28 SEPTEMBER 2016 **********************INTERNATIONAL SAFE ABORTION DAY

M A R G E BE R E R , I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O O R D I N AT O R

HISTORY: THE DAY/THE NAME 28 September has been an international day of

action on abortion since 1990, chosen by a feminist conference in Latin America because in Brazil it was the Day of the Free Womb in the 19th century to commemorate freeing of the children of slave mothers from slavery.

Name: Día International de Acción por la Despenalización del Aborto /International Day of Action for Decriminalization of Abortion

In 2011, it was internationalised by WGNRR, who renamed it as Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion.

In 2015, in an attempt to have one simple, agreed name, the International Campaign agreed to change the name to International Safe Abortion Day.

Now there are 3 names!

MANY LANGUAGES: ONE MOVEMENT

PRIORITY ISSUES 2016: ABORTION IS NOT A CRIME!

Abortion out of the criminal law! 

A moratorium on prosecutions!

Release all prisoners!

Universal access to safe abortion!

TYPES OF ACTIVITIES ORGANIZED Information leaflets, infographics, reports, news

articles, interviews, statements, press releases, blogs Questions/debate in parliament Awareness-raising campaigns, media sensitisation

days Marches, rallies, demonstrations, solidarity events Public meetings, debates, discussion days, live chat Street theatre, flashmobs, posters, T-shirts Art exhibitions, many videos, music/poetry evenings Calls for law reform, clarification and implementation

of the law, write national guidelines Proposals for increased access to methods and

services, and training of new providers, e.g. FP nurses, midwives, GPs.

Tweet-a-thons, other social media activities, personal stories

Solidarity actions – esp for Ireland and Poland this year Petitions, surveys, research, expert committees,

coalitions

COUNTRIES WITH ACTIVITIES… 55 so far

AFRICA ‒ Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe (13)

ASIA/PACIFIC ‒ Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand (10)

EUROPE ‒ Armenia, Croatia, France, Ireland, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UK (13)

LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN ‒ Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guate-mala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay (16)

MIDDLE EAST – Egypt (1) NORTH AMERICA ‒ Canada, USA (2)

INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL NGOs/NETWORKS

African Network for Medical Abortion Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP) Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) ASTRA SRHR Network Eastern and Central Europe Catholics for Choice / Catholics for Right to Decide (CLACAI) Latin America Campaign against Unsafe Abortion International Planned Parenthood Federation Ipas Latin American Network against Unsafe Abortion (CLACAI) Latin American Network of Católicas por el Derecho de Decider Sexual Rights Initiative Women Help Women Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion

NEW IN 2015-16 The participation of representatives of 3 government

ministries, along with NGOs, health professionals, etc: DR Congo / Nepal / France

The Ministry of Women in Venezuela published a statement in 2016.

In DR Congo, last year a representative from the Ministry of Public Health joined the NGO event. In 2016, 120 representatives from the Ministries of Women/Families/Children; Social Affairs; Public Health; Scientific Research; Justice; Youth plus representatives from the Parliament, 10 civil society organisations, National Youth Council, Doctors Association, Midwives Association, university students committees, UN agencies, a lot of media and others attended a full day event.

NEW IN 2016 Statement by 3 UN OHCHR Human Rights

Experts – Working Group Discrimination ag Women in Law/Practice, Special Rapporteurs on Health & Torture

“Unsafe abortion is still killing tens of thousands women around the world” – UN rights experts warn English/Español/Français

Statement by Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, Justice Lucy Asuagbor

http://www.achpr.org/news/2016/09/d238/

We call on you… to make a simple but highly symbolic statement of support for safe abortion, by agreeing to make International Safe Abortion Day, 28 September, an official UN day.

EL SALVADOR

UGANDA

WGNRR / LOVE MATTERS

NORTH INDIA – SOLIDARITY WITH IRELAND

BRAZIL: FLASHMOB FOR WOMEN WHO DIED FROM CLANDESTINE ABORTION

ASIAN PACIFIC RESOURCES & RESEARCH CENTRE FOR WOMEN (ARROW)

EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE FOR PERSONAL RIGHTS / RESURJ

Calling on the government to reform the abortion law

VOICE YOUR ABORTION, FEMINISM IN INDIA

SAMSARA, INDONESIA

POLAND: PROTEST IN BLACK

COLOMBIA: CONNECTING PEACE/AUTONOMY

MOZAMBIQUE – COALITION FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE

RIGHTS – ALL DAY EVENT

YOUTH COALITION FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS –

PUBLICATION

ECUADORI decide who goes in and who comes out

Imagen de Anna Grimal

AFRICA: NEW ABORTION INFORMATION HOTLINE NETWORK: 7 COUNTRIES

AROUND THE WORLD, WOMEN ARE TAKING ABORTION INTO THEIR OWN

HANDS…

FROM BANGKOK TO LONDON WE ARE SAYING:

SAFE ABORTION : WOMEN'S RIGHT !!!

www.safeabortionwomensright.org

www.safeabortionwomensright.org

JOIN US!!!