The 12 Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights

The International Women's Month is a celebration inspired by women's groups around the world who despite division of national boundaries and ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences have founded for us a tradition representing at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

According to a site of the United Nations, the celebration is actually a story of ordinary women as makers of history. "Celebration is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war. And that during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for 'liberty, equality, and fraternity' marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage."

It has been said that the idea of an International Women's Month first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies. One of these most striking events was that in 1911 wherein more than one million women (and men as well!) attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination and sexual harassment on the job.

Ninety-six years later, we continue to commemorate the historic struggle to improve women's lives. And part of this continuing struggle is a deeper awareness of our human rights. Women's rights.

In relation to this, the International Planned Parenthood Federation works through over 150 national family planning associations worldwide, and in at least 30 additional countries to educate women, men and young people about sexual and reproductive health, choices and human rights.

In 1995, the IPPF and its 127 member associations approved a Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Rights that serves as a guiding document in addressing sexual and reproductive issues.

The IPPF Charter is based on 12 rights, which are grounded in international human rights instruments. The Charter demonstrates the legitimacy of sexual and reproductive rights as human rights by applying internationally agreed language from human rights treaties, which have the status of international law, to sexual and reproductive health and rights issues.

These 12 sexual and reproductive rights are:

* The right to life should be invoked to protect women whose lives are currently endangered by pregnancy;

* The right to liberty and security of the person should be invoked to protect women currently at risk from genital mutilation, or subject to forced pregnancy, sterilization or abortion;

* The right to equality and to be free from all forms of discrimination should be invoked to protect the right of all people, regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family position, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, to equal access to information, education and services related to development, and to sexual and reproductive health;

* The right to privacy should be invoked to protect the right of all clients of sexual and reproductive health care information, education and services to a degree of privacy, and to confidentiality with regards to personal information given to service providers;

* The right to freedom of thought should be invoked to protect the right of all persons to access to education and information related to their sexual and reproductive health free from restrictions on grounds of thought, conscience and religion;

* The right to information and education should be invoked to protect the right of all persons to access to full information on the benefits, risks and effectiveness of all methods of fertility regulation, in order that any decisions they take on such matters are made with full, free and informed consent;

* The right to choose whether or not to marry and to found and plan a family should be invoked to protect all persons against any marriage entered into without the full, free and informed consent of both partners;

* The right to decide whether or when to have children should be invoked to protect the right of all persons to reproductive health care services which offer the widest possible range of safe, effective and acceptable methods of fertility regulation, and are accessible, affordable, acceptable and convenient to all users;

* The right to health care and health protection should be invoked to protect the right of all persons to the highest possible quality of health care, and the right to be free from traditional practices which are harmful to health;

* The right to the benefits of scientific progress should be invoked to protect the right of all persons to access to available reproductive health care technology which independent studies have shown to have an acceptable risk/benefit profile, and where to withhold such technology would have harmful effects on health and well-being;

* The right to freedom of assembly and political participation should be invoked to protect the right to form an association which aims to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights; and

* The right to be free from torture and ill treatment should be invoked to protect children, women and men from all works of sexual violence, exploitation and abuse.

* * *

Visit pinaymangatkatay.multiply.com
Interact 09215323616