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Finding Common Ground in the Struggle to End Unsafe Abortion:
The Camerounian Committee for Reflection on Abortion
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| Esther Endalé (left), co-founder of CCRA, speaks to women outside a Women's Center operated by her organization, ALVF, in Maroua, Cameroun. |
The Camerounian Committee for Reflection on Abortion (CCRA) is a voluntary group of doctors, lawyers, NGO members, pharmacists, feminist activists, civil servants, and religious leaders, united by their commitment to address the public health crisis of abortion in Cameroun. Although abortion is legal in Cameroun in cases of rape or to preserve the life or health of the woman, women rarely have access to safe, quality services even as allowed by law. Hampered by harsh administrative restrictions and a weak public health system, most abortions are performed under illegal, unsafe conditions and result in frequent complications and high mortality rates. Representing a broad spectrum of professional affiliations and political perspectives, CCRA hopes to build consensus around the need for legal reform and improved access to safe, quality abortion services and post-abortion care.
IWHC has supported the Committee’s development from its earliest stages. In 1999 and 2000, we helped arrange two informal exchanges between the founders of CCRA and members of the Campaign Against Unwanted Pregnancy (CAUP), a group working to expand access to safe abortion in Nigeria, where women face even more severe legal restrictions and higher maternal mortality rates. Building on the momentum generated from this exchange of ideas and experiences, in December 2002, CCRA, with IWHC support, collaborated with the Women’s Health Project (WHP) of South Africa on a workshop to refine its mission and develop a strategic action plan. Benefiting from the expertise of WHP—one of the leading African groups on reproductive rights—CCRA is now poised to advocate for change at the national level, and is contributing to regional work on unsafe abortion, especially in French-speaking West Africa.
IWHC is currently supporting CCRA’s efforts to document the gap between legal and administrative guidelines and common abortion practices through a review of data from hospitals, medical schools, tribunal registries, international agencies, NGOs, and research institutions. We are also supporting its work to design community-level focus groups to measure public perceptions on abortion and the law in order to build a strong foundation for effective advocacy.
Read more about IWHC's colleagues in Cameroun>>
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