Framing and Claiming Reproductive Rights: A Case Study of Civil Society Actors in Tanzania

A new ‘Power of Civil Society’ working paper

Tags: Tanzania , Civil Society Building
Additional tags: Maternal mortality , Civil society actors , RBA , Human rights

How do grassroots organizations engage with, understand and use human rights discourses? In the current development context many civil society actors have adopted a ‘rights based approach’ (RBA). However, ‘human rights’ are often articulated at the international level, but understood, experienced and practiced in a local context. What does this dynamic imply for the way local civil society actors lobby the state to implement global human rights at a national policy level?

This paper by Rebecca Davidson explores the current dynamics of framing and claiming reproductive rights by civil society actors in Tanzania. With regard to this reproductive rights discourse she questions which claims are included and which are excluded, and by whom. Davidson argues that the way in which rights are framed by civil society actors with respect to the issue of maternal mortality, also informs the way in which rights claims are made. She finds that actors who take a ‘social service approach’ focus more on building rights consciousness within a local constituency, while others who take a ‘ human rights advocacy approach’ aim at challenging current health systems and structures on a national level while increasing citizen participation. However, looking at the exclusion of local organizations from international and regional forums where the human rights advocacy approach originated, it is important to encourage local organizations to be more visible on the international level. Their role as ‘translators’, argues Davidson, is being dismissed, and should be more encouraged by donor and funding agencies. Davidson also stresses the importance to locate reproductive rights within the larger context of women’s lives. Safe motherhood strategies should therefore also focus on increasing economic empowerment and self-sufficiency of women.

Rebecca Davidson graduated from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS, The Hague) with a Master of Arts in Development Studies, specializing in human rights and social justice. Rebecca holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Her research was funded by the Hivos/ISS Civil Society Building Knowledge Programme in 2008.