TAG: reproductive rights

Make International Safe Abortion Day an Official UN day

UN agencies supporting women’s rights have been asked today to send “a strong signal” to governments around the world by passing a resolution at this year’s UN General Assembly in September to make International Safe Abortion Day an official UN day. An Open Letter was sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of UN Women, UN Development Programme, World Health Organization, UN Population Fund, UN Children’s Fund, UNAIDS, and UNESCO today.

Call for Papers: Disability and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

The forthcoming issue of RHM, which is produced in partnership with CREA, and co-edited with Janet Price and Renu Addlaka, is aimed at shedding light on the population of people with disabilities, focusing on their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). This is a subject that is slowly emerging from a private world of […]

The Moral Case for Abortion

This book sets out the ethical arguments for a woman’s right to choose. Drawing on the traditions of sociological thinking and moral philosophy, it maintains that there is a strong moral case for recognizing autonomy in personal decision-making about reproductive intentions. More than this, it argues that to prevent a woman from making her own choice to continue or end her pregnancy is to undermine the essence of her humanity.

South Africa: Police Abuse of Sex Workers

The Women’s Legal Centre has published their report on Police Abuse of Sex Workers in South Africa. Their report shows that 414 sex workers reported various types of violence perpetrated by police between 2011 and 2015. Of those, 13 were sexually assaulted, 71 were physically assaulted, 152 were verbally assaulted, 192 were harassed, and 254 experienced some other form of abuse.

Philippines: full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act

Philippines President Duterte has announced the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (RH Law) so that couples, especially the poor, will have freedom of informed choice on the number and spacing of children. The RH Law guarantees universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education and maternal […]

Abortion politics in Poland: “Save the Women” legal initiative tabled in Polish Parliament

The “Save the Women” Civic Committee has tabled a draft law in the Sejm, lower house of the Polish parliament, liberalizing the anti-abortion legislation in force in Poland since 1993. The draft law allows abortion on request until the 12th week of pregnancy, and improves access to contraception and sexuality education, After that abortion would be permissible along the same rules as those in effect today.

Intersex Genital Mutilations: UN Women’s Rights Committee Reprimands France

France is the 1st ever country to be reprimanded for IGM by 3 different UN treaty bodies, having previously been reprimanded by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in February 2016, and by the Committee against Torture (CAT) in May.

Sexual politics in July 2016

Between July 12th and 15th, right before the Durban International AIDS Conference, SPW organized a seminar in Umhlanga, the Northern District of the City. Thirty four researchers and activists from the Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe discussed key trends in sexual politics at regional and country levels as well as in specific domains […]

Criminal laws and sexuality

The problem is ‘criminal law’ by Sonia Corrêa Using media and legal services for the defense of LGBT rights in Mexico by Alejandro Brito Crosstalk: HIV and linking across areas of criminalisation by Susana Fried Shortcomings of Penal Policies in Addressing Sexual Rights Violations A RESURJ policy brief Image: Colateral effect, painting by Rosana Paulino

Crosstalk: HIV and linking across areas of criminalisation

In a moment of global attacks on civil society, an intersectional approach linking issues across HIV, sexuality, adult consensual sex and bodily integrity is critical. Now, more than ever. Speaking Wall, World AIDS Conference, Durban 2016. Photo: Alice Welbourn. Every international AIDS conference seems to have a theme or two that picks up energy as […]

Sexual rights, gender, health and rights of defenders at the United Nations HRC 2016

Gabriel Hoosain Khan, an LGBT activist from South Africa muses about the distance of UN bodies in Geneva from the realities of the world that we (or at least some of us) live in or know about. He says – “In Geneva it might be possible

Call for Submissions: Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion Watchdog

Recognizing 28 September as the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights is calling on all young activists to speak up for abortion rights! The Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion has been celebrated annually on 28 September […]