RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Women who are able to exercise bodily autonomy are therefore able to participate more in society, especially in supporting economy. Women can also do a lot for peace and other contribution outside work.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Indonesia's specialist for sexual and reproductive health programme, Sandeep Nanwani, made the statement during an interview with RRI Voice of Indonesia on Thursday, May 28, 2026. "Because what we believe is that when women can choose if, when, and how many children they have, they are able to exercise bodily autonomy, and then they are able to participate more in society," Sandeep Nanwani said.

According to him, UNFPA saw that autonomy is important so that women can plan their families and lives better. However, the current situation is the opposite, where women participate less in the labor force due to some factors, one of them being unintended pregnancy.

Therefore, Nanwani called bodily autonomy as a very essential basic tool that empowers women to choose, to achieve their dreams, and maximize their potential. He affirmed this was one of the reason why UNFPA exists.

To make sure women have the authority over their own body, he said two things are necessary. First, they need services to be available, accessible, of high quality, and responsive to women eeds.

The second is that the women should be empowered with the information, choices, and agency. This was important for them to make an informed choice.

On the other hands, Sandeep Nanwani added, communities should learn and talk about women issues openly without judgement. "So that there is a space to learn together on what works and what does not work respectfully to know that everybody's choices can be different and here and there," he said.