Unheard Voices: Women’s Experiences with Zika in Brazil

The goal of this report is threefold: firstly, it presents and evaluates the diverse impact that the Zika virus has had on the reproductive lives of women living in Brazil. Secondly, this report analyzes the response to the Zika epidemic through both a public health and human rights lens, ultimately finding that there was a disconnect between the global, national, and local policies addressing the crisis and the realities faced by women, their children, families, and caregivers. Finally, through the personal stories of women affected by Zika, the report underscores the gendered nature of the epidemic and the disproportionate effect the epidemic has had on girls and women in Brazil.