Introduction

Bodily autonomy refers to a woman’s ability to make decisions about her body and her future by extension. It is one of the most basic sexual and reproductive rights recognized for women. This is indeed the basis of gender equality. But this right is struggling to be respected in many corners of the world.

Women’s rights awareness in the world

The world reached the 8 billion mark in November 2022. However, all the questions turn to women’s rights status, particularly rights related to bodily independence. The report on the state of the world population revealed that women’s bodily autonomy has so far been latent but progress is still being made. In reality, this situation is explained by the fact that despite efforts, not all women are in control of their bodies, and even less so those who are in a relationship. At the end of a survey carried out in 68 countries around the world for this report, it appears that 44% of women in relationships do not have bodily autonomy.

The case of Togo

A country located in West Africa, Togo has a 0.9 million share of the 8 billion inhabitants of the planet. And it is not exempt from the situation that prevails regarding women’s sexual and reproductive rights. In reality, women occupy a rate equal to 51.3% of the population, out of several 8,095,498 Togolese counted during the last population and housing census RGPH-5, i.e. 4,150,988 for 3,944,510 men. Even if they occupy a slightly higher number than men, they remain faced with challenges linked to their empowerment. In her speech on World Population Day, the country manager of UNFPA-Togo communicated that there are still challenges to be met in terms of sexual and reproductive health. She noted in particular that Togo recorded:

•     401 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014
•     An unmet need of one in three women for family planning
•     An increase in unmet need for family planning among women and adolescent girls.
•     Early marriages
•     A high rate of teenage pregnancies (more than 3,000 pregnancies in schools)
•     Gender-based violence (one on the subject reveals that one in three women have been victims of physical or sexual violence since the age of 15).

Contraception: a means of allowing women to exercise their rights

There are several types of contraceptive methods. They allow women to better manage their bodies by deciding when to become pregnant. Among these methods we can cite:

Condoms

These are latex packages, which do not allow semen, blood, and even less penile and vaginal discharge to pass through. They adapt to the penis of men. Objective: to avoid sexually transmitted diseases or fertilization.

The Breastfeeding and Amenorrhea Method (LAM): 

Defined as the method of breastfeeding and amenorrhea, LAM is a short-term method of contraception most often used by breastfeeding women. To be eligible, the woman must not have returned from childbirth, she must fully or partially breastfeed her child under six months old.

Female sterilization:

This method is irreversible. During an operation, the woman decides to have her tubes ligated to “prevent the meeting between eggs and sperm at the level of the fallopian tubes” according to an article on the specialized site allocators.

The intrauterine device (IUD):

IUD stands for Intra Uterine Device. It is a contraceptive with a copper wire. It is generally “T”-shaped  and inserted into the woman’s uterus by health professionals. It serves to immobilize sperm and slow down the movement of sperm in the uterus.

The use of contraception and/or contraceptives has benefits for women, men, and society.

•     For women

In 2022, according to Family Planning Horizon 2030 indicators, 49,000 women aged 15 to 45 in Togo used a modern method of contraception. This increase from 26,000 in 2012 helped prevent 61,000 unsafe abortions, 18,000 unplanned pregnancies, and 490 maternal deaths. The figures confirm beliefs that contraception is more than important for women because it allows the direct reduction of infant and maternal mortality. By allowing women to have access to these different methods of contraception, the world is moving more and more towards increasing the number of women.

•       For men and society

In a more egalitarian society in which women and men enjoy the same rights, women would be more willing to be autonomous and free, therefore de facto fulfilled. In reality, an egalitarian and just society allows them to better concentrate on their professional careers and to make sexual choices not only about society and men but especially about their visions of life. Furthermore, in the era of modern societies in which men opt for shared households (50/50), women could be more able to contribute to family expenses.

Conclusion

Considering all of the above, we believe that the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls must be more respected so that they can truly enjoy their lives. No one should be an obstacle to achieving this goal. If this occurs, defense authorities should respond as best they can in their defense.