Geneva, 7 July 2026: The Human Rights Council today adopted by consensus the resolution "Promoting, protecting and respecting women's and girls' full enjoyment of human rights in humanitarian situations". This is the first time that a UN negotiated outcome document has explicitly named "reproductive violence" as a distinct category of gender-based violence.
The resolution's preamble expresses deep concern that women and girls in humanitarian situations are disproportionately affected by sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, trafficking, sexual exploitation and sexual slavery, and — for the first time — "reproductive violence such as forced or denial of contraception, forced pregnancy, forced abortion and forced sterilization, including when undertaken with the intent to destroy a group."
The operative text stresses the need for all relevant actors to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, including reproductive violence, and calls for integrated, accessible, safe and confidential reporting, referral and service delivery mechanisms that are age- and gender-sensitive, disability-inclusive, and survivor-centred.
Reproductive violence refers to intentional acts or omissions that cause harm by interfering with reproductive autonomy, or violence directed at people because of their reproductive capacity. It includes forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced contraception, and attacks on reproductive healthcare facilities.
While different acts that constitute reproductive violence, such as forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization have been expressly prohibited under the Rome Statute, this is the first time the terminology as such, which has a broader scope, is coined in a globally agreed outcome. According to UNFPA, “reproductive violence” gives a name to the experience of many women and girls around the world. Without this term, survivors are often left without redress or recourse, struggling to identify or define the act of violence they have experienced.
This recognition builds on a growing body of work by UN human rights mechanisms, UN agencies and civil society to document reproductive violence as a distinct harm rather than a subset of sexual violence. The UN Secretary-General's 2025 review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action identified elevated levels of reproductive violence in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Ukraine. The reference in the resolution to acts "undertaken with the intent to destroy a group" echoes the language of the Genocide Convention and reflects the gravity of such acts, that can constitute crimesagainst humanity, as demonstrated in the findings by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory regarding Israel's use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023.
“This landmark recognition is an important step forward for women and girls in humanitarian crises. By naming reproductive violence, the Human Rights Council has made visible a distinct and devastating form of harm that has too often gone unrecognised. The focus must now be on turning this progress into stronger protection, survivor-centred services and accountability.” Dr Diana Pulido, Global Technical Lead, IPPF Humanitarian.
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This landmark recognition is an important step forward for women and girls in humanitarian crises. By naming reproductive violence, the Human Rights Council has made visible a distinct and devastating form of harm that has too often gone unrecognised. The focus must now be on turning this progress into stronger protection, survivor-centred services and accountability.
