Sexual and Reproductive Health Framework and Data Strategy

The Australian Human Rights Commission provided feedback to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on its draft Sexual and Reproductive Health Monitoring Framework and Data Strategy. The submission responds to AIHW’s consultation questions and highlights the need for a rights-based approach that reflects the experiences of people with disability, particularly women and girls, and First Nations communities.

Key points include:

• Strengthening the framework to monitor issues such as involuntary sterilisation, reproductive coercion, discrimination in parenting, and supported decision-making.
• Ensuring data strategies capture gaps and provide disaggregated data to address intersectional discrimination.
• Monitor the implementation of the Disability Royal Commission’s Recommendation 6.41, which calls for the prohibition of involuntary sterilisation.
• Embedding inclusive governance and co-design principles in implementation.

The submission aims to align Australia’s monitoring framework with its international human rights obligations and promote equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care.