Violence against women is a serious human rights violation, and important public health problem with substantial consequences for women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. This recognition was further strengthened by agreements at key international conferences like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State is also regarded as violence against women. It is a universally prevalent, yet unspoken and unaddressed form of violence. It includes forced sterilization and forced abortion, coercive/forced use of contraceptives, obstetric violence and denial of access to safe abortion services resulting in unsafe abortions or forced pregnancies.

The systemic denial of women’s right to access safe abortion services, and the criminalization of abortion constitute institutional violence perpetuated by the state with regards to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Restrictive laws, structural inequalities and various socio-economic barriers make women vulnerable to unsafe abortion leading to mortality. Every year nearly 47,000 women die because of unsafe abortions, a grave violation of their fundamental right to health and life. Young women and girls particularly, face added stigma, discrimination, and exploitation while accessing these services even in countries with liberal laws like Nepal.

The ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence’ is an international campaign that is part of the many global efforts to raise awareness and end violence against women. Originating from the women’s movement, participants from around the globe engage in advocacy efforts for 16 days starting from November 25 (International Day against Violence against Women) and ending on December 10 (International Human Rights Day). The campaign symbolically links violence against women to human rights, emphasizing that such violence is a violation of human rights.

When women are denied access to safe abortions either through punitive laws or because of lack of resources, they are likely to seek clandestine abortions which can lead to infections and death.

In the last two decades or more we have gained momentum in efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women, mainly owing to the arduous work of civil society organizations, UN agencies as well as human rights defenders. The world has agreed upon a set of Sustainable Developmental Goals, which include a specific goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment, under which, universal access to sexual and reproductive health is a target. It is now our responsibility as Youth Champions for safe abortion to reiterate these commitments made over the past years at these international spaces and to convert them into reality in our context.