Feminism, gender equity and sexual/reproductive health in the
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region
Sexual/reproductive/health and rights are crucial public health
concerns that have been specifically integrated into the
Millennium Development Goals to be accomplished by 2015. These
issues are related to several health outcomes, including
HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence (GBV) among women. The Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region comprises Algeria, Bahrain,
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,
Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab
Emirates (UAE), West Bank and Gaza (WBG), and Yemen. This region
is primarily Arabic speaking (except for Israel and Iran), and
primarily Muslim (except for Israel). Some traditional and
cultural views and practices in this region engender gender
inequalities, which manifest themselves in the economic,
political and social spheres. HIV and gender-based violence in
the region may be interlinked with gender inequalities whic