Sexual and reproductive health and rights for all in Southeast Asia: more than SDGs aspirations

Abstract

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the proclaimed vision of leaving no one behind are lauded for their transformative potential in redressing inequalities. Yet, too few are interrogations of the root causes and underpinning structures that keep uneven development in place. This paper reflects on this omission in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) drawing on over three decades of professional experience in advancing SRHR enriched by literature sources. Engaging with the theme of the 9th Asia-Pacific Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Conference–Leave NO ONE Behind! Justice in Sexual and Reproductive Health, it asks what it would take to realise the pledge of universal access to SRH services and rights. With a focus on Southeast Asia, the paper offers an account of context-specific drivers of disparity and exclusion that preclude the attainment of comprehensive SRHR for all, and especially for stigmatised and marginalised groups. It then discusses the paradigm shift that needs to occur if the ideals of inclusiveness and equity as promised by the SDGs are to be attained in and through SRHR.