Blog

July 10, 2025

Shakira Choonara: upholding health and rights for young people

“Almost half of the world’s population are women, and the latest stats show us that less than 50% of women and girls have power over their health-care decisions”, says Shakira Choonara, a passionate public health practitioner and activist working in the multilateral agency space. Her current focus area is sexual health and reproductive rights (SRHR) and bodily autonomy. Choonara wants to see governments boost investment for SRHR, given the current backlash from certain groups. “SRHR is under attack, and so ramping up and scaling up investments is important”, she comments. Additionally, she says, working in partnership with local organisations to make sure pro-gender policies are implemented is key. As she points out, her home country of South Africa, for example, “has progressive legislation on gender-based violence, but at the ground level, we see femicide. At the ground level, women are still being subject to torture when they report or face barriers when they’re reporting”.

Shakira Choonara: upholding health and rights for young people – The Lancet

Special features