Sex, taboos and #MeToo - in the country with no word for 'vagina'

Attitudes towards the legalization of sex work are changing around the world, and now some cities have even started considering public spaces for sex work while developing urban infrastructure plans. From Cologne, Germany (where there are "sex drive-throughs" that are equipped with safety features, facilities for rest, and toilets for the workers) to Amsterdam (where they are developing new rules for window-based sex work), governments are now increasingly inviting sex workers and their representatives to the negotiating table.

There are many things to consider when it comes to the quality of life and psychological needs of people living with disabilities, but one need rarely remembered is their sexuality. A Czech organization called Freya trains people to be sexual assistants who work with people with a range of abilities to learn how to become more comfortable with their own bodies and sexuality and physical tactics to help them do so. The service offers them a chance to experience basic human pleasures, and many testify to how much it has shaped their self-esteem and psychological health.

Medical professionals travel to remote areas of Nigeria with little access to family planning or maternal health care to hand out resources such as condoms or birth control and to train villages' Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) on updated safe birth practices. The team, called the PeachAid Medical Initiative, has reached over 30,000 women and 400 TBAs through medical outreach to rural communities since 2015. The work at large is meant to address the high maternal death rate in Nigeria.

A business in Panaji is helping to decrease the stigma around sexual health in India by selling products such as condoms and encouraging customers to ask questions. While stigma still persists throughout the region, the store has expanded to two other locations and has seen a varied customer base including "college girls and boys, housewives, people above 50."

The Centre for Family Health Initiative aims to improve sexual and reproductive health for young girls by bringing educational programs into the schools and connecting students to important health services through primary health care providers. Its year-long education program, Dreams Girls, covers everything from puberty and menstrual health to STI prevention and discussions of consent. The program has been offered in 22 secondary schools so far and partly credits its success to building relationships with community gatekeepers who can help encourage community buy-in.

In Liberia, Youth Friendly Centers, or YFCs, offer family planning resources and education in an attempt to lower the country’s rates of teen pregnancy. The centers have improved access to family planning methods such as implants and contraceptive shots, and the rate of teenage pregnancies has dropped by about 8 percent.

be artsy's Rato Baltin project uses culturally relevant education, menstrual kit distribution, and engages religious leaders to challenge discriminatory practices against those who menstruate. Since launching in 2017, the group has reached 80,000 people and distributed over 5,500 menstrual cups, while simultaneously helping shift perspectives around menstruating.

Brencare Foundation’s Safe Space Project meets once a week within local schools to provide menstrual health, hygiene, sexual and gender-based violence education to girls in need. So far, the Foundation has reached about 5,000 women and girls across several communities with its education efforts.

The Women Against Violations and Exploitation (WAVE) Foundation and The Daisy Network provides support for female genital mutilation (FGM) survivors and works to put an end to FGM across the country. The Daisy Network has spread to several states and has reached more than 3,000 people through their advocacy efforts.

The Young Women Democrats Empowerment Program formed in 2010 to work toward ending female genital mutilation (FGM). The organization provides training and educational seminars at local schools and churches and even makes appearances on local radio stations to reform people who performed FGM procedures. So far, the organization has reformed 31 people.