ADM+S Research Fellow featured in the World Association for Sexual Health’s Sexual Rights Webinar
Author Natalie Campbell
Date 21 June 2024
ADM+S Research Fellow Dr Zahra Stardust recently joined the World Association for Sexual Health as a panellist for their 10-year anniversary of the WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights Webinar.
Speaking alongside Faysal El Kak, Sharful Islam Khan, Mauro Cabral Grinspan, Anne Philpott, and moderator and Chair of the WAS Sexual Rights Committee, Eszter Kismödi, the panel reflected on the past decade of challenges and triumphs in sexual health.
Speakers discussed critical themes such as the influence of technology on sexual rights, the effects of migration and war, and the ongoing challenges of criminalisation.
“Over the last decade we’ve seen rapid advances in the pace of technology, and in some contexts, it’s played a role in facilitating access to healthcare,” said Dr Stardust.
“Digital tools are being developed as alternative methods in environments where there are criminal legal frameworks, government neglect or limited infrastructure such as apps for abortion self-care, chatbots for sex education, or tools to screen and predict health issues like infertility.
“However, there remain a lot of concerns about the design, data and governance of such technologies, including risks around data breaches of sensitive.”
Dr Stardust is a socio-legal scholar working at the intersections of sexuality, technology, law and social justice.
Over the last 15 years Zahra has worked in policy, advocacy, legal and research capacities with community organisations, NGOs and UN bodies on human rights in Australia and internationally.
WAS is a Confederation representing thousands of people who work in Sexual Health globally, including Healthcare Professionals, Educators and Activists, actively creating a world in which all people have access to Sexual Health, Rights, Justice and Pleasure.
