«Государствам-членам Совета Европы следует признавать, защищать и поддерживать работу правозащитников и организаций гражданского общества, которые способствуют тому, чтобы доступ к безопасной и легальной помощи по прерыванию беременности стал реальностью во всей Европе», - заявила Комиссар Совета Европы по правам человека Дуня Миятович в честь международного дня безопасных абортов.
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“Those advocating for safe and legal abortion care work to ensure that the enjoyment of this right is real and effective. For women and girls living in a situation of vulnerability and/or in member states with restrictive policies on abortion care, the trustworthy information and support provided by human rights defenders is crucial and, in some cases, represents the only possibility to access abortion care in practice. Recently, for example, human rights defenders and NGOs acted as main providers of direct assistance for many women refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, including victims of sexual violence, who faced barriers and delays when trying to access abortion care in host or transit countries.
Human rights defenders represent the driving forces of positive change in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights and act as watchdogs against backsliding. Being at the forefront, they are exposed to risks of attacks, smear campaigns and other forms of harassment aimed at delegitimising their person and their human rights work. Such attacks negatively impact the rights of human rights defenders. They also have a wider chilling effect on women seeking assistance and on all of those who are supporting access to safe abortion care in an already restrictive and/or hostile environment.
Member states should counter attacks against human rights defenders working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights and protect them from harassment in all its forms. They should publicly acknowledge the paramount role of these human rights defenders, take the necessary political, legal and practical steps to ensure a safe and enabling environment for their legitimate work and promote the vital network of support they provide to all those in need of accessing safe abortion care.”