The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has been recognized as one of the top-performing global health organizations for its commitment to putting gender equality into practice by the 2021 Global Health 50/50 Report (GH5050).  The report, “Gender equality: Flying blind in a time of crisis,” reviews the gender-related policies and practices of global organizations active in global health. It has placed IPPF in the top 5% of over 200 global health organizations reviewed. The organizations were assessed on four key areas: commitment to gender equality, gender equality and diversity policies at work, gender and geography of gender health leadership and gender responsive of health policy and programes. IPPF's Board Member & Transgender Activist Abhina Aher said;  "I am thrilled to see the GH5050 report place IPPF among the top 5% of the organizations across 201 organizations --in the global health space-- committed to gender equality and social justice. As a leading SRHR organization, IPPF is committed to creating a dynamic, futuristic, community centric and inclusive response. It is important to address the structural barriers especially for transwomen to create a more enabling environment for sustained access to health services." IPPF’s Global Lead for Gender & Inclusion Seri Wendoh said: “We are delighted that IPPF has been recognized for its progress and commitment to gender equality and inclusion by Global 50/50 2021. Ensuring IPPF is a progressive, inclusive and safe place for women and gender non-conforming people to work is a testament to the hard work and determination of individuals across IPPF. As a global healthcare organization with a focus on women and girls, it is only right and decent that we continue to look inwardly and improve at every step - as the report states: gender inequality is not inevitable - it’s something that we as people can help dismantle.” Manuelle Hurwitz, IPPF Director of Institutional Delivery said:  “To be classed as a very high scorer in the Global 50/50 2021 report  is an honour and is testament to the commitment of IPPF to gender equality and inclusion. I am proud of the work we are doing to invest and amplify women leaders at IPPF as we establish our Women in Leadership Initiative and of the ground-breaking work done by IPPF Member Associations to ensure gender equality, inclusion and diversity is an integral part of their advocacy, programmes and management.” IPPF’s Director-General Dr Alvaro Bermejo said: “I’m pleased to see that IPPF is a high scorer in the 2021 Global Health 50/50 report. But the report shows there is much more work to be done to dismantle the structural legacy of gender inequality, in order to truly advance gender-equality, diversity and inclusion in global health. We know that the majority of the workforce in our organizations are women, we know they are majority of our service users, and most importantly we know we must promote women at the top with determination because the gap everywhere is so very large. And in order to achieve parity one day, global health organizations need to act with urgency to make sure they have more women than men in positions of leadership. IPPF must and will lead by example, we will not shy away from our responsibility and commitment to shaping a future that has gender equality and female empowerment at the centre.” Kent Buse and Sarah Hawkes, Co-Directors, Global Health 50/50 said:  “On behalf of Global Health 50/50, we would like to congratulate IPPF for their strong performance in the 2021 Gender and Health Index. By taking deliberate and transparent actions IPPF keeps the pressure on themselves and others in the sector to continue pushing for change, and provides much needed hope that we can achieve gender equality in our quest for health, dignity and social justice for all.’  IPPF is committed to promoting feminist leadership at all levels of the organization. Our gender equality policy recognizes that progress to this end requires transformative complementary actions to promote women’s rights and empowerment, including addressing gender gaps, unequal policies and discrimination that have historically disadvantaged women and girls.  

The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court in India has observed in a particular case that groping a child’s breast without 'skin-to-skin contact' does not amount to the offence of 'sexual assault' under Section 8 of the country’s child protection law - the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.  IPPF notes with grave concern that the judgment is deeply flawed in its understanding of child sexual abuse and fails to take into account the power hierarchy when an adult person abuses his/her authority over a child/minor. IPPF works with survivors of violence and fully understands the effect child sexual abuse has on the physical, mental and emotional health of the survivors. Amritananda Chakravorty, a Delhi-based lawyer said: "The definition of 'sexual assault' under POCSO is a comprehensive one that includes acts of touching breast with sexual intent, and there is no requirement of any "skin to skin" contact, as held by the Bombay High Court. Just because the punishment is stringent does not mean that the judiciary would insert elements in the offence that are not there. It is bizarre to say that sexual misconduct with a 12-year-old child would not be an offence under POCSO merely because she was clothed."   IPPF clearly states that any attempt to dilute the statutory regime of POCSO would be hugely detrimental to the child rights and a narrow interpretation of what constitutes sexual assault would harm years of work done by child right’s and women’s rights groups in the country. IPPF hopes that this egregious decision would be overturned by the higher courts by keeping the rights of the children at the centre of any discourse on child sexual abuse.    END  For media queries, please write to Regional Manager Communications Himanshi Matta; [email protected]