Geneva, 9 July – The International Planned Parenthood Federation welcomes the adoption by consensus of the resolution on Violence Against Women and Girls by the UN Human Rights Council, which recognized for the first time that the enjoyment of all human rights by all women and girls includes the full scope of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
This recognition was long awaited by social movements and activists working on sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice. Only last year, the full reference to “sexual and reproductive health and rights” was included in a globally negotiated text for the first time, in the context of education programmes on sexual and reproductive health and rights. This time, the HRC went further and took a decisive step in affirming that SRHR is an integral part of the realization of human rights.
While previous standards adopted by the HRC had references to “sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights” and to “the right to sexual and reproductive health”, the recognition of sexual rights is a key human rights development as they are constituted by a set of rights related to sexuality that emanate from the rights to freedom, equality, privacy, autonomy, integrity and dignity of all people1. This means the recognition by the main UN human rights body that all women and girls have the right to be free from sexual violence, from female genital mutilation, from marital rape, and that they have freedom to build safe, healthy relationships and families with the person they choose.
This reference was adopted in the resolution “Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: prevention through the fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights”, presented by Canada on behalf of a group of co-sponsors from all the regions of the globe2. Despite hostile amendments tabled by the Arab Group challenging the references to comprehensive sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health and rights and the right to bodily autonomy, the resolution was adopted by consensus at the HRC. All of the hostile amendments were defeated by the majority of the Council.
The adopted text is an important recognition of the role of women’s economic autonomy and women’s and girls rights to social security, property, housing, education, including comprehensive sexuality education as measures to combat violence against women and girls. It also recognizes the specific challenges and human rights violations faced by women and girls who are subjected to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including Indigenous women and girls, women and girls of African descent, women and girls living in situations of armed conflict and occupation, migrant and refugee women and girls, women and girls with disabilities, older women, and women and girls living in poverty.
IPPF also warmly welcomes the renewal of the mandate of mandate of the Independent Expert on SOGI, which is a vital role at a time when LGBTQI+ communities around the world are facing growing attacks on their rights and freedoms. The 59th Session of the Human Rights Council also adopted important resolutions regarding sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice such as the resolutions renewing the mandate of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls,and substantive resolutions on accelerating efforts towards women’s economic empowerment; on eliminating female genital mutilation; on empowering women and girls in and through sports and on access to medicines, vaccines and other health products.
when
