Achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls is a critical and cross-cutting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG Goal-5). Within SDG-5 for the very first time, an international development framework includes targets that address the barriers and human rights-based dimensions.

To achieve the SDG Goal by 2030, various types of barriers faced by women towards the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services need to be removed, including a strong push towards changes in social norms. Government policies that allow women and girls to exercise fully their reproductive rights must be prioritized.