Reclaiming Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Decoloniality

Author Name: Chea Engmey

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is firmly grounded in international treaties as fundamental rights. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, particularly articles 12 and 16, remains the key mechanism for protecting women's autonomy over their bodies and providing legal and ethical advocacy. However, assaults on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are occurring worldwide, threatening decades of progress. The current backlash indicates deeper and structural origins of reproductive control entrenched in colonial legacies such as restrictive abortion laws, gender-discriminatory health care policies, criminalisation of LGBTQIA+ individuals, and shrinking civic space for feminists and human rights defenders. Therefore, it is important to underline power as a dominator when unpacking decolonial approaches in SRHR.

Ramifications of Colonial Legacies in Neocolonial Power

What does it mean — understanding power as a denominator? It means asking complicated questions, such as who determines rules around sexuality and reproduction? Whose bodies are policed? Whose desires are ignored?

It critically analyses the concept of Michel Foucault’s concept of biopower. Biopower literally is having power over bodies; it is "an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugation of bodies and the control of populations". For instance, colonial powers have a history of the oversexualisation of indigenous women, gynecological, unethical experimentation, eugenics, forced sterilisation, population control, homophobia, and more, often in the name of population control or medical advancement. (1)

Despite ending formal colonialism, power asymmetries persist in contemporary forms, and neocolonial dynamics continue to exercise power over sexuality and reproduction. This history is implicated in today’s oppression, barriers to sexual and reproductive health service access, discrimination in service delivery, and funding mechanisms.

Embracing Decolonial Lens in SRHR International Cooperation

Aurde Lorde, a feminist scholar, stated, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle as we do not live single issue lives.” The root of decolonisation, therefore, lies in the process of reclaiming the power structures and cultures that were eroded or eradicated by colonialism. (2) Decolonisation is not simply a metaphor but a fundamental paradigm valuing local, Indigenous knowledge, and marginalised communities, ensuring the autonomy of their SRHR.

Adopting a decolonial lens is not only recognising individual right violations but also analysing the systematic reproductive oppression entrenched in systems of control. Hence, it requires dismantling patriarchy system and working toward genuine power sharing. Decoloniality means challenging binary systems and rethinking different ways of being. Diverse knowledge and cultures of people of colors, LGBTQIA+, feminists, and the Majority World movements are valued, resources are distributed equitably, ensuring all people can reach their full potential regardless of their positionality.

Decolonising foreign funding is also imperative. While grassroots NGOs and activists are frontline actors, most often colonial dynamics in funding still underestimate local contexts and knowledge. Philanthropy and INGOs shall go beyond tokenistic and performative of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies and practices. Concrete actions should be taken, for instance, recruiting people from the Majority world (3) into senior and decision-making roles, and giving them a genuine safe space where they can make decolonial, anti-racist, and feminist institutional changes.

In conclusion, regardless of what gender identity we are, who we love, where we live, or how much money we have, we all deserve to walk safely with our partner, to choose if and when to have children. Comprehensive sexual education should be taught to children. Upholding international cooperation on SRHR is essential to protect the fundamental human rights of all.

References and Other Sources

1. Decolonization in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Methods: Protocol for a Scoping Review - ScienceDirect. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1929074823001117#ref13

2. Decolonization in sexual and reproductive health research methsingle-issueds: a scoping review - PMC. Retrieved from:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11587638/#:~:text=Scoping%20review,%20Colonialism-,Background,institutions%20and%20epistemologies%20%5B6%5D.

3. ‘Majority World’ signifies all countries designated as developing and all demographics designated as Global South

4. Confronting backlash against women's rights, 193 nations commit to speed action on gender equality | AP News. Retrieved from: https://apnews.com/article/un-women-gender-equality-backlash-beijing-platform-2e4c0c31cb1e032b7dbd56c943d8bd0b

5. Feminisms in Movement - Theories and Practices from the Americas

   Biopower: Foucault and Beyond. Retrieved from: https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/a35e7537-ebc1-43f8-ad08-9c70ede168b7/9783839461020.pdf

6. Converging Constructions: A Historical Perspective on Sexuality and Feminism in Post-Colonial Africa on JSTOR. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/afrisocirevi.10.1.143

7. Explained: What is the US global gag rule? - MSI Reproductive Choices. Retrieved from: https://www.msichoices.org/latest/explained-the-us-global-gag-rule/

8. Decolonising Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights — Level the Playing Field in Development. Retrieved from: https://www.lpfdevelopment.org/community-contributions/decolonising-sexual-and-reproductive-health-rights

9. Missing in action: a scoping review of gender as the overlooked component in decolonial discourses. Retrieved from: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/4/e014235.full.pdf

10. The Majority World – what’s in a phrase? - Philanthropy Australia. Retrieved from: https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/the-majority-world-whats-in-a-phrase/

About the author: Chea Engmey (she/her) is a feminist and self-described of gender identity who has been obtained a degree in education, and her career professional is engaged in the gender equality, civic engagement and program management. Currently, she is working at Felm, promoting human dignity and justice around the world. She is also an alumni mentor for Young Southeast Asia Leader Initiatives (YESEALI) fellows in civic engagement cohort. Her work and passion are fueled in participatory approaches, learning and reflecting the social realities contributing to transformative mindset and sustainable gender equality.