The commentary describes the increasing interest from research and communication practitioners, policy makers and funders in expanding the impact of research on policy and practice. It notes the need for contextually embedded understanding of ways to engage multiple stakeholders in the politicized, sensitive and often contested arenas of sexual and reproductive health. The commentary then introduces the papers under their respective themes: (1) The theory and practice of research engagement (two global papers); (2) Applying policy analysis to explore the role of research evidence in SRH and HIV/AIDS policy (two papers with examples from Ghana, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia); (3)…
Depictions of sexuality are beamed into our homes through satellite TV, pored over in internet cafes, catapulted around social and technological networks, stitched into the material of women’s attire, whispered in children’s bedtime tales, captured and disseminated in epidemiological data and crooned over the airwaves. But despite its ubiquity, international development has failed to afford sexuality the prominence that it should.
What does sexuality have to do with women’s empowerment? Research from the Pathways of Women’s Empowerment RPC shows that sexuality affects women’s political and economic empowerment in a number of important ways. For example, in the ways that women experience seeking election to political office, how women are treated and respected (or disrespected) in the workplace and in public, and how families and communities place expectations on how women should behave. Being exposed to sexual harassment and sexual violence and not being able to exercise choice in their sexual relationships affects women’s wellbeing and ultimately undermines political, social and economic…
From the 21–23 June 2006, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance) and Reproductive Health Matters (RHM) hosted an international meeting in London to bring together a range of experts from academia, civil society, multilateral organisations and government. The purpose of this meeting was to facilitate dialogue between participants from different disciplines and geographical areas to explore successful methods of promoting condom use and barriers to condom promotion.