When sex is demanded as payment for health-care services.

Sexual corruption or sextortion has gained recent attention in the anti-corruption space. It occurs when a sexual favour is used as the currency for a bribe. Sexual corruption is a manifestation of gender-based violence, is inherently a human rights violation, and is a grave public health concern because of its effects on the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of the person who has experienced sexual corruption.

Pathways of change for achieving sustainability results: A tool to facilitate adaptive programming.

Traditional approaches to development programming with fixed targets and outcomes do not fit complex problems where the pathway to achieve results differs in each context and evolves constantly. Adaptive programming improves responses to complex problems by identifying which solutions bring change. This paper reviews the theory behind adaptive programming approaches and introduces the 'Pathways of Change' tool for achieving sustainability results, developed for the multi-country Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme.

The development of a new accountability measurement framework and tool for global health initiatives.

The Global Strategy for Women's Children's and Adolescents' Health emphasizes accountability as essential to ensure that decision-makers have the information required to meet the health needs of their populations and stresses the importance of tracking resources, results, and rights to see 'what works, what needs improvement and what requires increased attention'. However, results from accountability initiatives are mixed and there is a lack of broadly applicable, validated tools for planning, monitoring and evaluating accountability interventions. This article documents an effort to transform accountability markers-including political will, leadership and the monitor-review-act cycle-into a measurement tool that can be used prospectively or retrospectively to plan, monitor and evaluate accountability initiatives.

Strengthening the "P" in Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response in Bungoma county, Kenya: implications for scale-up.

Background: This paper examines perinatal death reporting and reviews in Bungoma county, Kenya, where substantial progress has been made, providing important insights for wider scale up to other contexts.

Methods: Quantitative methods were used to analyse trends in perinatal death reporting and reviews between 2014 and 2017 throughout Kenya based on data from the District Health Information System. Qualitative methods helped further understand the success of perinatal death reporting and review in Bungoma county through focus group discussions and individual interviews at 5 hospitals and 1 health centre.

Strengthening accountability for improved maternal and newborn health: A mapping of studies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: To describe the types of maternal and newborn health program accountability mechanisms implemented and evaluated in recent years in Sub-Saharan Africa, how these have been implemented, their effectiveness, and future prospects to improve governance and MNH outcomes.

Method: A structured review selected 38 peer-reviewed papers between 2006 and 2016 in Sub-Saharan Africa to include in the analysis.

Results: Performance accountability in MNH through maternal and perinatal death surveillance was the most common accountability mechanism used.

Using advocacy and data to strengthen political accountability in maternal and newborn health in Africa.

Accountability mechanisms help governments and development partners fulfill the promises and commitments they make to global initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals and the Global Strategy on Women's and Children's health, and regional or national strategies such as the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction in Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA). But without directed pressure, comparative data and tools to provide insight into successes, failures, and overall results, accountability fails. The analysis of accountability mechanisms in five countries supported by the Evidence for Action program shows that accountability is most effective when it is connected across global and national levels; civil society has a central and independent role; proactive, immediate and targeted implementation mechanisms are funded from the start; advocacy for accountability is combined with local outreach activities such as blood drives; local and national champions (Presidents, First Ladies, Ministers) help draw public attention to government performance; scorecards are developed to provide insight into performance and highlight necessary improvements; and politicians at subnational level are supported by national leaders to effect change.

Accountability for quality of care: Monitoring all aspects of quality across a framework adapted for action.

Quality of care is essential to maternal and newborn survival. The multidimensional nature of quality of care means that frameworks are useful for capturing it. The present paper proposes an adaptation to a widely used quality of care framework for maternity services.

The Nigeria Independent Accountability Mechanism for maternal, newborn, and child health.

Since the 2010 launch of the UN Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, worldwide political energy coalesced around improving the health of women and children. Nigeria acted on a key recommendation emerging from the Global Strategy and became one of the first countries to establish an independent group known as the Nigeria Independent Accountability Mechanism (NIAM). NIAM aims to track efforts on progress related to Nigeria's roadmap for the health of women and children.

Success factors for reducing maternal and child mortality.

Reducing maternal and child mortality is a priority in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and will likely remain so after 2015. Evidence exists on the investments, interventions and enabling policies required. Less is understood about why some countries achieve faster progress than other comparable countries.

Women Living with HIV in Rural Areas. Implementing a Response using the HIV and AIDS Risk Assessment and Reduction Model.

The global fight against HIV is progressing; however, women living in rural areas particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continue to face the devastating consequences of HIV and AIDS. Lack of knowledge and geographical barriers to HIV services are compounded by gender norms often limiting the negotiation of safe sexual practices among women living in rural areas. This paper discusses findings from a qualitative study conducted in rural areas of Mozambique examining factors that influenced women to engage in HIV risk-reduction practices.

HIV risk assessment and risk reduction strategies in the context of prevailing gender norms in rural areas of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.

Since minimal information exists on how individuals work within existing social norms to reduce HIV risk, this study explored the specific factors influencing men and women to reduce their HIV risk in the face of prevailing gender norms in rural villages of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Qualitative data were gathered from 160 participants through 29 in-depth interviews to explore gender norms, HIV risk determinants, and risk reduction responses. Results were analyzed using adaptations of grounded theory and constant comparative analysis.

Exchange of sex for resources: HIV risk and gender norms in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.

A qualitative analysis was carried out of data from 16 group discussions and 29 in-depth interviews conducted in rural and matrilineal areas of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, to examine how the exchange of sex for resources--primarily money but also food, transportation, housing and gifts--is enacted and perceived in relation to HIV-related risk, and how prevalent gender norms are reflected in this practice. Findings reveal how gender norms shape access to resources differently for men and women as well as how variations in access to opportunities and income earning potential contribute to the emergence of sexual exchange for purposes of survival, but also as a means to ensure sexual and economic agency. Within this practice, individuals are confronting gender norms and re-defining their HIV-related risk.