“IPAS closes sexual health campaign for displaced Bulengo, providing access to safe abortions and dignity kits”

The NGO IPAS closes a campaign to offer sexual reproductive health, including safe abortion, to displaced people in Bulengo, a camp located west of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The campaign aimed to promote safe abortions for displaced women victims of sexual violence, in accordance with the Maputo Protocol. It enabled 2,377 people to have access to reproductive health care, including 213 for safe abortions. Displaced women also received dignity kits consisting of buckets, reusable hygienic bands, laundry and toilet soaps, loincloths and underwear. The campaign has also created a space for dialogue for couples to discuss their future and allow women to express their sexual needs and rights. The Democratic Republic of Congo published the Maputo Protocol in 2018, making the treaty prevail over national laws on safe abortion