ADVANCING SRHR

IN CANADA AND GLOBALLY THROUGH FEMINIST MOVEMENT-BUILDING

Outcome Report

Introduction

The Stand Up Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, brings together partners in Canada, as well as in Uganda and Mozambique, to work together to ensure access to quality sexual and reproductive health services (SRH) and information; build awareness around sexual and reproductive rights; and strengthen the capacity of local feminist movements to advocate for evidence-based, accountable, and equitable sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) policies, legal frameworks and services.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism – an annual, international campaign that invites Canadians and people worldwide to prevent and eliminate all types of gender-based violence – Oxfam Canada, in partnership with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, convened Canadian organizations working to advance feminist priorities, including SRHR. The convening gathered the members of the Feminist Influencing Group (FIG), an informal network of Canadian feminist and women’s rights organizations that strive to influence federal policy in Canada on feminist priorities and to build movement capacity. This network has the aim to not only coordinate efforts but also to democratize access to political influence by sharing information, space, and support between groups, with a particular focus on smaller, grassroots, or less resourced organizations and of organizations representing the interests of traditionally marginalized individuals and communities.

Feminist movements are at the forefront of addressing systemic inequalities that often lead to poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. They advocate for policies that address gender-based violence and systemic discrimination, and mobilize resources for a range of SRH services. Feminist organizations work on policies and programs that ensure equal access to services, information, and resources necessary for people to be healthy and to thrive. Supporting feminist, gender justice, and women’s rights organizations is therefore crucial for both improving SRHR outcomes and upholding the human rights of women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people and communities.

As part of the Stand Up for SRHR project, the December FIG retreat was an opportunity to reconvene feminist and women’s rights organizations to take stock of the sector’s capacity and sustainability in the face of changing political contexts and threats from the far-right both in Canada and globally. This is of particular importance and urgency considering the current backlash on sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality and the concurrent rise of antidemocratic forces both in countries and in international spaces.