salima namusobya

@ReproRightsAFR @nyaleinstitute @forequality_mw “… girls who are survivors of sexual violence are automatically entitled to an abortion to preserve their life, which includes their health.” - Malawi High court. Great judgment in favor of women and girls’ rights

Key highlights from the 28th CSO Forum on the sidelines of the 47th @acerwc.au ordinary Session —youth voices leading the way in advocating for meaningful youth engagement and youth-led accountability to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents in Africa.

"In Nigeria, the High Court affirmed the State’s duty to remove barriers & ensure access to accurate information and care, while in Malawi, it was established that denying a young survivor of sexual violence access to pregnancy termination & information violated their rights."

On the sidelines of the 47th @acerwc Session, we hosted a side event bringing together legal experts, Committee members, civil society organizations and advocates to discuss access to reproductive health services for adolescent girls in Africa, with a focus on law, accountability and practice. Conversations revolved around strategic litigation, regional accountability mechanisms, the gap between policy and practice and the barriers driving girls away from safe care. Here is what our panelists had to say. 👇 #AfricaFit4Children #Agenda2040 #AdolescentSRHR #ReproductiveRights

The 47th Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child @acerwc was officially opened and the Center for Reproductive Rights and it's partners from Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya were in the room. Alongside member states, civil society organizations and children's representatives from across the continent, we are here to advance children's rights and push for meaningful progress on the issues that matter most — from harmful traditional practices and gender inequality, to systemic barriers to education, healthcare, and reproductive health services for adolescent girls. The work of the Committee is critical in making legal decisions, reviewing state compliance and setting the normative standards that shape laws and policies across Africa . We continue to push to ensure that adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights are central to that agenda. #AfricaFit4Children #Agenda2040 #AdolescentSRHR #ReproductiveRights

It's been a week of engagements at the #IMFMeetings #WBGMeetings pushing for universal social protection as opposed to poverty targeting; impact of debt on education, health & social protection; and universal access to quality & inclusive pre primary education.

Happening today at #ACERWC47-join the conversation on access, accountability, and real change.

We are pleased to invite you to an insightful webinar jointly hosted by the @ealawsociety, in collaboration with the @IAFL_FamLaw and Center for Reproductive Rights. Join leading experts as they explore timely and critical issues shaping family law and reproductive health in the region. Topic: Surrogacy and Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Africa: Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Perspectives for Lawyers 🗓️Date: 23rd April 2026 ⏲️Time: 2:00 – 4:00 PM (EAT) 🔗 Register here: bit.ly/EALS-SART-Webi… This session will unpack the evolving legal landscape, ethical considerations, and regulatory frameworks surrounding assisted reproductive technologies and surrogacy in Africa—offering valuable perspectives for legal practitioners and stakeholders. We look forward to your participation.

On the margins of the 47th Session of ACERWC, we’re convening a critical conversation on access to reproductive health services for adolescent girls in Africa—through the lens of law, accountability, and practice. Bringing together legal experts, advocates, and policymakers, this dialogue will unpack what it takes to turn commitments into real access and outcomes for girls across the continent. 📍 Avani Lesotho Hotel 🗓 17 April 2026 ⏰ 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM SAST Join us as we push for accountability that delivers.

Join us on the sidelines of the CSO Forum, alongside the 47th Session of ACERWC, as we unpack what this looks like in practice: keeping pregnant and parenting learners in school through youth-led accountability and partnerships that work. 📍 Maseru, Lesotho 🗓 April 14, 2026 ⏰ 11:20 – 12:00 SAST

Issue One of our 2026 Quarterly Newsletter is here. Inside—key legal wins, Advocacy milestones, moments that shaped our work, and the partnerships driving progress across Africa. It’s a reflection of what it takes to keep pushing for access to justice and healthcare for women and girls, together. Take a moment to read, reflect, and stay connected to the work. Read more: drive.google.com/file/d/1b3v47W…

A young mother in Uganda was detained after childbirth and separated from her baby because they could not pay their medical bills. In 2025, the Center for Reproductive Rights and ISER Uganda joined the case as Amicus Curiae (friend of the court), presenting Uganda’s domestic and international obligations to end patient detention and the government’s responsibility to regulate private hospitals that engage in this practice. Every woman deserves access to maternal healthcare that is available, accessible, acceptable and of high quality, regardless of her ability to pay. Read joint statement: reproductiverights.org/news/joint-sta… #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice

Highlights from our panel yesterday at #IMNHC2026: Advancing maternal health requires coordinated action, from policy and budgeting to strengthening health systems and ensuring respectful care.

Systemic injustice isn’t a glitch, it’s the system working against the most vulnerable. From a hospital bed to a jail cell for over a month because of accessing a service protected by the Constitution. The PAK & Salim Mohammed case exposes how women and healthcare providers continue to be criminalized instead of protected. The High Court decision was clear, abortion is a fundamental right under the 2010 Constitution of Kenya. #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice

The 2022 ruling was a breakthrough against a system that too often criminalizes reproductive care and penalizes the vulnerable. Tomorrow, March 27, 2026, the Malindi Court of Appeal will decide if this landmark protection stands. #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice

A defining moment for rights and justice. Tomorrow, the Malindi Court of Appeal rules on whether abortion care is a fundamental constitutional right in Kenya. #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice

Today, we are engaging with partners and government stakeholders in a two day convening led by the @EduMinKenya, alongside our SHE SOARS project partners @Zamara_fdn, @NigeeKenya, @superb_cbo , @CAREinKenya and @HOPEworldwide , and in collaboration with other partners committed to driving real change, to establish a Technical Working Group on adolescent health, teenage pregnancy monitoring, and school re entry. This TWG is critical in strengthening coordination, shaping policy implementation, and ensuring that girls who have been pushed out of school are supported to return, stay, and thrive. It will also play a key role in improving data systems, strengthening referral pathways, and advancing collaborative solutions across sectors. Through the SHE SOARS project, we aim to deliver inclusive and holistic Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, life skills, and financial literacy programming for out of school adolescent girls and boys across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. Because every girl deserves a second chance and a future full of possibility

Yesterday, we participated in the International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference 2026 in Nairobi, contributing to critical conversations shaping the future of maternal and newborn health. We co-hosted a panel alongside @FP2030Global @GlobalFundWomen titled “Maternal and Newborn Health at a Turning Point.” @Salima_SN , VP Africa joined the panel and highlighted the impact of anti-rights agendas on health systems, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen equitable, rights-based access to care. #imnhc2026

At #CSW70 in New York, our contribution to Innovating Justice Systems: Expanding Pathways for Women and Girls underscored a critical truth: Women and girls are not seeking justice in theory, they are demanding meaningful, accessible accountability beyond the courtroom. Drawing from cases such as AC Minor, Josephine Majani, Violet Zulu, JMM, and ACERWC, we highlighted the structural barriers that continue to limit access to justice for SRHR violations, and the urgent need to center women and girls as agents, not passive recipients, in justice processes. Because equitable justice must be inclusive, participatory, and responsive to all.

In building our partnership with the Lancet Commission, yesterday we met with the Lancet Commissioners who are in Nairobi for the International Maternal Newborn Health conference that begins today the 23rd-26th March at the Edge Conference Center. The Center will be represented at the conference in two panels.

#CSW70 Side Event "SRHR is not a favor, it is a right for all." Diene Keita @unfpachief, Executive Director @UNFPA, during her opening remarks, commended #Rwanda for passing laws that strengthen legal protections for women and girls to access sexual and reproductive health and rights. #CSW70 #WomensRights #ReproductiveRights @ValNjogu