She also called for a shift in male engagement strategies, which often remain superficial. "In countries like Pakistan, decisions about women's bodies are still made by men. We need to engage men as allies - challenging patriarchal norms and rethinking masculinity - thus helping to create space for women in decision-making, not take those spaces away. Male engagement must move beyond tokenism to transformative change."
Amin also underscored the need for qualitative data to complement statistics. "Numbers alone cannot show what it means when an unmarried woman is denied care, or when a transgender person is refused access, or when a woman with disability is unable to access healthcare. Their stories reveal the intersectional inequalities that health systems must address."
Countering media silence and anti-rights narratives
In many societies, SRHRJ remains taboo - not because people do not experience these issues, but because they are deemed unfit for public discourse.
"In my country, Indonesia, we cannot talk openly about comprehensive sexuality education," said Betty Herlina, an Indonesian journalist and Founder Editor of Bincang Perempuan (Bahasa-language media focussed on gender justice). She is also a noted SRHRJ advocate. "If I distribute a condom in public, people would say that I am 'promoting free sex.' That is the bias we must break."
Patriarchy and harmful gender biases within and through media
Herlina noted that media indifference is part of the problem. "Not all media houses want to cover SRHRJ - it is not seen as an 'attractive' topic." She urged media professionals to frame SRHRJ as a public health and human rights issue, and not as a moral or political one.
"While reporting on unplanned pregnancies or abortion, journalists must remember that women still have the right to medical care. It is our duty to verify government claims and bring evidence-based narratives to the public," said Herlina.
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