Rights-driven Institutionalization of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Pakistan (Hamara Kal)

World Population Foundation (WPF) Pakistan through funding from the European Union (EU) has launched a project titled, “Rights-driven Institutionalization of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Pakistan”. The project is funded under the European Commission's Thematic Budget Line ‘Non State actors and Local Authorities in Development – Actions in Pakistan’. Having already reached over 50,000 adolescents through its Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) Programme, WPF, Pakistan is taking a step forward in embedding the Rights’ Based Approach to advocate policy reforms.

The rights-based programming of the project is based on the 12 SRH rights as formulated by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and recognized by numerous UN member countries. The details of the 12 SRH rights is available on WPF website.

Why SRHR?
Pakistan is one of the most populous countries in the world with an estimated population of about 163 million people as of 2008. Young people who are considered to be the future builders of any nation today comprise 63% of the population of the country. This in itself is an opportunity for Pakistan at the moment provided we get to harness the potential of this group by investing in them. However, despite their overwhelming numbers, due attention is not being paid to the young population of Pakistan; Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) figures prominently among the areas of concern, which require immediate consideration.

In Pakistan, like many other developing countries, poverty is intrinsically linked with poor Sexual and Reproductive Health. An analysis of the SRHR landscape in Pakistan further manifests the missing link between interventions and rights bringing home the realization as to why SRH initiatives in the past have failed to become socially sustainable. Moreover, the assumption that boys and girls under 18 are “too young” to have Sexual and Reproductive Health information and services ignores the realities and violates young people’s right to acquire practical knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves and their partners from STIs/HIV, unwanted pregnancies , unsafe abortions or childbirth related complications, and sexual abuse or violence. Young people who seek Reproductive Health services often face judgmental health providers who offer neither confidentiality nor privacy.

Such indifference to a basic human right has then left most of the population exposed to perils that it cannot protect itself against – not merely due to lack of resources but more so, ironically, because of dearth of knowledge to identify the danger when it approaches!

Target Group and Beneficiaries
The main target group of the project will be young people, particularly girls with the focus on building the capacity of 3 partner NGOs, 100 CSOs, 450 schools, 1000 teachers, over 150 health service providers, over 150 policy makers and parliamentarians. The project will directly reach up to 150,000 youth in three districts and over 1 million young people indirectly throughout Pakistan.

Selected Districts

Target District	Karachi, Sindh	Multan, Punjab	Matiari, Sindh
Social Setting	Metropolitan and Urban	Municipal and Peri-urban	Rural
Demo- and Socio-Graphic Characteristics	Over 90% literacy; highest number of unmarried educated youth, open and liberal mindset	Educated population; highest number of violence against women, conservative mindset	Uneducated population, multi-religion, disadvantaged beneficiaries

*The three districts offer the best possible diversity sample and relative ease of operation for a difficult subject such as SRHR.

Intervention Strategies
WPF will be implementing several strategies to achieve the overall objective of the project through a three pronged approach named A.I.M:

A: Assessing Prevalence of SRHR; to assess the current status of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Pakistan through Rights based Framework- SeHRAF. The pioneering national status report will also be used for improving SRHR status and to create enabling environment.

I: Institutionalizing SRHR in Demand and Supply Mechanisms; to institutionalize the Sexual and Reproductive Health education in education system as well as client centered SRHR services in health management system to cater to the needs of 63% of young people.

M: Monitoring of SRHR Situation resulting due to Institutionalization; to sustain the project as well as monitor its progress and effectiveness during implementation. Several M&E mechanisms will be strengthened within the existing systems of health and education from an SRHR perspective.

Implementing Partners
Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) in Matiari, Awaz CDS in Multan and Aahung in Karachi will be WPF’s partners in reaching out to target beneficiaries and for carrying out advocacy and capacity building of target audience in respective districts. These organizations are in operations for over 10 years and have solid competency in rights based advocacy and service delivery and have on-ground presence in target areas.

What we Aim to Achieve

1. SRH rights' situation in Pakistan mapped and assessed as a first country in the region.
2. LSBE curriculum converted into a rights-framework and integrated in national and provincial curricula.
3. A model for institutionalization of SRH rights created, tested and made available.
4. Health Management Systems in three districts becomes responsive to SRH needs of youth (and women).
5. Government, CSOs and NGOs and coalition of partners fully trained and capacitated managing.