Seminar Recording: CRVS Legal Review with a Gender Lens

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Seminar Recording: CRVS Legal Review with a Gender Lens

1 hour 29 minutes

This seminar introduces the Civil Registries and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Legal Review process and then provides an overview of three equity-themed chapters in GHAI’s CRVSID Legal Toolkit.

Watch Webinar here:

Key takeaways

The term “legal framework” includes legislation passed by the legislature or parliament, as well as implementing regulations, standard operating procedures, guidelines, and other implementing directives used or adopted by government bodies. For this work, the term “law” is used broadly, to mean legislation, implementing regulations, or other legally binding documents
One benefit to establishing a strong CRVS legal framework is that it leads to more informed policymaking and may promote better health outcomes, both of which can help encourage and achieve gender equity.

This seminar first aired live on May 4th, 2022

Moderator:

Michelle Kaufman, PhD, Gender Equity Unit Lead, Data for Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Speakers:

Chrystie Swiney, JD, MA, MPhil, Associate Director & Legal Adviser, Data for Health, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)
Hadijah Namyalo, Legal Consultant, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Uganda
Olga Joos, DrPH, RN, Senior Technical Advisor, Global CRVS Team, CDC Foundation
Aaron Schwid, JD, Director of Public Health Law, Vital Strategies
Sophia San Luis, Executive Director of ImagineLaw, the Philippines

This seminar introduces the Civil Registries and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Legal Review process and then provides an overview of three equity-themed chapters in GHAI’s CRVSID Legal Toolkit: Women and Children, Equal Access for LGBTI Individuals, and Stillbirth Reporting. We hear reflections of legal review in practice from the field in Uganda, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, the Maldives, Papua New Guinea, and Pakistan.

A strong CRVS legal framework is key to ensuring that all individuals, especially those in marginalized communities – such as women, girls, and sexual and gender minorities – can live meaningful lives, realize their human rights, and be protected against exploitative actions by others. A strong CRVS legal framework that aligns with international best practices is an essential way to begin to promote and establish gender equity. The law is what ensures that people of all genders and sexualities have equal access to services linked to CRVS systems, which are essential to realizing one’s human rights and meaningful participation in one’s community, and ultimately improved health outcomes.