Civil Society Call to Action on Human Rights, Diversity, Equality – ICPD +

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ICPD
– International Conference on Population and Development

http://sexualrightsinitiative.com/2013/icpd/petition/

THE HAGUE CIVIL SOCIETY CALL TO
ACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS & ICPD BEYOND 2014: ALL DIFFERENT, ALL HUMAN, ALL
EQUAL

We call on Governments to ensure the implementation of all human rights
obligations related to the ICPD PoA, including obligations relating to sexual
and reproductive rights. We call on governments and agencies to recommit
themselves to the comprehensive ICPD agenda which is anchored in the core Human
Rights principles of universality, indivisibility and interdependence.
Respecting, protecting, promoting and fulfilling sexual and reproductive health
and rights as Human Rights means meeting the needs and fulfilling the rights of
all people in our diversity – especially women, adolescents and other young
people, persons having diverse sexual and gender identities, indigenous
peoples, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, sex-workers, Roma
people, afro-descendants, dalits, rural, poor- all different, all human, and
all equal.

We urge governments and agencies to promote equality by tackling the
structural inequalities in societies that limit the enjoyment by all of their
sexual and reproductive rights; to remove the barriers to availability,
accessibility, acceptability and quality of comprehensive and integrated sexual
and reproductive health information and services for all; and to ensure that
all duty bearers are held accountable for the respect, protection, promotion
and fulfilment of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all. Efforts
must be particularly directed towards empowering individuals to exercise and
claim their sexual and reproductive rights as human rights.

Equality

We call on governments to address the root causes of structural inequalities
related to sexuality and reproduction, which contribute to the marginalization
of diverse groups of people. These inequalities are deeply rooted in
inequitable gender hierarchies and patriarchal notions of the need to control
women’s and girls’ bodies and sexualities. Governments must work to eliminate
discriminatory and harmful practices such as early and forced marriage, female
genital mutilation, forced sterilisation, and forced contraception that are
harmful to women and girls and perpetuate inequalities. Governments must
vigorously tackle such inequalities with a particular focus on young people,
and among them, especially adolescents whose needs and rights are often not
recognized.

We call on governments to take all needed steps to eliminate inequality,
stigma, discrimination and violence perpetuated against individuals on the
basis of perceived sexuality, sexual orientation, health status, gender,
ability, gender identity and gender expression, and to realise the full range
of human rights through: repealing or revising discriminatory laws; ensuring
their access to legal documentation reflecting their gender identity and to the
SRH services they need; and implementing public education programmes that
challenge inequitable sexuality and gender norms and promote gender equality,
respect for diversity and human rights. We call on governments to take
immediate steps to end the criminalization and other punitive regulation of
consensual sexual activities, reproduction, and gender expression which violate
individuals’ human rights and lead to negative health and development outcomes.

We call for
strengthened efforts to fight sexual exploitation and slavery, while explicitly
recognizing sex work as gainful employment, for the full realization of the
rights of sex workers to protection against harmful working conditions and
exploitation and the elimination of stigma, discrimination and violence.

Availability,
Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality of Services (AAAQ)

Governments
must address the socio-economic and cultural barriers that undermine or
restrict sexual and reproductive rights. This involves reviewing and reforming
macroeconomic policies that perpetuate inequality, inequity and human rights
violations and restrict availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality
of SRH services, and removing economic barriers that prevent people,
particularly marginalized groups, from accessing sexual and reproductive health
services. Governments must address the central challenge of girls’ and women’s
poverty and lack of access to quality services and other resources such as
education, along with unequal and discriminatory power dynamics that perpetuate
gender stereotypes and norms, and sexual and gender-based violence.

Governments must eliminate laws and policies that impose barriers to access to sexual
and reproductive health services and information including among others
parental, spousal and guardian consent or notification laws, and laws
criminalizing or in any way restricting girls’ and women’s access to safe
abortion services and post-abortion care.

We call on
governments and agencies to ensure access to a comprehensive, accessible, and
integrated package of sexual and reproductive health services, information and
education free from stigma, discrimination and violence and with full respect for
privacy, consent and confidentiality. These services must meet the sexual and
reproductive health needs of all. They must provide the widest possible range
of contraceptives including emergency contraception, male and female condoms
and other contraceptives, safe and legal abortion services, quality services
for the management of complications arising from unsafe abortion, skilled birth
attendance, emergency obstetric care, screening and treatment for sexually
transmitted infections, including HIV prevention, care and treatment, and
prevention and treatment of infertility. Services must be affordable,
accessible and free from coercion. They must meet the highest possible
standards for quality in line with international norms and guidelines, and they
must be acceptable to the populations for whom they are intended.

We call on
governments to: ensure sexual and reproductive health services are
youth-friendly with particular attention to adolescents; recognize, promote and
protect young peoples’ sexual rights as human rights; recognize that young
people have autonomy over their own bodies, pleasures and desires; facilitate
and guarantee the meaningful involvement of young people in policy-making; and
remove legal, political and regulatory barriers that hinder the empowerment of
young people in exercising and claiming their rights. Governments must ensure
young people’s access to youth-friendly, evidence-based comprehensive sexuality
education through the provision of scientifically accurate and non-judgemental
programmes in formal and informal settings, with supportive policy and legal
frameworks in place, accompanied by teacher training, supervision and
performance review mechanisms with young people, and adolescents in particular,
actively involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of
sexuality education programmes.

