current issues

• criminalisation – november 2009

The papers in this journal issue are about the law and criminalisation relating to rape and sexual violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), selling and buying sex, provision and use of modern contraception and induced abortion, homosexuality, and HIV transmission and exposure. The papers are highly thought-provoking, especially when read together, not least because the question of whether criminalisation is a good thing or a bad thing must be answered quite, quite differently in relation to each criminalised practice explored. It is easy to argue why modern contraception and induced abortion should be legal because they are necessary to protect women's lives and health, and that sexual identity is inherent in the person and must be respected by society and protected in law. It is not so easy to determine how justice should be best served, as opposed to exacting retribution or revenge, or how to protect the rights of both perpetrators and victims, when a serious or life-threatening harm has been done, including and even in the absence of criminal intent to harm, as with HIV transmission and exposure.

• task shifting – may 2009

Task shifting is defined by WHO as moving specific tasks, "where appropriate, from highly qualified health workers to health workers with shorter training and fewer qualifications in order to make more efficient use of the available human resources for health." Task shifting is not new; only the label. This journal issue contains papers on changes in the division of labour in the provision of emergency obstetric care, skilled attendance at birth, contraception and medical abortion. Papers examine whether access to care and quality of care are being maintained, increased or reduced; which skills are required for tasks being shifted; how training is being affected; the perspectives of patients and service providers; and the effects on pay and status of providers to whom tasks are being shifted.