Necessary but not sufficient: a scoping review of legal accountability for sexual and reproductive health in low-income and middle-income countries

Women's health and rights in the twenty-first century

In the twenty-first century, the complex relationship between women's health and rights has been influenced by a range of interconnected challenges, including gender inequity, reproductive health disparities, maternal mortality and morbidity, and women's inability to access life-saving, high-quality healthcare services including family planning. Going forward, the world needs to find ways to implement the unfinished agenda of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) 1994 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus prioritizing health and rights for women and girls as essential not only to their survival but also to their progress, agency and empowerment. It is also important to consider the interconnection between women's health and rights and climate change, with its disproportionate impact on the well-being of girls and women, and to address the impact and opportunities afforded by digital technologies. By embracing a holistic approach, societies might be able to advance the cause of women's health and rights in a more inclusive and sustainable manner.

A review and analysis of accountability in global health funding, research collaborations and training: towards conceptual clarity and better practice

INTRODUCTION

Accountability is a complex idea to unpack and involves different processes in global health practice. Calls for accountability in global health would be better translated to action through a better understanding of the concept and practice of accountability in global health. We sought to analyse accountability processes in practice in global health funding, research collaborations and training.

METHODS

This study is a literature review that systematically searched PubMed and Scopus for articles on formal accountability processes in global health. We charted information on processes based on accountability lines ('who is accountable to whom') and the outcomes the processes were intended for ('accountability for what'). We visualised the representation of accountability in the articles by mapping the processes according to their intended outcomes and the levels where processes were implemented.

RESULTS

We included 53 articles representing a wide range of contexts and identified 19 specific accountability processes for various outcomes in global health funding, research collaborations and training. Target setting and monitoring were the most common accountability processes. Other processes included interinstitutional networks for peer checking, litigation strategies to enforce health-related rights, special bodies that bring actors to account for commitments, self-accountability through internal organisational processes and multipolar accountability involving different types of institutional actors. Our mapping identified gaps at the institutional, interinstitutional and broader system levels where accountability processes could be enhanced.

CONCLUSION

To rebalance power in global health, our review has shown that analysing information on existing accountability processes regarding 'who is accountable to whom' and 'accountability for what' would be useful to characterise existing lines of accountability and create lines where there are gaps. However, we also suggest that institutional and systems processes for accountability must be accompanied by political engagement to mobilise collective action and create conditions where a culture of accountability thrives in global health.

Legal abortion in childhood: the official discourse and the reality of a Brazilian case

OBJECTIVE

to identify the ideological perspectives of official discourses in relation to sexual violence, childhood pregnancy and access to legal abortion based on a Brazilian case.

METHODS

a qualitative documentary study. Data collection was carried out in documents published on official Brazilian websites, between August and December 2020. The analytical categories of gender and generation supported data analysis.

RESULTS

a total of 39 documents were selected and three empirical categories were identified: Protection against violence in the legislation and the (re)production of injuries in reality; Facing sexual violence against children by the Brazilian State; Being a Brazilian girl: gender and generational oppressions.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

the ideological perspectives of official discourses in relation to the case showed a lack of compliance with advances in Brazilian legislation on issues related to child violence and adult-centric authoritarianism, with the imposition of gender and generation subalternity.

Organized Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening: Attendance and Determinants in Rural China

To evaluate the attendance and determinants of organized cervical and breast cancer (two-cancer) screening, especially higher-level factors, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in central China from June 2018 to November 2019 among 1949 women (age ≥ 35 years). We examined organizer-level factors, provider-level factors, receiver-lever factors and attendance and participation willingness of screening. The results indicate that the attendance and participation willingness of organized two-cancer screening was 61.19% and 77.15%, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, women who received screening notification were more likely to have greater participation willingness and higher attendance than those who received no notification (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27-1.99; aOR = 98.03, 95% CI: 51.44-186.82, respectively). Compared with being notified about screening by GPs, being notified by community women's leaders and other community leaders were more likely to lead to greater willingness to participate again (aOR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.13-7.24; aOR = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.26-8.48, respectively) and recommending screening to others (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.02-4.65; aOR = 4.14, 95% CI: 1.84-9.30, respectively). The results suggest that notification of women about screening by community leaders is an important organizer-level factor. As a part of public health services, the design and implementation of optimal cancer screening strategies may require public-sector involvement at the organizer level instead of a one-man show by the health sector.

Aborto legal na infância: o discurso oficial e a realidade de um caso brasileiro

RESUMO Objetivo: identificar as perspectivas ideológicas dos discursos oficiais em relação à violência sexual, à gravidez na infância e ao acesso ao aborto legal a partir de um caso brasileiro. Métodos: estudo documental qualitativo. A coleta de dados foi realizada em documentos publicados em sites oficiais brasileiros, entre agosto e dezembro de 2020. As categorias analíticas de gênero e geração deram suporte à análise dos dados. Resultados: foram selecionados 39 documentos e identificadas três categorias empíricas: A proteção contra a violência na legislação e a (re)produção dos agravos na realidade; O enfrentamento da violência sexual contra a criança pelo Estado brasileiro; Ser menina brasileira: opressões de gênero e geração. Considerações finais: as perspectivas ideológicas dos discursos oficiais em relação ao caso mostraram falta de adesão aos avanços na legislação brasileira nos temas relativos à violência infantil e autoritarismo adultocêntrico, com imposição de subalternidade de gênero e geração.