Sexual and Reproductive Health in Displacement - a Reflexive Perspective on Evidence, Needs, and Policy Priorities

Rosanna Le Voir , London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Connections between power, politics and knowledge production are well documented. Evidence can amplify specific issues, attracting increased funding and policy attention. Meanwhile, silence or gaps in knowledge production can render specific issues or groups invisible. Which needs are given attention and who defines those needs is a politicised process. This is especially true for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in displacement, where gendered and global north-south power hierarchies are embedded in data collection, identification of needs, and priorities. This submission addresses the question of “How are SRH needs in displacement constructed and (de)prioritised by international humanitarian actors?” The methodology uses semi-structured interviews with participants (n~30) from international organisations, donor and research institutions working on SRH in displacement. Data are analysed using analytical memos and discourse analysis. Preliminary findings suggest that a range of factors influence the construction of SRH needs in displacement settings, how priorities are set, and the role of evidence in this. Emerging themes include SRH as both a lifesaving and lifecycle issue, balancing stakeholder perspectives about whose and which SRH priorities, adapting framings of SRH based on audiences and operational realities, and funding. This paper offers theoretically transferable contributions on relationships between policy and evidence in contested and politicised areas. Preliminary findings present a tension between the construction of SRH needs and priorities in displacement, and the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence. The paper contributes to literature on the social studies of quantification, advancing a more reflexive and critical approach to needs- and evidence-based action.

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 Presented in Session 119. Flash session Policy Development and Measurement