About Us
Ipas, founded in 1973 in North Carolina, USA, operates globally to promote reproductive justice by expanding access to abortion (referred to as menstrual regulation (MR) in Bangladesh)* and contraception. In 2011, Ipas began operations in Bangladesh, collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), NGOs, donors, and stakeholders for strengthening the health system. Initially focusing on menstrual regulation (MR), postabortion care (PAC), and family planning (FP) services, our efforts have evolved to advocate for institutionalized sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services.
Ipas Bangladesh is committed to enhancing SRHR in Bangladesh, focusing on comprehensive reproductive healthcare, empowering women, and girls, and ensuring safe and legal access to MR and contraception. By forging partnerships with the government, local NGOs, the private sector, and healthcare providers, we craft sustainable solutions to address SRHR challenges. We work across institutions, including urban service delivery systems, humanitarian settings, private sectors, and communities. Our collaborative efforts aim to develop innovative strategies to strengthen health systems, promote human rights, address gender-based violence (GBV), improve access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, raise awareness, and combat the stigma surrounding SRHR. We actively work to strengthen the capacity of healthcare professionals and promote evidence-based practices to improve the quality of reproductive health services. Through training and support, we empower healthcare providers to deliver safe and effective MR services within the legal framework of the country. Moreover, Ipas Bangladesh advocates for SRHR through policy engagement, collaborating closely with policymakers to develop and implement policies that uphold and safeguard SRHR. Our research initiatives aim to generate evidence and inform policy decisions, striving to create an enabling environment for comprehensive SRHR services.
In addition to advocacy and capacity-building efforts, Ipas Bangladesh plays a crucial role in community awareness and mobilization. We educate and empower women and girls about SRHR, enabling them to make informed choices and access necessary services. Each year, our programs benefit thousands of women and girls in Bangladesh by providing modern contraceptive methods, MR services, and PAC, while also enhancing their knowledge and access to safe MR care.
Will move to the bottom: Our vision: A world where all people have the right and ability to determine their own sexuality and reproductive health.
Our mission: Ipas builds resilient abortion and contraceptive ecosystems using a comprehensive approach across sectors, institutions, and communities.
* As per Bangladesh policy 1st trimester abortion is termed as menstrual regulation (MR). Under Bangladesh’s penal code of 1860, induced abortion is illegal except to save a woman’s life. However, Menstrual Regulation (up to 12 weeks) has been part of Bangladesh’s national family planning program since 1979 as a legal and safer alternative to illegal abortion. MR involves procedures like manual vacuum aspiration or medications to safely establish non-pregnancy after a missed period. This terminology allows for the provision of safe and regulated services within the confines of the law, offering women a legal option for managing their reproductive health in Bangladesh.
Our Vision
A world where all people have the right and ability to determine their own sexuality and reproductive health.
Our Mission
Ipas builds resilient abortion and contraceptive ecosystems using a comprehensive approach across sectors, institutions, and communities.
Our Core Values
Bold
We are unapologetic and unconditional in our commitment to a woman’s right to bodily autonomy. We solve problems through creative thinking, curiosity, and we challenge assumptions that might otherwise limit us. We make decisions based on experience and evidence and feel safe in taking calculated risks both in our communication and our action.
We always seek to challenge our own biases and assumptions and we are not afraid to create new pathways for women to exercise their right to safe abortion. We believe that this requires honest, direct communication and we are not afraid to tell the truth. We are also not afraid to laugh at ourselves and have moments of joy in our work.
Driven
We are impatient for a world where women and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights are fully realized and unsafe abortion no longer exists. We are focused and disciplined in our mission.
We make the most of our time, energy and resources and push ourselves to keep moving forward despite obstacles. We don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good because we need safe abortion today. We care deeply about the impact and quality of all that we do.
Principled
We believe sexual and reproductive rights are basic human rights. Access to safe abortion is an integral and unassailable part of those rights. Safe abortion is also a fundamental part of basic health care. Our work on safe abortion promotes gender equity. Our actions are founded on these core beliefs. We have integrity when we do not compromise these principles and when we trust in women’s decisions.
Interdependent
Our goals are ambitious and larger than us. We are devoted to advancing the abortion field and the rights of women, not just Ipas. We share information, expertise and responsibility, and we strengthen our entire field as a result. We have a collaborative spirit and recognize when we are stronger together. We respect our colleagues, internal and external, by giving each other the benefit of the doubt and celebrating and supporting the work of others.
Our Strategic Priorities
Construct a sustainable women-centred abortion care ecosystem
Policies must respect and protect abortion as a human right, without unnecessary or harmful barriers limiting access. A comprehensive approach for sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion care, ensures resilient, affordable, and equitable access to abortion across the health sector.
Be innovative, effective and always learning
We hold ourselves to a high standard for internal operations and governance to ensure we can be efficient and effective in implementing our programs and responding to the needs of those we serve.
Give choice to women, girls, and anybody who can become pregnant
Individuals must know where and how to access abortion and contraception, with information about options, including abortion self-care. They also must feel supported in their decisions and have the confidence to access services when they need them.
Ensure access to quality Sexual Reproductive Services
Sexual and Reproductive rights are recognized as part of the broader right to health. The pathways to abortion must be clear and accessible and must meet the total needs of anyone seeking that care. Abortion care should be universally accessible through a trained and supported health workforce, integrated throughout healthcare systems, and free of stigma.
Be a valued partner
We strive to always bring value to our partnerships and collaborations, as we depend upon our many global and local partners to help advance our urgent work of expanding access to—and strengthening a movement for—quality abortion and contraceptive care.
Building sustainable abortion ecosystems
At Ipas, we’re working with partners to build sustainable abortion ecosystems. Our comprehensive approach works across institutions and communities and recognizes there are multiple factors that influence a person’s ability to access abortion—including individual knowledge and power, community and political support, trained and equipped health systems, and laws and policies that uphold the human rights to health and to bodily autonomy.
Understanding SRHR in Bangladesh
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) encompass access to services, care, information, and autonomy in decision-making. Achieving SRHR promotes equality and empowers women and girls to build thriving communities.
Bangladesh has made significant progress in improving SRHR indicators, thanks to collaborative efforts between the government, NGOs, and international agencies. Progress in areas such as maternal health, family planning, and healthcare access has led to a decline in maternal mortality rates and an increase in contraceptive prevalence rates.
However, challenges persist, including high population density, adolescent pregnancy, child marriage, unmet contraception needs, and unsafe abortions. These challenges are exacerbated in urban areas, particularly for women and young adolescents in poor socio-economic conditions. Reproductive coercion and unsafe abortion contribute to 7% of maternal deaths annually.
Gender inequality and social norms impede women’s autonomy and SRHR service access. Traditional gender roles limit women’s access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, creating barriers to accessing contraception, safe abortion services, and sexuality education. Addressing adolescent SRHR is vital in Bangladesh due to the high adolescent population.
Challenges include early marriage, limited access to comprehensive sexuality education, and inadequate adolescent-friendly healthcare services.
Bangladesh faces vulnerability to climate change, including frequent cyclones and floods, disrupting healthcare systems and access to SRHR services, particularly for marginalized populations. To tackle these challenges, Bangladesh has implemented initiatives and policies, including programs to enhance access to family planning and maternal healthcare, and to improve SRHR education.
NGOs and civil society organizations play a crucial role by providing services, raising awareness, and advocating for SRHR rights.
In summary, Bangladesh’s SRHR context shows progress alongside challenges. Ongoing efforts by the government, NGOs, and international partners are essential to ensure comprehensive SRHR services for all in Bangladesh.
