Dive into the realities of sexual and reproductive health and rights across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia through a powerful series of interviews with activists, advocates, and changemakers.
This film sheds light on the complex and often difficult situations facing SRHR defenders in their countries: shrinking civic space, stigma, political backlash, barriers to abortion and contraception, gender-based violence, discrimination, and attacks on bodily autonomy. Through personal testimony and frontline experience, activists and organizations share how these challenges affect people’s lives, and how local movements continue to resist, organize, and push for dignity, justice, and rights.
Link in our bio
New ASTRA Network Bulletin (1/2026) is out!
Key takeaways:
Policy vs. Reality: The gap between EU commitments on abortion access and actual on-the-ground availability is a major focus, highlighting how policy doesn’t always translate to practice.
Anti-Rights Backlash: There’s a noted increase in political and social pushback against reproductive rights, which is a growing concern for activists and healthcare providers.
Innovative Solutions: The bulletin explores how telemedicine and self-managed abortion are being used to bridge access gaps, especially in restrictive environments.
HPV Vaccination: Updates on HPV vaccination programs in Croatia and Poland, which are critical for cancer prevention and public health.
Crisis Settings: Special attention is given to SRHR in crisis situations, including support for Ukrainian refugees, who face unique challenges in accessing care.
Resistance and Solidarity: Despite the challenges, feminist groups are actively organizing, collaborating, and pushing back against restrictions, showing the power of collective action.
🔗 Link to the bulletin in bio
When funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights is cut, lives are cut short.
From unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions to rising maternal and HIV-related deaths, every cut to sexual and reproductive health and rights funding carries a human cost. It cuts off access to vital healthcare for underserved groups of women, LGBTQAI+ and gender non-binary people, and leaves survivors of gender-based violence without protection.
Across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central and North Asia (CEECCNA), feminist movements are doing the essential work: bringing contraception and maternal care to rural villages, running hotlines for abortion access, building survivor communities, and pushing back against disinformation and regressive policies. They are holding the line, with rapidly disappearing resources, growing demands, political pressures, and restrictions.
Dalan Fund and ASTRA Network are launching a joint campaign, “A Choice That Matters,” to spotlight the voices of grassroots activists who transform rights on paper into rights in practice, as well as to inspire and influence funders—both current and new—to support SRHR movements in this critical moment.
Over the coming weeks, join us for a powerful conversation on the strategies, resilience, and collective action needed to continue protecting human rights in hostile environments, and on why increased, strategic funding is more urgent than ever.
🔗 Take action now: astra.org.pl/achoicethatmatters
#AChoiceThatMatters #ASTRANetwork #dalanfund
Across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, SRHR defenders are on the frontlines of bodily autonomy.
ASTRA Network’s new film brings together activists, advocates, and changemakers speaking about shrinking civic space, stigma, abortion and contraception barriers, gender-based violence, and political backlash — and about the movements resisting, organizing, and demanding dignity, justice, and rights.
Watch the film and learn more: /watch?v=yYBaQtjXNYI
FEDERA’s 2025 Annual Report is now available in English.
The report includes a dedicated section on the ASTRA Network, whose Secretariat is hosted by FEDERA, highlighting a year of regional solidarity, advocacy, and resistance for reproductive rights across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Read more: astra.org.pl
Across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, SRHR defenders are on the frontlines of bodily autonomy.
ASTRA Network’s new film brings together activists, advocates, and changemakers speaking about shrinking civic space, stigma, abortion and contraception barriers, gender-based violence, and political backlash — and about the movements resisting, organizing, and demanding dignity, justice, and rights.
Watch the film and learn more: /watch?v=yYBaQtjXNYI
Link also in our bio
Online panel discussion on antifeminist backlash, feminist strategies under pressure, and transnational solidarity among grassroots actors across different countries.
🔵 Registration link available in our story
We are witnessing an antifeminist backlash worldwide. Hard-won achievements are being questioned or even retracted, and feminist civil society is increasingly under attack. At the same time, feminist actors in Georgia or Ukraine face very different realities than groups in Poland or Germany. How are grassroots actors responding in these different contexts? How can they support one another across borders? And what can they gain and learn from an transnationalist perspective?
