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(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Only about half of women and girls in developing countries are able to make decisions over their own bodies such as whether they want to have sex, seek healthcare and use contraception, a United Nations report said on Wednesday.
From being denied access to contraception or abortion services, made to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) and virginity tests, or married as children, women and girls are often forced to give up control over their bodies, it said.
“The right to autonomy over our bodies means we must have the power and agency to make choices without fear of violence or having someone else decide for us,” said Natalia Kanem, head of the U.N.’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA.