Sexual and Reproductive Rights

SALC’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights programme has the following objectives:

  • To ensure a human rights approach in management of teenage/adolescent and learner pregnancy
  • To challenge the practice of child and forced marriage
  • To ensure accountability for health care violations relating to sexual and reproductive health rights
  • To promote recognition and respect for sexual and reproductive health rights
  • To challenge laws and practices that violate sexual and reproductive health rights
  • To ensure accountability for and eradication of gender-based violence.

On-going cases:

Malawi: Challenge to the arrest and removal from school of pregnant learners
Botswana: Challenging prescription in medical negligence claim 
Eswatini (Swaziland): Challenging laws allowing child marriage

 

 

Precedent cases:

Zimbabwe: Case strengthening women’s access to reproductive health services.
Namibia: Challenging coerced sterilisation of women living with HIV.
Malawi: Advancing the best interests of the child in sentencing of caregivers.
Malawi: Challenging the criminalisation of breastfeeding by women living with HIV.
Lesotho: Challenge to unfair dismissal as a result of pregnancy in the Lesotho Defence Force.

 

15 Jun 2018 Staff Writer
Botswana: Challenging prescription in medical negligence claim...

In January 2017, SALC supported the filing of an appeal against a High Court decision dismissing a claim for medical negligence on the grounds that too much time had elapsed between the time of the injury and when the case…

Read More
15 Jun 2018 Tambudzai Gonese
Eswatini (Swaziland): Challenging laws allowing child marriage...

In February 2017,SALC supported WLSA in Eswatini to  file a case challenging laws that allow child marriage. The challenge is to sections of the Marriage Act and customary law that allow a girl who is under 18 years to contract…

Read More
23 May 2018 Tashwill Esterhuizen
Botswana: Challenging Criminalisation of Same-sex Sexual Relationships...

In September 2016, a gay man, filed an application challenging the constitutionality of sections 164(a), 164(c) and 165 of the Botswana Penal Code. These provisions criminalise same-sex sexual acts between consenting persons. The man seeks an order that the continued…

Read More
10 Apr 2018 Staff Writer
Challenge to unfair dismissal as a result of pregnancy in the Lesotho Defence Fo...

SALC provided support to Advocate Monaheng Rasokoai and FIDA-Lesotho in the case of Mokhele and Others v Commander, Lesotho Defence Force and Others. The applicants were 3 female soldiers who were discharged from the Lesotho Defence Forces on the grounds…

Read More
07 Mar 2018 Staff Writer
Celebrating Milestones on International Women’s Day 2018...

The United Nations theme for International Women’s Day for 2018 is “Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives “. This year’s theme provides us with an opportunity to reflect and take stock of the achievements that have…

Read More
15 Feb 2018 Staff Writer
News release: Lesotho High Court Recognises the Sexual and Reproductive Rights o...

On 14 February 2018, the Lesotho High Court handed down judgment in a landmark case on women’s rights. The judgment of Sakoane J (as part of a 3 panel bench) in the case of Private Lekhetso Mokhele and Others v…

Read More