Accountability

We urge all
stakeholders to ensure that States, and other institutions, are accountable for
their obligations relating to sexual and reproductive rights. Accountability is
central to the promotion and protection of human rights, and to ensure the
delivery of quality services. It requires not just transparency but meaningful
participation by affected populations and civil society and effective and
independent institutions, complaint mechanisms and remedies when rights have
been violated. National, regional and international human rights mechanisms
need to be strengthened to ensure accountability. Effective accountability also
requires individuals to be aware of their entitlements with regard to sexual
and reproductive health and rights and to be enabled and empowered to make
claims grounded in them.

We call on governments, donors and agencies to assess accountability gaps
and to address them through effective planning, adequate resources, and regular
monitoring, evaluation, review and oversight with full and effective
participation by women’s and young people’s organizations as well as the
organizations of all those whose sexual and reproductive health and rights are
most at risk.

Nearly twenty years ago, the governments of the world came together and made
a promise to themselves and their citizens that sexuality and reproduction
would finally be removed from the shadows of bias, bigotry and shame. Many
advances have been made, but much more needs to be done before we see the
fulfilment of that promise. Slow progress has been a result of insufficient
attention to human rights as the anchor for laws, policies and programmes. It
is high time to change this once and for all, to bring human rights to the
centre of the implementation of the ICPD agenda so that we can realize our
sexual and reproductive health and rights no matter who we are or where we
live, and all truly celebrate the differences among us, while embracing our
equality and our common humanity.

(1) Declarations from regional civil society consultations: Africa: From
Accra to ICPD Beyond 2014: Recommendations from African CSOs and Young People,
Asia and the Pacific: Kuala Lumpur Call to Action, Caribbean: Ocho Rios
Declaration, Central and Eastern Europe: Warsaw Call to Action and Latin
America: Compromiso de Montevideo

Signatures

1. Aarthi Pai, India
2. ACDemocracia, Ecuador
3. Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD)
4. Alicia Ely Yamin
5. Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
6. Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW)
7. ASTRA Central and Eastern European Network for Sexual and Reproductive
Rights and Health
8. Balance, Mexico
9. Blue Diamond Society, Nepal
10. Cabildo de Mujeres de Cuenca, Ecuador
11. Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), St. Lucia
12. Carmen Barroso, Brazil/ USA
13. Catholics for Choice, Global
14. Center for People’s Development (CPD), Suriname
15. Center for Reproductive Rights, Global
16. Centre for Advocacy on Stigma and Marginalisation (CASAM), India
17. Chantal Umuhoza, Rwanda
18. Coalition of African Lesbians
19. Confederación Ecuatoriana de Mujeres por el Cambio (CONFEMEC), Ecuador
20. Dawn Cavanagh, South Africa
21. Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Global
22. Dorotea Wilson Thatum, Nicaragua
23. El Centro para la Autonomía y Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CADPI),
Nicaragua
24. Federation for Women and Family Planning, Poland
25. Global Interfaith and Secular Alliance (GISA)
26. HERA – Health Education and Research Association, Macedonia
27. The independent commission for human rights, Palestine
28. Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices (IAC)
29. International Network of Women with Disabilities
30. International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region
(IPPF/WHR)
31. Ipas, Global
32. Julia Terborg, Suriname
33. Likhaan Center for Women’s Health, Inc., Philippines
34. Lilián Abracinskas, Uruguay
35. Maen Ideis, Palestine
36. Mansah Prah, Ghana
37. MAP Foundation, Thailand
38. Meena Seshu, India
39. Mekong Migration Network, Greater Mekong Subregion

40.
menZDRAV Foundation (The Centre for Social Development and Men’s Health Support
Foundation), Russian Federation and Ukraine
41. MONFEMNET National Network Mongolia
42. Morissanda Kouyate, Dr.
43. Movimiento de Mujeres de Sectores Populares LUNA CRECIENTE, Ecuador
44. Mujer y Salud en Uruguay (MYSU)
45. MUSKAAN, Sangli, India
46. Namibia Women’s Health Network
47. Negash Teklu Gebremichael, Ethiopia
48. Plataforma Nacional por los Derechos de las Mujeres, Ecuador
49. Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), Global
50. Red de Mujeres Afrolatinoamericanas, Afrocaribeñas y de la Díaspora,
Nicaragua
51. Rocío Rosero Garcés, Ecuador
52. Roger Mark Desouza
53. Royal Tropical Institute, The Netherlands
54. Rozaria Memorial Trust, Zimbabwe
55. Rutgers WPF, The Netherlands
56. Rwandese Association for Family Welfare
57. Sandeep Prasad, Canada
58. SANGRAM, Sangli, India
59. Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI), Global
60. Sofia Gruskin, USA
61. Stuart Halford, UK
62. Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal
63. SWAN Foundation for the Human Rights of Sex Workers, Central and Eastern
Europe and Central Asia
64. Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad (VAMP), Sangli, India
65. Vicky Claeys, International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network
66. Women Enabled, Inc., Global
67. Women With Disabilities Australia
68. World Young Women’s Christian Association (World YWCA)
69. Young Women’s Christian Association of Republic of Benin
70. Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Global