Advancing Reproductive Health in Kenya. A Human Rights Perspective.

ABSTRACT

Sexual and reproductive health are among the most sensitive and controversial issues in international human rights law, but they are also among the most important. Reproductive health cannot be separated from the right to life. When reproductive health rights are violated, lives are lost. Women, youths and the children, mostly bare the brunt of ill reproductive health. In Kenya for instance many women still lose their lives due to reproductive health complications. The still births, maternal and infant mortality rates are still unacceptably high. The state has also relaxed on its duty to actually fulfill, protect and respect the reproductive rights of the people. There is no proper legislation that provides for a clear roadmap on how to handle reproductive health cases. Reproductive health has now been widely accepted as part of human right. It is therefore imperative that all the doctrines applicable to all other human rights be applied to the reproductive health accordingly. The reproductive health rights need not to be pegged to other factors such as religious and cultural relativism most of which are harmful.  Rights need to be guaranteed, regardless of the feelings by other interested parties. This research therefore attempts to explore the applicability of the human rights law to reproductive health

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TABLE OF CONTENTS.

DECLARATION .................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL: ....................................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION ................................................................................................... iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. iv

LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................... vi

LIST OF CASES ............................................................................................. vii

LIST OF LEGISLATION .............................................................................. viii

ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ xii

CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................. !

1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION .............................................................. !

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ........................................................ 3

1.3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .......................................................... 6

1.3.1 Historical background of reproductive health and rights in

Kenya ................................................................................................................... 6

1.4 Status Review ........................................................................................ 7

1.5 JUSTIFICATION FOR RESEARCH .................................................... 9

1.6 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ................................................................ 10

1.6.1 Short term objective ..................................................................... 10

1.6.2 Specific Objectives ............................................................................ 10

1.6.3 Overall Objectives .............................................................................. !!

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1.6.4 Objectives of the Study .................................................................... ! I

1.6.5 General Objective ................................................................................ ll

1. 7 HYPOTHESES ........................................................................................ !!

1.8 Research Questions .......................................................................... 12

1.9 Scope of the Study ................................................................................ l2

1.10 Limitations of the study .................................................................... 13

1.10.1 How these problems were solved ................................................ 13

CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................... l5

LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................. 15

2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................... l5

2.2 Reproductive Health: The Rights Perspective ............................... 16

2.3 Reproductive health rights and termination of pregnancy ....... !?

2.4 Reproductive Health Rights for the children and adolescent..19

2.5 Safe Motherhood as a Right.. .............................................................. l9

2.6 Access to contraceptives and family planning as a right.. ........ 20

2.7 Introduction ............................................................................................ 21

2.8 Research Design ..................................................................................... 21

2.9 Population Size Area ............................................................................. 21

2.10 Sampling and Sampling technique ................................................ 22

2 .1 0.1 Sampling procedure ........................................................................ 22

2.11 Methods of Data Collection ............................................................... 23

2.11.1 Instruments of Data Collection ................................................... 23

2.11.2 Sources ofData ................................................................................. 25

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2.12 Data Processing .................................................................................... 25

2.13 Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 26

CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................... 27

FINDINGS DATA PRESENTATION, DISCUSSIONS AND ANALYSIS

............................................................................................................................ .27

3.0 Introduction ......................................................................................... 27

3.1 Profile of the respondents .................................................................... 27

3 .1.1. Gender of the respondents ............................................................. 27

3.1.2 Age Group of the Respondents ....................................................... 28

3.1.3 Level of Education of the Respondents ....................................... 29

3.1.4 Marital Status ..................................................................................... .30

3.2 FINDINGS ................................................................................................. 32

3.2.1 Other findings of the research ....................................................... 35

CHAPTER 4 ...................................................................................................... 38

4.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................. .38

4.1 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................... 38

4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................... 40

4.2.1 To the government ............................................................................. .40

4.2.2 To the public and private healthcare facilities ......................... .41

4.2.3 To the association of health care professionals ........................ .41

4.2.4 To all the non-state actors .............................................................. .42

APPENDIX (A) ................................................................................................. .43

QUESTIONNAIRES TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ..................... 43

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APPENDIX (B) ................................................................................................. .47

INTERVIEW GUIDE TO THE COMMUNITY LEADERS/ELDERS .. .47

APPENDIX (C) .................................................................................................. 49

INTERVIEW GUIDE TO THE DISTRICT OFFICIALS ......................... .49

BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 51