Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda

This report by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the African Population and Health Research Center, and partners reveals that women and girls from low-income backgrounds in five African countries faced multiple barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. These barriers resulted in a spike of unintended pregnancies, increased sexual and gender-based violence, unsafe abortions and maternal and neonatal deaths. Additionally, members of the LGBTQI+ community and people with disabilities (PWDs) experienced increased challenges in accessing reproductive healthcare.

The study attributes poor reproductive health outcomes to government policies that failed to strike a balance between containing the spread of COVID-19 and addressing reproductive health needs and the priorities of women, girls, and members of the LGBTQI+ community.

Read the full report: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda