3rd National Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

CALL FOR PAPERS

3rd National Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Conference Date:  07 April 2021

Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 January 2021

Venue: Nabab Nawab Ali Choudhury Senate Building, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh

Organised by: Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation 

Introduction

The Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation welcome you to attend the ‘3rd National Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)’ scheduled on 07 April 2021, at the University of Dhaka. The First and Second SRHR Conference in 2018 and 2019 attracted a wide diversity of stakeholders from academia and industry. These conferences led to a vigorous exchange of ideas and discussion involving SRHR issues crucial to the Ready-made Garments (RMG) workforce of Bangladesh. The conference will bring together government officials/policymakers, academicians, activists, researchers, garment factories, the private sector, NGOs, and development agencies to discuss problems and solutions impacting the lives, particularly women and their ability to exercise and access SRHR. The conference will give a specific focus on the workplace, including the RMG industries in Bangladesh. 

With the funding support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, SNV in Bangladesh is implementing the Working with Women-II project to improve the health and well-being of garment workers in Bangladesh through Inclusive Business practices by supporting the better implementation of workplace policies on SRHR and health and taking initiatives to ensure the right mechanisms.

About the conference

In Bangladesh, the lack of fulfillment, protection, and promotion of healthcare and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is a significant factor that undermines human development and is particularly evident through health, social, political, and other development indicators. The issue of SRHR at the workplace is too often side-lined from key policy debates, though the quality of access to SRHR has a significant impact on workers' productivity and general health and well-being, especially in the low-income settings and the profit-driven market dynamics.

In these contexts, the booming garment industry in Bangladesh has become a critical location for looking behind the numbers and assess the extent to which the SRHR needs are addressed and recognised. The RMG industry is the mainstay of the Bangladesh economy, accounting for 81% of its total export. Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment producer with more than 4,700 factories, employing above 4 million workers, of which 65% are women. Most RMG workers are migrants from rural areas, face multiple barriers to receiving adequate healthcare and services related to SRHR. In recent years, the quickly changing workplace trends have influenced SRHR discourse, access to rights, funding, services, and lived experiences. The ‘3rd National Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR)’ will highlight the different forms of interventions, explore interactions, trace the pathways for change, and look at the short, intermediate, and long-term solutions which address the sexual and reproductive health needs and rights as a whole with a particular emphasis at the workplace.

Conference Sub-Themes

• Rights-based Approach to SRHR: Key importance and value creation through embedding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at all levels.
• Better Information and Greater Freedom of Choice for SRHR: Proper sexuality education and nutrition support. Breaking the taboo around SRHR and greater respect for young people's sexual and reproductive rights are currently denied.
• Engaging Men: Male participation/contribution to promoting SRHR.
• Family Planning and Unmet Need: Making family planning services and products accessible and affordable for garment workers: Challenges and opportunities.
• Maternal and Child Health Care: (a) Better sexual and reproductive health care during pregnancy and childbirth (b) Looking at the ground realities: institutional delivery scenario among the low-income urban population.
• SRHR Laws and Policy Implementation: Implementation of the laws and policies to fulfill the SRHR needs of RMG workers.
• Investing in Workers’ Health to Contribute to a Healthy Industry: Efficient investment in workers’ health will improve the productivity and sustainability of the factory.
• HIV/AIDS and STI/RTI: (a) Assessing the threats to society, productivity & business in Bangladesh’s booming garment community, (b) Awareness building and syndromic approach to prevent it.
• Gender-Based Violence: (a) Socio-economic impact of gender-based violence (at the workplace), (b) Initiatives for reducing gender-based violence and related Government directives.
• Mental Health and SRHR: Strengthening linkages between SRHR and mental health
• Impact of COVID-19 at Workplace in relation to SRHR

Abstract Submission

• Volume: Maximum 450 words in English ready for printing MS Word for Windows format (.doc/.docx) with a short biography of 200 words;
• Font: Times New Roman; font size - 12 pt, single spacing;
• Paper size: A4;
• Margins: left and right – 20 mm, top and bottom - 25 mm;
• Title: in bold type, capital letters, Times New Roman, font size - 16 pt;
• Name of authors: font size - 14 pt

We also encourage submissions from young researchers involved in the relevant fields.

Submit Abstract via E-Mail: srhr2021@du.ac.bd

Mode of Presentation
Abstracts can be presented both as oral and poster. However, the decision regarding the status of the submitted abstract, whether to be presented as oral or poster, will be given by the Scientific Committee based on the quality of the abstract.  

Important Dates 
Deadline for Submission of Abstract: 31 January 2021 
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 15 February 2021 
Deadline for Submission of Final Presentation: 15 March 2021 

Contact 
Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka Arts Building (3rd Floor) 
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh 
Tel (Office): +88-02-9661900/6721, +88-02-9612209

Further information: http://www.dpsdu.edu.bd/index.php/en/

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