Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs written question – answered at on 14 October 2013.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to work with (a) the UN and (b) international partners to improve access to abortion services for women who have been raped.
Tackling violence against women and girls, including ensuring access to services and support for survivors of rape, is a central part of the UK's development policy There are many barriers to the provision of safe abortion services, including legal and policy restrictions and the political, religious and personal beliefs held by individuals and agencies. DFID's position is clear: we believe that access to safe abortion reduces recourse to unsafe abortion and thus saves women's and adolescent girls' lives. Girls and women must have the right to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being, and be able to choose whether, when and how many children to have. Our position is consistent with the benchmark Cairo Programme of Action, agreed at the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development.
We work with a range of partners including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), other bilateral donors and key implementing partners such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International to improve access to safe abortion, including post abortion family planning services, including for survivors of rape.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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