Ipas partners and stakeholders met earlier this year in Abuja in an effort to combat unsafe abortion in Nigeria.

The consequences of unsafe abortion continue to plague Nigeria, which has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world. Ipas partners and stakeholders met earlier this year in Abuja in an effort to combat this problem, and to address women’s sexual and reproductive health needs.

The meeting, deemed highly successful by organizers and participants, aimed to review the current status of women’s reproductive health and rights in Nigeria while creating alliances and strengthening partnerships, relationships that are imperative in the effort to reduce maternal mortality, achieve quality reproductive health and provide a forum to examine the current abortion law.

Ejike Oji, country director at Ipas Nigeria, said the success of the meeting was due to the passion and enthusiasm of those in attendance.

“In so many years of organizing and participating in meetings of this nature, I have never seen so much commitment, energy, sense of purpose and determination to complete the tasks set out for the meeting and making sure that the set objectives were met.

The 72 participants from the public and private sector were addressed by a panel of health experts and scholars on the major challenges facing sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria, including women’s rights, violence against women and girls, unsafe abortion and media relations. Attendees were then organized into various working groups to discuss the most effective ways to make further improvement in those areas.

Under the theme, “Reviewing the current status and promoting Women’s Reproductive Health and Rights in Nigeria,” organizers worked to bring all stakeholders to the same level of understanding about reproductive health issues in the country. They also attempted to identify new partner organizations that would most effectively organize and transmit public opinion about abortion law reform and improving women’s rights.

Other priorities for the meeting included coordinating stakeholders to lobby and educate policy makers on the need for reform of the abortion law; discussing how to collaborate with the media more effectively to ensure public awareness of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the need for review and reform of the abortion law.

Of particular note was the unprecedented strength of female participation from a diverse range of organizations. Typically men are the most active participants in meetings of this kind; women, particularly in more conservative northern Nigeria, are discouraged from participating in public meetings by their husbands, regardless of their professional standing.  With their participation, however, groups were able to actively discuss these issues in a larger and more cooperative context.

“Women stayed up until 9:30 pm for a meeting that was supposed to end by 5:30 pm, saying ‘we are here for what concerns us and we must complete the task and have our next steps,’” Oji said. “Because of the preponderance of women in this particular meeting, the agenda and outcomes of the proceedings were a true reflection of their commitment to reduce maternal mortality and promote women’s reproductive health and rights in Nigeria.”

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