Civil Society Led Self-Care Initiatives in Asia and the Pacific: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted daily life and placed a strain on health services worldwide. While each country has faced the pandemic in its own way, government-imposed restrictions, such as restrictions in movement and increased policing, together with the increased burden on health facilities, have made it more difficult for many people to access sexual reproductive health (SRH) services. In Asia Pacific in 2020, 60% of women faced barriers to seeing a medical professional.1 The Lancet predicts that disruptions in quality prenatal care could result in up to 39% more women dying of pregnancy and childbirth-related issues every month.2 Rates of gender-based violence and violence against marginalized groups have also surged, increasing the need for SRH and response services for those affected. In this context, civil society (CS) has been stepping in to address this shortfall and ensure people’s SRH needs and rights are met.

 

Civil society organizations (CSOs) have been piloting self-care interventions in recent years, and the pandemic has brought these interventions to the fore. Self-care interventions provide an important alternative to facility-based or health worker-provided services. CS solutions have become increasingly important to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), and for governments to achieve commitments to Agenda 2030, the Political Declaration on UHC, and International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, amongst others.

 

Yet CSOs have also faced increased scrutiny and restrictions from national governments during the lockdowns. While the world is adapting to the new status quo, it is important to identify and document exemplary CS-led self-care initiatives to address sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including linkages with HIV. This provides the opportunity to share successes in the region, and to advocate towards global and national policy makers for increased accountability to users of health systems and the empowerment of marginalized communities to make decisions over their own bodies and health.

This advocacy toolkit explores good practices of CS-led SRHR self-care initiatives from
the Asia Pacific region in order to highlight the potential of self-care as a contributor to strong health systems. This brief seeks to:

 

This brief can be used by civil society, health care practitioners, researchers, and others as a shared agenda to promote and advocate for CS-led SRHR self-care initiatives. The results present opportunities for national, regional and international advocacy strategies related to Covid-19 and human rights fulfilments.