Projects | ICRH

I-SHARE I and II

COVID-19 may have a profound impact on sexual health, reproductive health and social life across the world. Shelter in place regulations that have extended across the globe may influence condomless sex, exacerbate intimate partner violence and reduce access to essential reproductive health services.

Project ongoing Read more about this project

Adolescent and youth health Family planning and contraception Policy analysis

Adolescent family planning: Policy tracing for sexual and reproductive health and rights

Adolescent contraception is essential to reduce maternal mortality, which is particularly high in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, good evidence and rational arguments for providing contraceptive services to adolescents often fail to translate into national laws and policies that support contraceptive provision and use.

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Adolescent and youth health Gender Sexual health and wellbeing

The Global Early Adolescent Study - A worldwide investigation into how gender norms evolve and inform a spectrum of health outcomes in adolescence

The Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) aims at understanding the factors in early adolescence that predispose young people to subsequent sexual health risks and that conversely contribute to healthy sexuality so as to provide the information needed to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes.

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Mother and child health Clinical care Perinatal Mental Health Screening and detection

Development and implementation of a clinical care pathway for perinatal mental health in Belgium (PMH-project)

Mental problems during the perinatal period are associated with a range of negative consequences such as preterm birth, mother-infant interactional deficits and negative infant developmental outcome. Research indicates that perinatal mental health problems are highly prevalent (20%). In Flanders however, a large majority is currently not being detected nor getting the appropriate treatment.

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Mother and child health

Maternity waiting homes

In Africa, one out of 210 mothers dies during pregnancy or delivery. One of the causes is the relatively low rate of institutional deliveries, due to transport problems and lack of infrastructure, but also due to cultural prejudices and resistance against giving birth outside the family circle. One of the ways to facilitate and encourage institutional deliveries is the establishment of ‘maternity shelters’ or ‘maternity waiting homes’ (‘casas de espera’ in Portuguese): facilities where future mothers can spend the last few days of their pregnancy close to a maternity hospital, so that they are assured of timely professional care during the delivery. This type of facilities exists in many African countries, but often the functioning is not optimal and the occupancy rate is much lower than it could be. ICRH launched a project in Kenya, aimed at promoting the use of maternity waiting homes and improving their functioning.

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Inclusive Holistic Care for Migrant victims of sexual violence (INHeRE)

Migrants, Applicants of International Protection and Refugees (MAR) are at high risk of sexual victimization (SV) at all stages of their migration trajectory. An integrated holistic approach from detection to follow-up has been recognized as the best care for all victims of SV.

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Interpersonal violence Epidemiological modeling

Relationships, Stress and Aggression during the COVID-19 crisis in Belgium (RSA)

To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide restricted social and physical contact by issuing lockdown and social-distancing measures. Already a few weeks after the first COVID-19 realted lockdown being issued in Belgium in March 2020, Prof Keygnaert (UGent-ICHR) and Prof Vandeviver (UGent-IRCP) set up a study on Relationships, Stress and Aggression (RSA) in times of COVID-19 crisis in Belgium. This longitudinal self-reporting study was stopped in July 2020 and got lots of attention as it demonstrated high levels of stress, rather unhealthy ways of coping and a lot of domestic violence occurring in Belgian households.

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Interpersonal violence

UN-MENAMAIS: Understanding Mechanisms, Nature, Magnitude and Impact of Sexual Violence in Belgium

The UN-MENAMAIS research aims at a better understanding of the mechanisms, nature, magnitude and impact of sexual violence in Belgium.

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HIV & AIDS Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Adolescent and youth health Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Interpersonal violence Mother and child health Reproductive rights Family planning and contraception Gender Migrant health Policy analysis

Academic network for sexual and reproductive health and rights policy (ANSER)

Ghent University established an Academic Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Policy that aims to become a global resource for SRHR policy research, education and service delivery by establishing an international platform for research on SRHR policy related topics; by developing a portfolio of education and training programmes on SRHR policy; and by fostering interaction between SRHR researchers and policy makers.

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Interpersonal violence

Chatline for victims of sexual violence and their support figures: development and pilot study

This project aims to make aid as accessible as possible to victims of sexual violence and their support figures. In a first phase the feasibility of a phone- and chatline was researched and a model was developed. Subsequently, the piloting of the chatline model was requested by the Belgian government. The piloting consists of two main parts. The first part holds the launching of a chat service for victims of sexual assault and their support figures. The chat service was launched on April 10th 2019 and aims to bring victims of sexual violence in touch with a SACC or other specialized caregivers.

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Mother and child health Family planning and contraception

Participatory Action Research at central hospital of Maputo: Stimulating male involvement in the respectful maternity care model

Evidence suggests that many women experience mistreatment during childbirth in health facilities by health care providers across the world, but the magnitude of the problem is unknown. The occurrence of disrespect and abuse in maternity care services affects the overall quality of care and may undermine women’s trust in the health system.

Project closed Read more about this project

Interpersonal violence

The Belgian Sexual Assault Care Centres: from piloting to evaluation

Subsequent to ICRH’s feasibility study on the development and validation of a model of holistic care for victims of sexual violence in Belgium, the Federal State Secretary of Equality assigned ICRH to pilot and evaluate Sexual Assault Care Centres (SACC) in Ghent, Brussels and Liège.

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