My name is Laura Sirabella, I am a social worker with a passion for reproductive justice and social research. Born in Italy, I had several work and study experiences between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa on reproductive health and rights, social inclusion, migration, youth work, access to education.
My interest in reproductive health and rights stems from my exposure to the intersection of poverty, gender based violence, lack of access to contraception, reproductive health care services, safe abortions, education that I witnessed while working in the humanitarian field. I then had the opportunity to spend a semester at Makerere University in Uganda for a research on this topic. This lead to the enrolment in a PhD programme, because I wanted to research further reproductive rights and doing a PhD was a great opportunity to increase my knowledge and give a contribution to the field of reproductive justice.
MY RESEARCH
My PhD project sets out to explore the role of civil society organisations in improving reproductive health in Uganda and how this is impacted by international policy making. More specifically, the project seeks to fill the knowledge gap about how civil society organisations can help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on reproductive health, especially on how to translate policies into concrete actions to reach the population and how to advocate to the government for better policies. Moreover, it is explored how such organisations help in transforming individuals and communities to act as agents to improve their reproductive capabilities and therefore have the real opportunity to choose about their reproductive health.
In Uganda reproductive health indicators show a positive trend and the civil society is active in advocating for reproductive rights. However, there are still several significant barriers and unsafe abortions represent a public health problem, especially due to the lack of clarity in Ugandan policy and legislation on the matter. The research is qualitative and data collection comprises document analysis and online semi-structured interviews, complemented by the photo elicitation technique where possible, with members of two Ugandan NGOs that work on reproductive health and rights in the country.
Why is my research important?
Because to enjoy a safe and fulfilling life all people should be capable of exercising reproductive rights. However, this is not case. Reproductive rights violations are a global issue and, if nowadays some countries are making improvements, recently we have also witnessed a regression in reproductive rights in many others.
The UN developed a plan of action for sustainable development, consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Here universal access to reproductive rights is considered as necessary to achieve the goals and sustainable development. It has been shown that the involvement of civil society can play a huge role in the promotion of reproductive rights and in the achievement of the SDGs. So, here I am exploring how such entities do that in the Ugandan context.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND INTEREST
Reproductive Justice: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – Abortion Rights – Reproductive Health Policies – International Trends on Reproductive Rights – Reproductive Rights Trends in sub-Saharan Africa – Involvement of Civil Society
Social research: Qualitative Research – Creative Methods – Participatory Methods – Thematic Analysis
Social Work: International Social Work – Social Work Education – Social Work and Health – Migration – Youth Work – Social Inclusion – Sustainable Development