The EU Mutual Learning Programme in Gender Equality - Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Seminar - France - 29-30 November 2022

On 29-30 November 2022, France and Belgium co-hosted a seminar on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Eleven other Member States participated, as well as representatives of the European Commission and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).  The French Minister of Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, Isabelle Lonvis-Rome and the Belgian Secretary of State of Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, Sarah Schlitz, opened the seminar with powerful speeches about the importance of SRHR and the high priority of this topic in the agendas of the French and Belgian governments. Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality sent a video message.

The French government presented the National Sexual Health Strategy 2017-2030, which is a transversal commitment across ministries and stakeholders to implement a comprehensive rights-based action plan to promote SRHR, including the access to appropriate contraception, actions to reduce unwanted pregnancies and address discrimination and sexual violence. To achieve these goals, from 2022, the government has made contraception free for all women under 25 years, provides free HIV testing without prescriptions and has improved access to abortion. To support this work, the EVARS (Emotional, Relational and Sexual Life) centres provide information and guidance focused on counselling concerning affective, relational, family and sexual life in a non-medical setting to the general public, particularly to young people. There are 150 EVARS centres across France. The work is complemented by a free helpline to victims of violence via telephone service and a website. A new methodology to estimate more precisely the prevalence of survivors of female genital mutilation living in France was also showcased during the second day of the seminar.

In Belgium, the government has progressively adopted measures to increase access to contraception by reducing costs for the users. Since 2020, most contraception is free for young people, both men and women, up to the age of 25 and for low-income and vulnerable persons. These provisions are inclusive of trans and non-binary people. Emergency contraception is basically free for everyone independent of age and gender. These measures are complemented by various awareness-raising measures implemented at regional level and supported by a wide range of on-line information services, some of which are available in multiple languages. Belgium also has a Government framework for sexuality education. Mandatory classes for sexuality education are implemented both in French-speaking and Flemish-speaking regions. Participants shared good practices and challenges from their own country on availability, access to, and costs of, contraception. Many noted that contraception is still mainly a woman’s responsibility although there are some recent initiatives directed at men. There was also discussion on outreach work with vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, refugees and migrants. Participants shared information about initiatives at national and local level to promote sexuality education. It was agreed that teacher training was vitally important to ensure quality and sustainability, as well as the need to start sexuality education at an early age. Two factors were found as key to effectiveness: a participatory approach to involving target groups (youth) in developing interventions; and the vital role of ICT where information on SRHR should be evidence-based, accurate and user-friendly.  The importance of action at EU level to provide a structured way forward was emphasised as well as the need for continued cooperation to strengthen SRHR as integral to the advancement of gender equality.