By Kemo Kanyi
Survivors of sexual and reproductive health rights violations from Eastern and Western Africa have shared harrowing personal experiences, highlighting persistent legal and systemic barriers to accessing essential health services.
The testimonies were delivered during a side event on sexual and reproductive health and rights held on Thursday in Banjul, on the margins of the on-going African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights sessions.
Participants described experiences marked by stigma, lack of access to care, and inadequate post-abortion and reproductive health services.
A Kenyan survivor recounted the death of her daughter following complications from an unsafe abortion.
“After undergoing an unsafe abortion, my daughter was admitted to a health facility that did not provide post-abortion care. She was later discharged and died thereafter,” she said.
A survivor from Rwanda said she suffered severe complications after an unsafe abortion due to lack of information and support, adding that she was left unable to conceive.
“I was nineteen when I went through it. Since then, I have never been the same. I cannot conceive anymore,” she said, noting that she also faced stigma and abandonment by the man responsible for the pregnancy.
Another Kenyan survivor said she was forced into sexual relations at the age of 18, calling for stronger awareness and protection measures for young women to prevent unintended pregnancies and abuse.
Speaking at the event, Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, said too many women continue to die from preventable pregnancy and childbirth complications due to barriers in accessing contraception, safe abortion services, post-trauma care, and accurate health information.
“Too many women encounter health systems not as places of care, but as sites of humiliation, neglect, violence, and exclusion,” she said.
She further criticized instances where healthcare providers allow personal beliefs to override professional duties, leading to denial of care.
Sallah-Njie also highlighted reports from some African countries where women are unlawfully detained in hospitals after childbirth over inability to pay medical bills, as well as cases of disrespect, abuse, non-consensual care, verbal intimidation, and breaches of confidentiality during maternity care.