‘Long way to go’ in sexual health services

Cyprus has a long way to go in offering adequate sexual and reproductive health services, gender equality commissioner Iosifina Antoniou said on Thursday, announcing a €20,000 campaign to raise awareness for women’s rights to these services.

“In our country we’ve taken some steps but not properly. We have a long way ahead of us to get to where we need to be.”

Nonetheless she heralded Cyprus’ change of abortion law, “giving women the right to decide for their bodies,” she said during a talk organised by the national mechanism for women’s rights.

The event marks the beginning of a €20,000 campaign aimed at informing women around their sexual and reproductive rights, funded by the national mechanism.

Women are more adversely affected by the absence of proper sexual and reproductive rights, while gender equality is a core reason why these rights have not been properly enshrined, she added.

To this end, mandatory sex education can help children and teenagers in every stage of their life, helping to fight gender stereotypes and gender-based violence, Antoniou said.

“Sexual and reproductive health and the respective rights affect every person in every stage of their life, making this a matter that never ceases to affect men and women.”