… IZ KRUGA – VOJVODINA organized an online conference Barriers to realization sexual and reproductive rights on Monday, August 3, 2020, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
The conference was organized within the project Capacity Building of Women with Disabilities to Advocate for Their Sexual and Reproductive Rights in five municipalities in Serbia: Uzice, Raska, Temerin, Kragujevac and Vranje. The project is implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA and aims to empower women with disabilities to self-advocate and actively advocate for their sexual and reproductive rights.
The conference was opened by the trainer on the project, Miladinka Mijatovic. She greeted the participants, thanked them for their active participation in the project so far, presented the conference agenda and announced that the conference would be moderated by Ivana Zelic and translated into sign language by Nina Baranovski. At the beginning, the participants were briefly addressed by the representative of the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA, Nevena Sovic.
The conference was attended by 53 participants with different types of disabilities, participants in online training on sexual and reproductive rights advocacy from Raska, Temerin, Uzice and Vranje.
Groups of women with disabilities who followed the training were formed in cooperation with local associations: Association of Cerebral Palsy and Childhood Paralysis, Uzice; Association of Persons with Disabilities Srna, Raska; Citizens’ Association Kap, Temerin and Multiple Sclerosis Association and Human Rights Committee, Vranje. Over the past three months, through ten online meetings, they gained knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights, the legal framework, the accessibility of health facilities, the concept and models of disability, language and terminology, and advocacy methods. One of the tasks of the training participants was to map the obstacles to exercising sexual and reproductive rights and present them publicly.
At the conferences, the representatives of the association through presentations and short films presented the situation in their municipalities and the obstacles they face every day in accessing institutions to services for the protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
After the presentation of the group representatives in a half-hour discussion, the participants exchanged impressions about presentations and films and their experiences during the mapping.
In the previous three months, the organization …IZ KRUGA – VOJVODINA managed to respond to numerous challenges due to the coronary virus pandemic. Work with the project participants took place online and all planned activities were successfully implemented.
