Jane Freedman (third from left) and Tamaryn Crankshaw (fourth from left) at the project inception meeting.

In November 2023, HEARD launched a new collaborative project with the Paris Centre for Sociological and Political Research (CRESPPA) on access to safe abortion in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project aims to foster normative change by building linkages and capacities and creating real coalitions involving researchers, civil society, decision-makers and journalists to advocate strategically on Termination of Pregnancy law reform, development of comprehensive abortion care policy and implementation of existing related policy to the fullest extent of the law.

The project which is led by Tamaryn Crankshaw (HEARD) and Jane Freedman (CRESPPA), will work with researchers and civil society in countries across Southern and Western Africa including Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia.

A project inception meeting, held at HEARD on 20-21st November 2023, brought a rich discussion on the barriers to reforms of abortion laws and policies, and the ways that researchers and civil society could best work together to support access to safe abortion in these restricted legal contexts.

For more information on the project click here.