What are my reproductive rights?
Sexual and reproductive rights mean you should be able to make your own decisions about your body and: 
- Information and access to sexual and reproductive health services including contraception, termination, safe pregnancy and delivery
- Choose if, when and who to get in an intimate relationship with and/or marry
- Decide if you want to have children and how many
- Timely and comprehensive sexuality education
- Support in how to become pregnant or have a termination, care and counselling in the case of a miscarriage, antenatal or post-partum depression
Adapted from:
Kanem N. Sexual and reproductive health and rights: The cornerstone of sustainable development. UN Chronicle. 2018;55(12):34–5. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-cornerstone-sustainable-development
Sexual and Reproductive Rights. Amnesty International. Available from: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/
As a client of SHQ, you can expect information, access, choice, privacy, confidentiality, dignity, comfort and freedom to:
- Gain knowledge to enable informed decisions about sexual and reproductive health
- Obtain services without discrimination
- Decide freely on sexual and reproductive health care options
- Access services in a private and confidential manner
- Be assured that all personal information will remain confidential unless consent has been provided to transfer this information to another provider
- Be treated with dignity and consideration regardless of circumstances
- Feel comfortable when accessing services
- Express views on services offered without feeling discriminated
Contraception is something you do or use to prevent pregnancy. Condoms are the only method of contraception that also protect against sexually transmissible infections (STIs).
There are different methods of contraception available and several factors you may want to consider when deciding which method is best for you e.g. effectiveness, ease of use, cost, potential side effects etc.
Learn more about contraception choices
If you require emergency contraception and can’t get it from a pharmacy, please call our Sexual Health Helpline: 08 9227 6178
Reproductive coercion and abuse is when someone is stopped from making choices about their reproductive health.
Pregnancy pressure is when someone is pressured to get pregnant or stop a pregnancy.
The three main types of behaviours are:
- Contraception sabotage (with the intention to cause pregnancy)
- Pregnancy pressure or coercion (pressure to become pregnant)
- Controlling the outcome of a pregnancy (pressure to terminate a wanted pregnancy or continue an unwanted pregnancy).
RCA can look like:
- Hiding condoms or taking them off during sex
- Pressuring to have unprotected sex
- Hiding birth control or access to birth control
- Stopping access to emergency contraception
- Knowingly passing on a sexually transmitted infection
- Stopping or pressuring to have an operation to stop you from being able to have a baby or to remove parts of your genitals
- Stopping birth control from working properly (e.g. damaging condoms, pills)
- Pressuring to have a baby or a termination
- Stopping or discouraging consensual sexual or gender expression (including access to hormone therapy)
Intimate partner violence is any behaviour by someone in an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm to those in the relationship. This includes current or past marriages, domestic partnerships or dating relationships. Examples can include (but not limited to):
- Acts of physical violence, such as slapping, hitting and beating
- Sexual violence, including forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion.
- Emotional (psychological) abuse, such as insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation, threats of harm and threats to take away children.
Healthy relationships look like:
- Freedom to express cultural and spiritual beliefs
- Trusting each other
- Talking kindly, listening and being heard
- Freedom to socialise with others
- Respecting private photos and messages
- Freedom to work and to have access to own money
- Using respectful body language and touching with consent
- Respecting partner’s belongings
- Feeling comfortable to say yes or no to sex and contraception
Unhealthy relationships can look like:
- Pressuring to speak a different language
- Threatening visa status
- Being stopped from seeing friends or family
- Being called hurtful names
- Threatening to take children away
- Feeling pressured into unwanted or unsafe sex
- Touching without consent
- Unwanted phone calls, emails or messages
- Spying on internet activity and location
- Limiting access to money
- Not being allowed to work
- Pushing, grabbing, choking, pulling hair
- Belongings being damaged or destroyed
These multilingual videos developed by Sexual Health Quarters and Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services can help identify the signs of intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion and abuse.
Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships (brochure)
Healthy Relationships (poster)
Reproductive Coercion and Abuse (poster)
For clinicians:
IPV/RCA eLearning
This comprehensive eLearning package is designed to build understanding of intimate partner violence (IPV) and reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA), and develop participants’ ability to recognise, respond and refer clients experiencing violence.
Clinicians can follow the link to register for Intimate Partner Violence and Reproductive Coercion and Abuse eLearning.
Clinical resources
Click here to view clinical resources
Please note: This page is only accessible to those who have completed the Intimate Partner Violence and Reproductive Coercion and Abuse eLearning.
