Policy Influencing and Advocacy

Our advocacy work includes research, campaigning, litigation, outreach and awareness raising among duty bearers and rights holders. We also train and build the capacity of civil society partners to be able to effectively advocate for law and policy change.

HDI uses litigation as a means to advance SRHR, including 4 cases litigated at the Intermediate, Supreme and Regional Courts in recent years:

1. Assisted Reproductive Technology
2. Infanticide
3. Task shifting in relation to abortion
4. Challenging regional laws on LGBTQ rights

Successful Advocacy:

In recent years, our advocacy has led to considerable achievements, including:

• The removal of the court order requirement for accessing safe abortion
• The inclusion of defilement as a condition for accessing safe abortion
• The decriminalization of sex work

Ongoing Advocacy:

• Efforts to address the parental consent requirement for adolescents accessing SRH services
• Efforts to remove the transfer requirement for vulnerable women and girls seeking safe abortion using Community-Based Insurance Scheme (Mutuelle de Santé)
• Efforts to propose the review of laws and policies to recognize LGBTI rights, gender inclusion, and the regulation of IVF and surrogacy.

HDI recognizes the critical role CSOs play in policy development and the importance of CSOs working in coalition. HDI, in coalition with other CSOs, is currently jointly advocating for several issues, including the removal of barriers to adolescent access to contraceptives.

HDI has supported civil society organizations with capacity building and empowerment in, among others:

• Policy advocacy
• Strategic communication
• Resource mobilization
• Human rights based programming

Since 2007, HDI has supported and empowered over 150 CSOs in Rwanda. In evidence-based advocacy and effective participation in public policy formulation alone, HDI has led training sessions for more than 60 CSOs. Those CSOs have been trained and supported to join various technical working groups in the Ministry of Justice including Justice, Reconciliation, Law and Order Sector (JRLOS). By being active in JRLOS, these CSOs’ voices have been amplified in terms of advocacy and policy influence.

In addition to training, HDI sub-grants selected emerging CBOs and CSOs as a way of expediting their participation in SRHR related activities.

We work in coalition with partners, through the Reproductive Health Coalition, to conduct legal and policy advocacy to address barriers to the fulfilment of SRH rights, particularly for under-served populations such as sex workers, people with disabilities, LGBTI groups, people who use drugs, women & girls, and adolescents, among others. HDI assists with case collection and selection, pro-bono legal representation & assistance in court, human rights public awareness campaigns and submission of petitions in public interest cases. Additionally, HDI leads coalitions of partners to submit Shadow Reports and to participate in international human rights mechanisms.

HDI practices Strategic Impact Litigation and Legal Aid. For example, we give legal advice on issues related to human rights, paternity presumption, medical negligence, child registration.

Since 2016 we have organized the Annual Reproductive Health Journalism Awards (est. 2016) to recognize outstanding coverage by journalists on reproductive health in Rwanda.

The main intent of these awards is to encourage media practitioners to raise more awareness about reproductive health issues, especially those that are often considered taboo in our society. Currently, Rwandan media outlets shy away from accepting pitches related to topics such as safe abortion, gender-based violence (GBV), family planning and sexual health, among others. This leads to a cyclical issue of lack of public awareness due to inadequate exposure to these topics from respected platforms. The first edition (2016) attracted 15 submissions from 11 media houses; while the most recent edition (2022) attracted 191 submissions from 63 media houses nation-wide.