Human Rights-Based Family Planning

Checkpoints for Choice: An Orientation and Resource Package
Checkpoints for Choice: An Orientation and Resource Package offers practical guidance on how to enable stakeholders involved in FP programs to examine issues of full, free, and informed choice and to keep the needs and preferences of clients central to their operations.  The package consists of a detailed plan with all support materials for a one-day workshop to enable FP program planners and managers to strengthen the focus of FP programs on clients’ human rights and contraceptive choices in the context of a rights-based program. Package content explains key concepts related to contraceptive choice, helps participants consider characteristics of contraceptive methods that matter to women, examines the full spectrum of challenges that affect whether they get what they want from FP programs, and highlights program strengths that should be continued and expanded. Checkpoints also identifies factors and warning signs that managers can track to assess whether full, free, and informed choice may be compromised and explores steps that can be taken to foster individual and program accountability for ensuring contraceptive choice within the FP program. In addition to the workshop guidance and materials, the package includes links to recommended references, tools, and additional reading.
Available for download in English (PDF, 1.2MB) and French (PDF, 2.4MB).
Also available: Checkpoints for Choice PowerPoint Slides for all sessions, in English (PPTX, 1.8MB) and French (PPTX, 1.8MB).

Voluntary Family Planning Programs that Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights: A Conceptual Framework 
Scaling up access to family planning services over the next decade to reach national and global goals will take the combined efforts of governments; donors; and family planning, human rights, and women’s health advocates. This paper presents a practical approach for realizing human rights as part of voluntary, high-quality family planning programming. The framework provides a pathway for voluntary family planning programs to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights as they set out to improve health and achieve ambitious family planning goals. This comprehensive framework brings together human rights laws and principles with FP quality of care frameworks to assist policymakers, program managers, donors, and civil society with program design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. This is the first framework to operationalize rights principles and approaches within FP programming, strongly linking issues of quality of care with human rights.

Available for download as a PDF in English (4.2 MB), French (3.5 MB), Hindi (4.0 MB) and Spanish (4.3 MB).
Summary brief available for download as a PDF (1.19MB).

Voluntary Family Planning Programs that Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights: Conceptual Framework User’s Guide
The Conceptual Framework Users’ Guide was prepared to orient stakeholders on the voluntary, rights-based family planning conceptual framework and assist them with (1) applying it during assessments and action planning related to strengthening human rights in family planning (FP) programs and (2) using it to monitor, evaluate, and hold programs accountable. The User's Guide is intended for a range of stakeholders interested in promoting and providing voluntary, rights-based family planning, including policymakers, program managers, providers, rights advocates, civil society organizations, donors, implementing organizations, and researchers. Facilitators can use the guide to conduct an orientation on the framework and lead an assessment and planning process.
Available for download as a PDF (2.9 MB).

Voluntary Family Planning Programs that Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights: A Systematic Review of Tools 
As a supporting document to the Voluntary Family Planning Programs that Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights: A Conceptual Framework, this publication compiles and synthesizes training and assessment tools, frameworks, methodologies, implementation guides, and job aids that support and promote the fulfillment of rights at the policy, service, community, and/or individual levels. Prior to this work, no systematic review of tools related to human rights and FP existed. Of the 150 documents reviewed, 29 percent focus explicitly on human rights or reproductive rights, though reference to rights were often implicit in many of the tools reviewed. Although more than three-quarters of the tools reviewed had an FP program focus and were not explicitly designed to protect and fulfill rights, they contained elements that support rights at all levels of action described in the conceptual framework.

Available for download as a PDF (4.05MB).

Voluntary Family Planning Programs that Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights: A Systematic Review of Evidence
As a supporting document to the Voluntary Family Planning Programs that Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights: A Conceptual Framework, this publication focuses on relevant interventions, evaluations, and case studies to engender a better understanding of what elements are needed for a successful voluntary, rights-based FP program. Prior to this work, no systematic review of rights-based FP existed. This report synthesizes the findings from a literature review encompassing more than 290 documents to help identify key actions or factors for FP programs to consider. It not only provides a review of the current evidence available related to rights-based approaches in FP, but also highlights the research gaps surrounding rights-based outcomes.

Available for download as a PDF (47.17MB).

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