Western Australia
- LUMA (Formerly Women’s Health & Family Services)
luma.org.au - South Coastal Healthcare Service
08 9550 0900 | southcoastal.org.au - Sexual Assault Resource Centre
1800 199 888 | kemh.health.wa.gov.au/Our-services/Statewide-Services/SARC - Crisis Care
1800 199 008 | wa.gov.au/service/community-services/community-support/crisis-care - Kids Helpline
1800 55 1800 | kidshelpline.com.au - No to Violence
1300 766 491 | ntv.org.au - 1800 Respect
1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732 | 1800respect.org.au - FullStop Australia: 1800 FULLSTOP
1800 385 578 | fullstop.org.au - Lifeline
13 11 14 | lifeline.org.au
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- 13YARN
13 92 76 | 13yarn.org.au - Djinda Service
08 6164 0650 | relationshipswa.org.au/Services/Aboriginal-Community-Support/Djinda-Service - Yorgum Healing Services
1800 469 371 | yorgum.org.au - Wungening Aboriginal Corporation
08 9221 1411 | wungening.com.au
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
- Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)
131 450 | tisnational.gov.au
LGBTIQA+
- Safer Options
saferoptions.org.au - Say it Out Loud
sayitoutloud.org.au/abusive-relationships/getting-help/find-a-service - QLife
1800 184 527 | qlife.org.au - Rainbow Sexual, Domestic & Family Violence Service Help Line
1800 385 578 | fullstop.org.au/get-help/our-services/rainbowviolenceandabusesupport
Men experiencing or using IPV/RCA
- Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline
1800 000 599 | wa.gov.au/service/community-services/community-support/mens-domestic-violence-helpline - Mensline Australia
1300 78 99 78 | mensline.org.au
Women
- Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline
1800 007 339 | wa.gov.au/service/community-services/community-support/womens-domestic-violence-helpline
Not in Western Australia?
“Safe to Tell” and “It’s Okay to Say” Projects
In 2018, SHQ developed and implemented an innovative IPV/RCA screening program, including the development of a consumer and clinician endorsed screening tool. This screening tool identifies clients who may be experiencing IPV and/or RCA. This has provided further insight into its prevalence, and how clinicians may better respond and refer clients that are identified during screening.
Building upon this screening program, SHQ was generously provided funding for three projects to expand and adapt the program and build on its successes.
The Department of Communities in WA generously funded the “It’s Okay to Say” project which adapted the FDV screening tool for people living with disability alongside specialised, evidence-based counselling with access to critical supports. This was one of the first projects of its kind to provide disability consumer and clinician led, culturally safe FDV screening appropriate for people with disability as well as provide education, training and support to staff using the tool.
Following the It’s Okay to Say project, the SHQ disability counselling department continues to provide client centred, trauma-informed counselling and facilitates referral pathways for other appropriate services and treatments. To learn more about the It’s Okay to Say project, FDV screening for people with disability, training, or SHQ’s disability counselling services please click here.
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) Gaming Community Trust graciously funded development of a RACGP/ACRRM accredited eLearning and face-to-face training for clinicians around metro Perth to recognise, respond and refer clients who have experienced IPV/RCA. The three-year project developed a 6-module training for clinical and non-clinical staff to build knowledge and confidence to support clients experiencing violence. Interested learners can follow the link to register for Intimate Partner Violence and Reproductive Coercion and Abuse eLearning.
Screening and Training Pilot at Two Community Health Services:
The Women’s Leadership and Development Program kindly funded a pilot project to implement SHQ’s IPV/RCA screening, training and support program in two community-based services accessed by women.
The project increased the capacity of the health workforce in Western Australia, to identify and support women with experiences of IPV and RCA and ensure that more women who are at risk are identified and can access support in their communities. This project recognised the diversity of women accessing health services- and ensured the resources and tools were clinician and consumer developed, culturally inclusive and appropriate for various intersectional identities.
SHQ partnered with Curtin University to conduct research surrounding healthcare workers‘ capacity to support those with experiences of intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion and abuse. Click here to read more about this research.
Experience of introducing screening for intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion in an urban sexual health clinic.
Galrao, M., Creagh, A., Douglas, R., Smith, S. and Brooker, C. (2022), Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 46: 889-895. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13301
Methods and tools to screen and assess risks for intimate partner violence among women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in six high-income countries: A scoping review
Vujcich, D., Wilshin C., Lock, E., Reeves, K., & Lobo, R. (2022), JBI Evidence Sythesis, 20(0), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-22-00044
We are so thankful for the invaluable input and care that our community and staff have given to the Safe to Tell and It’s Okay to Say projects, and we are excited to utilise the tools, education and implementation frameworks to support our community.
If you are interested in learning more about SHQ’s IPV/RCA services and programs please click here to download our flyer.
If you would like to sign up to the SHQ Review, you will receive monthly updates on current and upcoming SHQ projects.