When sexual and reproductive rights are mentioned, activists often recall the hundreds of donor-funded projects that emerged in our region after the Cairo Conference on Population in 1994. These projects aimed to focus on reproductive rights, birth spacing, family planning, and contraception. The bolder feminist movements at the time fought against female genital mutilation, linking these rights primarily to health services, such as those for pregnant women and access to contraception. These efforts generally served liberal interests that viewed women through the lens of their reproductive roles without critically examining those roles, aligning with societal perceptions of acceptable roles for women.
These services were often provided amidst significant ignorance about the physiological and psychological realities of women’s bodies, operating within developmental agendas that viewed population control as a solution to poverty and hunger. As a result, the focus remained on the reproductive and health dimensions of these rights, while sexual rights remained a forbidden and taboo subject, confined to the private sphere and deemed unfit for public discussion.
Avoiding “controversial” issues that challenge societal norms and provoke confrontations with religious authorities and conservative communities became a hallmark of many feminist movements. These movements argued that society was not ready for such discussions and prioritized other issues like women’s political and economic participation, access to decision-making, education, or combating early marriage. However, experience has proven that sidestepping these issues does not yield progress.
Women’s participation in any field—whether politics, economics, or decision-making—will remain marginal unless women have full control over their bodies and unless their sexual and reproductive rights are fully recognized. Achieving this requires a transformation in individual and societal mindsets and a challenge to cultural norms that perpetuate women’s subordination by confining them to reproductive roles. It also necessitates dismantling stereotypes that reduce these rights to controlling birth rates rather than allowing women the freedom to determine what they want—including how they express their identities, choose their partners, or dress.
Sexual and reproductive rights are fundamental because they disrupt the colonial liberal separation between the private and public spheres. These rights liberate individuals and societies from entrenched roles and stereotypes. Therefore, they must be seen as the cornerstone of feminist struggles globally, and particularly in our region, based on the following principles:
- No freedom or rights for women without full control over their bodies and gender identities: Women who lack the right to bodily autonomy will always face limitations and glass ceilings, leaving their roles incomplete and constrained.
- No feminist achievements in other areas of rights and freedoms as long as women do not feel safe in their bodies or in private spaces relating to their sexual rights: While sexual and reproductive rights may appear individual, their collective impact is profound, driving societal changes in how women are perceived.
- Feminist movements that embrace diversity must celebrate it: Women have the right to determine their sexual identities and express them freely, without being confined to molds or assumptions.
- Sexual and reproductive rights act as safeguards against all forms of violence and discrimination: Recognizing these rights within feminist movements and society creates a safer environment for personal and political expression, ensuring that women’s bodies are not used as tools for control and domination.