PRIORITY AREAS

MAIN THEMES

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS (SRHR)

Médecins du Monde works alongside multiple local and international partners to strengthen access to sexual and reproductive To Rights and Healthcare for all, women and girls in particular. We are working and advocating in particular for access to safe and legal abortion and contraception, a response to SRH needs in crisis situations and the prevention of cervical cancer.

HARM REDUCTION

Our harm reduction strategy is based on Médecins du Monde’s fundamental principles: healthcare, bearing witness, advocacy, and supporting communities in seeking social change. We work with and alongside people who use drugs, sex workers and sexual and gender minorities. The aim is to improve their health, reinforce access to rights and bring down the legal, regulatory and social barriers which marginalise them and keep them from accessing healthcare services.

MIGRATION, RIGHTS AND HEALTH

The conditions in which migrants and exiles are welcomed are constantly worsening in many transit and destination countries. Border closures and checks, the criminalisation of the individual– with the corresponding use of imprisonment, containment, expulsion, repatriation to the country of origin or transit–cause health problems and difficulties in receiving treatment. EMERGENCIES AND CRISES

A humanitarian crisis occurs when an event impacts vulnerable communities, unable to cope by themselves, and the response capabilities of local actors and authorities are overwhelmed. Armed conflict, epidemics, famine or natural disasters can cause a humanitarian crisis or trigger a sudden disruption of access to care. Médecins du Monde acts to restore access to care for the local population and advocates for the protection and safeguarding of the humanitarian sector.

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Médecins du Monde works with communities to reduce individuals’ exposure to high-risk environments, either in the home or in connection with informal working. The overall objective of our action strategy is to combat environmental health inequalities in order to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of those communities most at risk.

CROSS-CUTTING THEMES

MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

Mental health, in the sense of an individual’s ability to lead a fulfilling life, is an integral part of a person’s health. Médecins du Monde focuses in particular on developing psychosocial activities aimed at strengthening the psychological and social resources of both individuals and communities by involving the relevant individuals and communities in the implementation of the appropriate public health responses.

PRIORITY AREAS

VULNERABLE CHILDREN

In addition to currently evolving long-standing actions (Opération Sourire), Médecins du Monde is integrating the needs and provision of responses specific to minors into its actions. This is the case for unaccompanied minors and children living in substandard housing and in slums, as well as in the context of programmes focusing on gender-based violence and the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. GENDER

Gender refers to the socially determined roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a society considers to be appropriate for men and women. Médecins du Monde incorporates and promotes a gender-based approach to combat inequalities and discrimination that have an impact on health. In 2020, we adopted a gender policy to ensure that professional practices and operational activities are being developed in accordance with the principle of gender equality.