Reproductive health is a lifetime concern for both women and men, from infancy to old age.
Evidence shows that reproductive health in any of these life stages has a profound effect on one's health later in life.
Different organisations support programmes tailored to the different challenges people face at different times in their lives.
They include comprehensive sex education, family planning, safe delivery care, post-natal care, services to prevent maternal mortality and sexually transmitted infections.
However, many organisations don’t run programmes targeting women with disability.
Women and girls with disability lack access to information about their sexual and reproductive rights, including menstrual hygiene management.
This lack of information about rights, services and programs makes it harder for women with disabilities to negotiate for safer sexual relationships.
This increases their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, while gender-based violence is on their doorsteps.
A recent review found that women who have experienced intimate partner violence are 50 per cent more likely to be living with HIV.
Myths about the sexuality of disabled women also violate their rights.
People with physical or sensory impairments are deemed a-sexual.
Women with intellectual or mental disabilities are seen as oversexed.
These stereotypes can lead to forced and coerced sterilization to avoid pregnancies because women with disabilities are deemed incapable of being mothers, or because the suppression of their menstruation is easier to manage for their careers.
Women and girls with disabilities are often denied basic health services like immunization, screening for chronic health conditions and medication.
They are subjected to dismissive or discriminatory behaviour by health care workers who lack the training and skills to respond and support disabled women
Problems accessing HIV/AIDS services is further compounded by decision-making processes in families.
Communities still do not believe persons with some type of disability are sexually active and as a result, many are left out even when outreach services are happening within their communities.
Different organizations working on improving sexual and reproductive health is a key effort towards achieving sustainable development goal 3, which calls for good health and well-being.
It also advances Goal 5, which calls for gender equality and many of the other goals included in the 2030 Agenda.
As a way forward on fast retracing ICPD commitments UNFPA, other organizations are also working with governments and communities to strengthen health systems.
This includes supporting the implementation of reproductive health programmes, improving the quality of reproductive health care and strengthening human resources.
Different NGOs put efforts to make sure reproductive health commodities are available where needed, and that a functioning logistics system is in place.
While strengthening national systems, the Ministry of Health should increase access for disadvantaged groups, invest in infrastructure to make government facilities disabled friendly, train health care providers on managing disabled people, to reduce difficulties on access to services for women with disabilities.
Youth advocate reproductive health network Kenya
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
