Left without a choice: Barriers to reproductive health in Indonesia

Amnesty International, 2010, 73 p.

Women and girls face multiple barriers in fulfilling their sexual and reproductive rights in indonesia – barriers which are rooted in gender discrimination. A range of laws, policies and practices are discriminatory and reinforce gender stereotyping. Unmarried women and girls are denied full access to reproductive health services, while those who are married must seek their husband’s consent to access some of these services. Such restrictions expose women and girls to unwanted pregnancies and other health risks.
These laws, policies and practices restrict women and girls from making decisions freely about their lives. And they can leave women and girls from poor and marginalized communities at an even greater disadvantage. Such barriers violate indonesia’s international human rights obligations to protect women and girls from discrimination. They also block the realization of the right to health, in particular sexual, reproductive and maternal health.

The indonesian government has pledged to uphold the un millennium development goals. But if it is going to reduce gender inequality and improve maternal health in the country, then it must ensure that women and girls can enjoy their sexual and reproductive rights free from coercion, discrimination and the threat of criminalization.