Sierra Leone: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon must encourage the Government of Sierra Leone to do better on maternal mortality

These commitments have the potential of making real the rights of women and girls enshrined in international and regional instruments, including in the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. [...] However, there are gaps which continue to exist in the realisation of these commitments, and in light of the upcoming "Women Deliver" summit on MDGs in New York, Amnesty International urges Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help the Government of Sierra Leone give the elimination of preventable maternal death and ill-health the attention it deserves, notably by addressing the following crucial poin [...] It is therefore important that when addressing maternal mortality and morbidity in Sierra Leone, the government also addresses the need to combat such discrimination and harmful practices and guarantee women’s right to decide whether, when and how many children to have, in line with the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. [...] In this plan, AU Member States commit themselves to repositioning family planning as an essential part of attaining the MDGs, addressing the needs of youth, reducing the incidence of unsafe abortions (including by providing safe abortion services to the fullest extent of the law), and delivering quality and affordable services to promote safe motherhood. [...] Access to information on sexual and reproductive health and rights, quality of family planning services – which must guarantee the right to confidentiality – and affordable contraceptive products, are of the utmost importance.