts of Zimbabwe. Utilising a desktop review, the research identified gaps in Zimbabwe’s laws, policies and programmes due to a lack of attentiveness to women’s reproductive health during emergencies. Furthermore, limited access to reproductive information, poverty, patriarchal norms, child marriages, restrictive abortion provisions, high staff turnover of experienced health personnel, limited access to essential drugs and supplies, and poor access to water and sanitation militated against women’s access to reproductive health services during Cyclone Idai.