In this page, we document resources that generally address Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues that are likely to come up (or have already come up) during COVID-19 times. This list includes resources developed for anyone who is curious about the impact of COVID-19 on SRHR. If you are looking for resources specific to marginalised groups, on gender or sexuality, please choose from the tabs above.
Note: This page was last updated in 2022. Some of these links, events or services offered may no longer available or functional. We continue to list them for their archival value and request people to contact relevant organisations for more information.
| Content | Description | Type | Audience | Created / developed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COVID Canvases | A page “to coordinate exchange of information, to build understanding, analysis of gendered and social inequities for COVID-19 and responses to it in community, country and regional contexts.” | Resources | General | Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) |
| COVID-19 and SRHR | A comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of resources on women’s health issues especially including the intersections of COVID-19 and SRHR. | Resources | General | Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) |
| ASAP Conversations During COVID | A conversation with Kousalya Periasamy from Positive Women Network, on how the stigma around the COVID-19 pandemic is similar to that when HIV was prevalent. | Resources | General | Asia Safe Abortion Partnership |
| COVID-19 Impact on Sexuality and SRHR | A list of resources about the impact of COVID-19 on access to safe abortion and contraception, practicing self-care during the pandemic, Q and A’s on sex and COVID-19, and more. | Resources | General | International Planned Parenthood Federation |
| COVID-19: A solidarity message from ARROW | A message from ARROW on how COVID-19 presents “an opportunity to clarify our recommendations for systemic reform, and internally – for our partners and allies to share ideas and support on work strategies, and to continue contributing to movement building.” | Statement | General | Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) |
| COVID Canvases | A page “to coordinate exchange of information, to build understanding, analysis of gendered and social inequities for COVID-19 and responses to it in community, country and regional contexts.” | Resources | General | Sama, Resource Group for Women and Health |
| Emergency FAQs for Women’s Health | A resource kit with emergency information especially for pregnant and nursing women. | Resources | General | Thea Care |
| CREA Reflection on COVID-19 | A statement from CREA reaffirming the need for cross-movement and cross-border solidarity, rejecting ableism and raising important questions on privacy and security in responses to COVID-19. | Statement | General | CREA |
| Sexual and Reproductive Health During the COVID-19 Crisis | A statement illustrating gaps in the existing approach to sexual and reproductive health during COVID-19, calling for policymakers to not exclude this crucial aspect when responding to the pandemic. | Statement | General | IWHC |
| The COVID-19 Effect Series | A statement on the effects of COVID-19 on “diverse SOGIESC communities, HIV services and Key Populations”. | Statement | General | APCOM |
| Women’s Health and COVID-19 | A webinar in Hindi on issues related to women’s health, especially reproductive health, and how it has been impacted by the pandemic. | Webinar | General | Global Shapers Community Thane Hub |
| COVID-19: What Implications for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights | A webinar on SRHR in these times “to discuss the situations being faced by vulnerable and key populations and the actions that are needed in this emergency response”. | Research | General | SRHM Journal |
| Women First Digital | A website of resources, information and counselling on SRH issues including safer sex methods on abortion. There are also “open-source safe abortion courses for Pharmacists, Medical Students and Humanitarian Aid Workers”. | Resources | General | Women First Digital |
| Policy analyses, articles and opinions on the impact of COVID-19 on SRHR, with a focus on abortion | The Guttmacher Institute puts together several resources every few days on the global impact of COVID-19 on SRHR, especially on abortion. | Resources | General | The Guttmacher Institute |
| Abortions During COVID 19 | An article about how the COVID-19 lockdown cut off women’s access to termination of pregnancy in public or private healthcare settings, and with the disruption in supply chain of drugs and taboo around abortions, many women either had to opt for unsafe means or continue with the pregnancy. | Resources | General | The Federal |
| Menstruating in PPEs | This article talks about how frontline healthcare workers who menstruate have been managing their periods while donning personal protective equipment, especially with the long hours, heat and a global shortage of PPEs. | Resources | General | Feminism In India |
| How COVID-19 will Impact Sexual and Reproductive Health | In light of World Population Day(July 11), ARROW’s Executive Director Sivananthi Thanenthiran was on a Malaysian local radio station to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women, especially their rights to sexual and reproductive health. In light of World Population Day(July 11), ARROW’s Executive Director Sivananthi Thanenthiran was on a Malaysian local radio station to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women, especially their rights to sexual and reproductive health. | Podcast | General | ARROW |
| Axes of Alienation | This paper explores the use of an intersectional lens to look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social contract, which the authors believe “takes on greater importance now than in non-pandemic times as the state exercises more police or other powers and deploys myriad ways of ‘othering’.” | Resources | General | Jashodhara Dasgupta, Sana Qais Contractor, et al |
| Towards A Post-COVID India: How Can We Prioritize Adolescents | The article explores the underrepresentation of adolescents and young adults in the media during the COVID-19 pandemic, and documents some best practices and key recommendations to share with stakeholders across the sector. | Resources | General | Feminism In India |