Join us for a panel discussion with:
Hanna Grzeskiewicz for Filia, Die Frauenstiftung: supporting projects for girls, women, and LGBTIQ* communities across Central and Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia
Ewa Szymera for ASTRA Network: Co-founded The Pink Box Foundation to combat period poverty in Poland and coordinates the ASTRA Network at FEDERA, uniting 40+ organizations across Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Nora Noll for Amadeu Antonio Foundation: working to strengthen visibility and support for feminist actors in rural Eastern Germany
Moderation: Sabine Herberth, Amadeu Antonio Foundation and expert for antifeminism
Expect a conversation about strategies under pressure, solidarity in unequal conditions, and what transnational feminist learning can look like in practice. The panel will be held in English.
Across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, SRHR defenders are on the frontlines of bodily autonomy.
ASTRA Network’s new film brings together activists, advocates, and changemakers speaking about shrinking civic space, stigma, abortion and contraception barriers, gender-based violence, and political backlash — and about the movements resisting, organizing, and demanding dignity, justice, and rights.
Watch the film and learn more: /watch?v=yYBaQtjXNYI
Welcome to ASTRA Network, Step by Step Foundation! 💙
Step by Step brings together Belarusian professionals with years of experience working in Belarus and Poland. The team has been supporting Belarusian migrants from key groups since 2023, and in 2025 they officially registered as a foundation in Poland.
Their work focuses on social protection, humanitarian aid, human rights and advocacy. They support migrants and vulnerable communities, including people living with HIV, LGBTQ+ people, women, young people, people who use drugs, and their loved ones.
Step by Step provides psychosocial and legal support, case management, help with access to treatment, and assistance with basic needs. The team also brings strong experience in advocacy, court support, gender-sensitive NGO work, and SRHR education for women from vulnerable groups.
We are very glad to have Step by Step Foundation in our network!
While abortion is legally permitted on request in Hungary for up to 12 weeks, accessing the procedure involves significant bureaucratic and emotional hurdles.
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Individuals must first prove that the pregnancy causes serious distress or difficult life circumstances. The process typically requires attending multiple consultations, meeting with a state counsellor, and going through sessions that may attempt to discourage the decision. Since 2022, there is an additional rule mandating that patients listen to the fetal heartbeat before the procedure, a requirement activists argue creates emotional pressure without adding medical value.
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Author: Kinga Barszcz
With support from: @astranetworkorg
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#geneu_genzette #abortion #hungary #womensrights
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This content is part of the Gen EU project, in which Gen Zette collaborates with AFP, Telex, Alap Hírek, El Orden Mundial, OKO.press, Dossier and Gen, știri. The topic was chosen by the Gen Zette editorial team, and the authors are responsible for the content.
Welcome CPPSD, our first member from Serbia! 🇷🇸
We’re excited to welcome the Center for Population Policies and Sustainable Development (CPPSD) to the ASTRA Network! Since 2002, CPPSD has been a driving force in Serbia for human rights, women’s rights, and sexual and reproductive health and rights, combining advocacy, policy dialogue, and community action to tackle inequality and discrimination.
CPPSD stands out for its rights-based, evidence-driven advocacy and its dedication to strengthening democracy, governance, and civic space. Their innovative approach and deep commitment to social justice make them a powerful ally in our network.
Welcome, CPPSD—we’re thrilled to collaborate and learn together!
Poland once had some of the world’s most liberal abortion laws. Ending a pregnancy was legalized in 1956. By 1993, access was limited to three cases; by 2020, to two. In 2021, legal abortion became nearly impossible. This sparked protests, especially after pregnant women died due to “chilling effect” among doctors.
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Despite public support (56% favor broader access), the Polish Parliament narrowly rejected reform in 2024, maintaining strict restrictions.
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Author: Kinga Barszcz
With support from: @astranetworkorg and @grupaponton
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#geneu_genzette #poland #polska #womensrights
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This content is part of the Gen EU project, in which Gen Zette collaborates with AFP, Telex, Alap Hírek, El Orden Mundial, OKO.press, Dossier and Gen, știri. The topic was chosen by the Gen Zette editorial team, and the authors are responsible for the content.
