Health TV Online/Kathmandu : Debanjana Choudhuri, Executive Director of WGNRR (Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights), has expressed concern that state actors and governments are currently attempting to downplay rights, particularly sexual and reproductive health rights and justice. She said, “We are seeing that there is a huge pressure to dial down the language around rights around equality and equity, and this is extremely alarming, and of course, with the recent changes in US politics and administration, we are seeing that there is a huge pressure to dial down the language around rights around equality and equity, and this is extremely alarming, and with the changes recent changes in US. We are anticipating backlashes. Because whatever happens in the US does have an impact on all of us, and Asia is no different.”

According to her, anti-rights movements are raising apart from are raising their heads, and we find them everywhere, so anti-rights movements, of course, are highly organised; they’re extremely well resourced in terms of human resources as well as funding, and we know that there is a huge momentum and push within these anti-rights groups to create narratives in each of the countries in each of the contexts to further, uh, you know, create the gap of access on SRHR.

“It is now very crucial that we all join hands and collaborate because collaboration is going to lead to stronger voices and unified action to protect SRH rights.

“We anticipate that in the coming few months we’ll see that you know there’ll be heavy cutdowns and further cutdowns on SRHR advocacy programs on safe abortion services, comprehension comprehensive abortion care and this will impact girls, adolescence, women and all pregnant persons; it’ll strip them of their bodily autonomy and choice,” Choudhuri said. “It is now very crucial that we all join hands and collaborate because collaboration is going to lead to stronger voices and unified action to protect SRH rights. We need to think about how diverse we are because we have to acknowledge that we are equally fragmented in this space. We need to unify now, and if we don’t do that, then the opposition will take the space they are going to create narratives around family systems traditional values, which are going to hurt us even more in the future years.”

Moreover, marginalised, excluded communities are definitely further alienated; it’s an added layer of challenge, and there is an emerging worrying trend both in India and the Philippines. Choudhuri further said, “This year has been the year for elections; even India voted, but how many times did SRHR women’s rights or reproductive health rights come as a mandate? No, it didn’t, and next year the Philippines is going to vote. It’s gearing up for elections, and we are working very closely with pro-choice legislators, and we are driving the conversation.”