| My Body, My Life, My World Through COVID-19 lens | UNFPA’s revised global strategy to address the medium and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on young people’s lives, health and well-being, which could be irreparable if adequate measures are not taken to guarantee adolescents’ and youth’s basic rights to health, safety, choice and voice. | Resources | General | UNFPA |
| Emerging Adolescent Health Issues During and Post COVID-19 | “A national level webinar to share evidence from a comprehensive impact assessment done by the Population Foundation of India along with Dasra, QUILT.AI and Development Solutions on the impact of COVID-19 on young people. The study will help guide a more responsive and comprehensive action for adolescents health in India.” | Webinar (recording) | General | Population Foundation of India |
| Sexual Pleasure In Times of COVID-19 | The theme of this webinar on the ocassion of World Sexual Health Day combines the Declaration of Sexual Pleasure made at the 24th WAS Congress in Mexico City in 2019 and the current COVID-19 pandemic. It will be held on the 4th of September, 6:30 PM IST. | Resources | General | World Association for Sexual Health |
| Sexual Pleasure In Times of COVID-19 | The theme of this webinar on the ocassion of World Sexual Health Day combines the Declaration of Sexual Pleasure made at the 24th WAS Congress in Mexico City in 2019 and the current COVID-19 pandemic, arguing for the importance of pleasure as a key component in SRHR. | Webinar (recording) | General | World Association for Sexual Health |
| Delayed, Missed and Painful: Is The Lockdown Affecting Your Periods? | This article explores the prolonged period of anxieties caused due to the lockdown and what impact it has had on women’s menstrual cycles. | Resources | General | QuintFit |
| Pregnant Women in Trials of Covid-19: A Critical Time to Consider Ethical Frameworks of Inclusion in Clinical Trials | This paper looks at the intersection of public health and clinical ethics with respect to pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasises on prioritising the interests of pregnant women in order to enable them to make autonomous, informed decisions about participating in clinical trials for COVID-19 related vaccines and medication. | Resources | General | Ethics and Human Research- Ruth Farrell Marsha Michie Rachel Pope |
| COVID-19 has been devastating for sex workers across Asia-Pacific. Here’s Why. | This article highlights the experiences of sex workers across Asia to understand how they have been weathering the COVID-19 pandemic without a safety net. | Resources | General | Ariana Life |
| How COVID-19 Is Threatening Girls’ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights | This article explores the impact of COVID-19 on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women, while recommending actions that can be taken by the state to address the same issues. | Resources | General | Plan International |
| Safeguarding Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic | A fundraiser to support people whose livelihoods were impacted by the pandemic and the consequent lockdown. | Webinar (recording) | General | Centre For Global Development |
| The United States’ Withdrawal From WHO | An arcticle on USA’s withdrawal from WHO and how it could hamper global and U.S. responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and undermine the progress made on sexual and reproductive health over the past several decades. | Resources | General | Guttmacher Institute |
| COVID-19 and Immigrants’ Access to SRH Services in the United States of America | This paper describes “how immigrants have long faced barriers designed to exclude them from public insurance programs and have been excluded from COVID-19 relief support—further exacerbating challenges in obtaining health coverage and care, including services related to sexual and reproductive health.” | Resources | General | Guttmacher Institute |
| Building resilient reproductive health access: Why we must use a gender lens during the pandemic and after | This webinar, to be held on March 3rd at 7:30 PM IST, will explore “how the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on women is driving innovation and new approaches to expand reproductive health access—right now and for the long term.” | Webinar | General | ARROW |
| Covid-19 Vaccine, Economic Justice and Bill Gates; A Moment of Reckoning for SRHR Movements | This article talks about how the global conversation on the COVID-19 vaccine is “bringing up opportunities for intersectional cross-movement solidarity that acknowledge and address the fact that health and sexual rights are intertwined with economic rights.” | Resources | General | RESURJ |
| India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive may derail its mother-child immunisation programme | This article analyses both COVID-19 vaccination and Universal Immunisation Programmes in India, suggesting that “mother-child immunisation may suffer as its infrastructure gets taken over for COVID-19 vaccination.” | Resources | General | IndiaSpend |
| The Pandemic Has Caused a Postpartum Depression Crisis in India | This article talks about the “silent crisis of postpartum anxiety and depression that has been playing out among women who have been pregnant and/or given birth amid lockdowns and the ongoing threat of contagion.” | Resources | General | The Swaddle |
| SRHR and COVID-19: The Global South Approach To Safe Abortion | This webinar, moderated by ARROW, and co-organised along with IPPFWHR, SAIGE and partners sheds light on the state of safe abortion in the Global South with a special focus on the impact and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on access to safe abortion. | Resources | General | ARROW |
| Youth Unlocked | This anthology “curates 32 written, audio and visual pieces that highlight the specific ways in which the pandemic affected young people from diverse contexts and backgrounds”. | Resources | General | The YP Foundation |
| The World Is Having Far Less Sex Using Condoms During The Pandemic | This news article looks at how sexual activity using safer sex methods has not increased during the pandemic. | Resources | General | NDTV |
| The effects of COVID-19 on Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Case Study of Six Countries | This report reviews data from six countries in the global south in order to look at how global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are intersecting with pre-existing pervasive sexual and reproductive health inequities and disproportionately affecting the vulnerable populations. | Research | General | USAID, iMMAP |