Advocacy is a communication process through which individuals, groups or communities influence their social environments at local, provincial, national and international levels. For some, it is about influencing policy makers and opinion formers to bring changes to policy and practice; others strive to address attitudes, social relationships and power relations to effect social change. In the fourth Vision Building Workshop of IPPF SARO, held at Colombo, the role of IPPF member associations (MAs) in advocacy was discussed in detail and three indicators for assessing MAs performance were developed. They were (1) leadership role in influencing policy relating to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), (2) leadership role in galvanizing commitment for SRHR from governments and donors, and finally (3) partnerships and or sustained association with media and/or NGOs providing a larger sphere of influence to lobby/advocate for SRHR issues. To know further, write to access@ippfsar.org.

Research Summary: The Association between Sex Education and Youth's Engagement in Sexual Intercourse, Age at First Intercourse, and Birth Control Use at First Sex is a research paper published in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study is based on the responses of more than 2,000 youths (ages 15 to 19). The study found that boys who had undergone sex education were 71% less likely to have sex before age 15. Girls who had received sex education were 59% less likely to have sex before age 15. Boys who had taken sex education were three times more likely to use contraception at first intercourse. However, no such association was found for girls. Formal sex education was particularly beneficial for youths who are traditionally considered to be at high risk for adverse sexual health outcomes, such as sexually transmitted diseases or unplanned pregnancies. Sex education should be continued to be supported in formal settings, such as schools, and to be the most effective, should occur before youth engage in sexual intercourse for the first time. The report's findings are markedly different from earlier studies, conducted from the 1970s through the 1990s, that suggested sex education had little or no effect on whether teens had sex. More research is needed to determine the most effective content and implementation methods for sex education. See details at:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220231428.htm

Resources: Reproductive Health - Underused Research findings is a summary of research and program findings that FHI believes could improve family planning and reproductive health services if they were more widely incorporated into policies and programs. This document is available at http://www.fhi.org/en/rh/programs/rtop/underusedres.htm#SDG

News: BBC World Service Trust has launched India’s largest mass media campaign which targeted men aged 15-59 years. It encourages men to talk about sexual health. Details at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/asiapacific/story/2007/11/071128_india_competition.shtml

Events: IPPF SARO will organise a conference on Lessons Learnt from Gender Based Violence (GBV) Project from 21-22 February 2008 in Kathmandu (Nepal). In addition to IPPF SAR MAs engaged in GBV related work, the conference expects participation from representatives of the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, UNFPA, Oxfam, DFID etc. To know more about the conference, write to abortion@ippfsar.org.   

Please send your feedback/information etc. to access@ippfsar.org