Papers by Erin Aylward
Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 2020
As right-wing populist movements make electoral gains around the world, one might expect that res... more As right-wing populist movements make electoral gains around the world, one might expect that resultant policy and legislative reversals against sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) would be mirrored by a similar backlash in United Nations (UN) human rights negotiations. Yet the past five years have seen unprecedented advances for SRHR within the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), treaty bodies, and special procedures. In this article, we provide an overview of SRHR gains and setbacks within the HRC and analyse their broader significance, particularly as socially conservative nation states and non-governmental organisations seek to challenge them. We analyse how states have advanced SRHR in the HRC and examine efforts that states which oppose SRHR have undertaken to limit these advances. In an increasingly hostile political climate, the interrelated legal, technical, and political mechanisms through which human rights are advanced within the UN has helped to mitigate the effects of rapid political reversals. Additionally, the HRC's emphasis on previously agreed language helps dampen significant changes in resolutions on SRHR.
GSHRDC and VOTO Mobile, 2016
In this report, we shed light on the under-profiled and deeply troubling phenomena of school-base... more In this report, we shed light on the under-profiled and deeply troubling phenomena of school-based sexual violence in Ghana (SBSV). School-based sexual violence
refers to forced or unwanted sexual activities that may take place during a youth’s schooling years. This can include unwanted touching or rape on the part of school
authorities and/or peers; however, it also includes a much broader and complicated series of incidents that may take place on account of a youth’s schooling, or may impact a youth’s schooling in some way.
This report – based on a national, mobile-based survey of 3,671 Ghanaians – reveals that a disturbingly high number of youth are exposed to school-based sexual violence: 56% (N=1086) of female respondents and 37% (N=633) of male
respondents indicated having experienced sexual violence, and the overwhelming majority of these cases were reported to have occurred while respondents were
completing various levels of schooling (92% and 91% of all reported cases of sexual violence for females and males, respectively).1 In over half of these cases
(51% and 61% of female and male reported cases, respectively), respondents indicated having experienced multiple incidents of sexual violence.
Moreover, the majority of instances of sexual violence appear to have taken place in disturbingly early levels of schooling: over half of all reported cases of SBSV (57%)
occurred while youth were in primary or in junior high school. 9% of all total female respondents and 3% of all total male respondents reported experiencing sexual violence at the hands of a teacher or principal: shockingly, this suggests that, on average, one out of every 11.5 girls and one out of every 30 boys in Ghana will experience sexual violence at the hands of a school authority figure.
These survey results also point to substantial barriers survivors of sexual violence face in seeking support and/or justice: 63% of respondents indicated that they had never reported their experience of sexual violence to anyone, primarily because of feeling too ashamed (42%) or because of fearing punishment (23%).
Further, for those who did report, the degree of support that they received appears limited: respondents who reported indicated that the perpetrator was punished in only 25% of cases; in 15% of cases, respondents themselves were punished for having reported their experience.
Journal articles by Erin Aylward
International Journal, vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 313-328, 2020
Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), launched in June 2017, marks the first ... more Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), launched in June 2017, marks the first time that sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) have been mentioned in an overarching Canadian aid policy. The inclusion of SOGI in the policy document sent an important signal to domestic and international development partners on the need to consider these sources of discrimination and marginalization. This article asks two basic research questions. First, what is the place of SOGI in Canada's "feminist" international assistance? Second, what additional steps does Canada's development program need to take to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in the Global South? Based on an analysis of official documents and secondary sources, we argue that FIAP itself sends only a weak signal about the importance of SOGI-related concerns, but Canadian foreign aid has expanded its understanding of LGBTI issues and has begun to commit dedicated resources to addressing them. Nonetheless, the initial programming (2017-2019) was channelled in an ad hoc manner and through one, major stand-alone commitment, rather than through a broader framework that would guide SOGI's integration into Canadian programs over the long term. If serious about addressing LGBTI rights more systematically, the Canadian government needs to expand its definition of what SOGI entails and move beyond niche programming to recognize the cross-cutting dimension of LGBTI rights in foreign aid, especially in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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Papers by Erin Aylward
refers to forced or unwanted sexual activities that may take place during a youth’s schooling years. This can include unwanted touching or rape on the part of school
authorities and/or peers; however, it also includes a much broader and complicated series of incidents that may take place on account of a youth’s schooling, or may impact a youth’s schooling in some way.
This report – based on a national, mobile-based survey of 3,671 Ghanaians – reveals that a disturbingly high number of youth are exposed to school-based sexual violence: 56% (N=1086) of female respondents and 37% (N=633) of male
respondents indicated having experienced sexual violence, and the overwhelming majority of these cases were reported to have occurred while respondents were
completing various levels of schooling (92% and 91% of all reported cases of sexual violence for females and males, respectively).1 In over half of these cases
(51% and 61% of female and male reported cases, respectively), respondents indicated having experienced multiple incidents of sexual violence.
Moreover, the majority of instances of sexual violence appear to have taken place in disturbingly early levels of schooling: over half of all reported cases of SBSV (57%)
occurred while youth were in primary or in junior high school. 9% of all total female respondents and 3% of all total male respondents reported experiencing sexual violence at the hands of a teacher or principal: shockingly, this suggests that, on average, one out of every 11.5 girls and one out of every 30 boys in Ghana will experience sexual violence at the hands of a school authority figure.
These survey results also point to substantial barriers survivors of sexual violence face in seeking support and/or justice: 63% of respondents indicated that they had never reported their experience of sexual violence to anyone, primarily because of feeling too ashamed (42%) or because of fearing punishment (23%).
Further, for those who did report, the degree of support that they received appears limited: respondents who reported indicated that the perpetrator was punished in only 25% of cases; in 15% of cases, respondents themselves were punished for having reported their experience.
Journal articles by Erin Aylward
refers to forced or unwanted sexual activities that may take place during a youth’s schooling years. This can include unwanted touching or rape on the part of school
authorities and/or peers; however, it also includes a much broader and complicated series of incidents that may take place on account of a youth’s schooling, or may impact a youth’s schooling in some way.
This report – based on a national, mobile-based survey of 3,671 Ghanaians – reveals that a disturbingly high number of youth are exposed to school-based sexual violence: 56% (N=1086) of female respondents and 37% (N=633) of male
respondents indicated having experienced sexual violence, and the overwhelming majority of these cases were reported to have occurred while respondents were
completing various levels of schooling (92% and 91% of all reported cases of sexual violence for females and males, respectively).1 In over half of these cases
(51% and 61% of female and male reported cases, respectively), respondents indicated having experienced multiple incidents of sexual violence.
Moreover, the majority of instances of sexual violence appear to have taken place in disturbingly early levels of schooling: over half of all reported cases of SBSV (57%)
occurred while youth were in primary or in junior high school. 9% of all total female respondents and 3% of all total male respondents reported experiencing sexual violence at the hands of a teacher or principal: shockingly, this suggests that, on average, one out of every 11.5 girls and one out of every 30 boys in Ghana will experience sexual violence at the hands of a school authority figure.
These survey results also point to substantial barriers survivors of sexual violence face in seeking support and/or justice: 63% of respondents indicated that they had never reported their experience of sexual violence to anyone, primarily because of feeling too ashamed (42%) or because of fearing punishment (23%).
Further, for those who did report, the degree of support that they received appears limited: respondents who reported indicated that the perpetrator was punished in only 25% of cases; in 15% of cases, respondents themselves were punished for having reported their experience.