The newest edition of ASTRA Bulletin 3/2025 is out, amplifying the most pressing developments in sexual and reproductive health and rights across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It captures the realities of our region while celebrating the unstoppable growth of movements that continue to demand justice, equity, and dignity.
This issue highlights Growing Against All Odds, a groundbreaking report by Dalan Fund mapping the flow of funding that sustains—yet too often bypasses—intersectional feminist, LGBTQIA+, disability justice, and Indigenous organizations in our region. It also celebrates the expansion of the ASTRA Network, proudly welcoming two new members: the Tajik Family Planning Association (TFPA) and the Women’s Issues Information Centre (WIIC), Lithuania. These new alliances strengthen our collective voice and reaffirm our commitment to building a truly regional movement.
The bulletin also documents ASTRA’s advocacy to secure a central place for SRHR in the EU’s forthcoming Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030. Regional updates shed light on urgent realities: abortion trends in Azerbaijan, youth-led conversations on sexuality education in Georgia, domestic violence reforms presented by Kazakhstan at the UN, and initiatives to challenge abusive relationships in North Macedonia.
Equally important are the stories of grassroots activism and resilience: self-defense programs empowering women in Romania, student campaigns addressing peer violence in Poland, and the rising mobilization to defend reproductive rights in Slovakia. Critical but often silenced issues also take center stage, including obstetric violence against women living with HIV and the urgent need to address sexual violence against children in Uzbekistan.
ASTRA Bulletin 3/2025 is not just a publication—it is a call to action. It exposes the gaps that hold back transformative change, celebrates the voices and victories of activists across our region, and insists that sexual and reproductive rights remain non-negotiable pillars of justice and equality.
