Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is
the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a
combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from
each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are
sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In
the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently
intertwined.
Distinctions between these four fields are not always
made. Sexual health and reproductive health are sometimes treated as synonymous
to each other, as are sexual rights and reproductive rights. In some cases,
sexual rights are included in the term sexual health, or vice versa. Not only
do different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governments use
different terminologies, but different terminologies are often used within the
same organization.
Some of the notable global NGOs that fight for sexual
and reproductive health and rights include RIA (Rainbow Identity Association), ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Alliance), WAS
(World Association for Sexual Health - formerly known as World Association for
Sexology), and International HIV/AIDS Alliance.
Sexual Health
The World Health Organization defines sexual health
as: "Sexual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in
relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful approach to
sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having
pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and
violence."
Sexual Rights
Unlike the other three aspects of SRHR, the struggle
for sexual rights include, and focus on, sexual pleasure and emotional sexual
expression. One platform for this struggle is the WAS Declaration of Sexual
Rights.
The Platform for Action from the 1995 Beijing
Conference on Women established that human rights include the right of women
freely and without coercion, violence or discrimination, to have control over
and make decisions concerning their own sexuality, including their own sexual
and reproductive health. This paragraph has been interpreted by some countries
as the applicable definition of women’s sexual rights. The UN Commission on
Human Rights has established that if women had more power, their ability to
protect themselves against violence would be strengthened.
At the 14th World Congress of Sexology (Hong Kong,
1999), the WAS adopted the Declaration of Sexual Rights, which originally
included 11 sexual rights. It was heavily revised and expanded in March 2014 by
the WAS Advisory Council to include 16 sexual rights:
·
The right to equality and
non-discrimination
·
The right to life, liberty and security of
the person
·
The right to autonomy and bodily integrity
·
The right to be free from torture and
cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment
·
The right to be free from all forms of
violence and coercion
·
The right to privacy
·
The right to the highest attainable
standard of health, including sexual health; with the possibility of
pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences
·
The right to enjoy the benefits of
scientific progress and its application
·
The right to information
·
The right to education and the right to
comprehensive sexuality education
·
The right to enter, form, and dissolve
marriage and similar types of relationships based on equality and full and free
consent
·
The right to decide whether to have
children, the number and spacing of children, and to have the information and
the means to do so
·
The right to the freedom of thought,
opinion, and expression
·
The right to freedom of association and
peaceful assembly
·
The right to participation in public and
political life
·
The right to access to justice, remedies,
and redress
This Declaration influenced The Yogyakarta Principles
(which were launched as a set of international principles relating to sexual
orientation and gender identity on 26 March 2007), especially on the idea of
each person's integrity, and right to sexual and reproductive health.
In 2015 the U.S. government said it would begin using
the term "sexual rights" in discussions of human rights and global
development.
Reproductive Health
Within the framework of the World Health Organization's
(WHO) definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive
health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes,
functions and system at all stages of life. Reproductive health, therefore,
implies that people are able to have a responsible, satisfying and safer sex
life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide
if, when and how often to do so. One interpretation of this implies that men
and women ought to be informed of and to have access to safe, effective,
affordable and acceptable methods of birth control; also access to appropriate
health care services of sexual, reproductive medicine and implementation of
health education programs to stress the importance of women to go safely
through pregnancy and childbirth could provide couples with the best chance of
having a healthy infant. On the other hand, individuals do face inequalities in
reproductive health services. Inequalities vary based on socioeconomic status,
education level, age, ethnicity, religion, and resources available in their
environment. It is possible for example, that low income individuals lack the
resources for appropriate health services and the knowledge to know what is
appropriate for maintaining reproductive health.
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms
relating to reproduction and reproductive health. The World Health Organization
defines reproductive rights as follows:
Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the
basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the
number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and
means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and
reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions
concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.
By Urbenia Unaswi Kgwarae
By Urbenia Unaswi Kgwarae
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