The 2026 Safe Abortion Barometer Chapter, marking International Safe Abortion Day, was launched with participants joining from across the SADC region. The event featured presentations on key findings showing that Southern Africa scored only 34% overall across seven assessed areas, with most countries using colonial-era penal codes to regulate abortion and only three countries scoring above 50%. The meeting included powerful personal testimony from Violet Zulu, a 25-year-old Zambian woman who served seven years in prison for seeking a safe abortion, followed by country-specific perspectives from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia highlighting the gap between legal provisions and actual access to services. Participants discussed the importance of moving beyond legislative change to address information gaps, stigma, provider awareness and access to medication. The event concluded with a call for updating the SADC Gender Protocol to include comprehensive reproductive health rights and decriminalize abortion. 

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