Alongside the 26th session of the Council, the Sexual Rights Initiative, in partnership with, Amnesty International, Ipas and UNAIDS, hosted a parallel event examining the interplay of the criminalization of sexuality and reproduction with the international human rights framework.

event photoTopics of discussion included the ways criminalization of different aspects of sexuality relates to control over one’s choices, restriction on autonomy and disregard for consent. Panellists explored these issues through an intersectional lens to enable a discussion of effective and rights‐based strategies to restore the control of every person over their sexuality, body and life.
Neha Sood, representing the Sexual Rights Initiative and Action Canada for Population and Development, provided welcome remarks. The event was moderated by Anand Grover, human rights lawyer and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Panellists included:

Grace Wilentz, YouAct: European Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights, discussed laws relating to age of consent to sexual activity and the right to comprehensive sexuality education.

Karolina Wieckiewicz, the Sexual Rights Initiative & the Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning, discussed the criminalisation of abortion and contraceptive use.

Irina Maslova, Sex Workers Rights Advocacy Network (SWAN) & Silver Rose, discussed the criminalisation of sex work, exploring the negative impacts associated with criminalization.

Sunita Kujur, the Sexual Rights Initiative & CREA, discussed criminal laws relating to sexual activity, identifying the intersections between punitive laws on the grounds of gender expression, which are often grounded in perceptions of culture and tradition.

Patrick Eba, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), presented case studies from around the world where the transmission, non-disclosure and exposure of HIV is criminalized, and the associated human rights violations.

During the discussion period, attendees identified and explored areas of contradiction and commonality for further collaborative advocacy. Examples of issues discussed include the application of age of consent laws in cases where one party is under the age of consent and the other above, contradictions between laws, legal norms and standards and dominant societal views surrounding issues of sexuality and reproduction, and viewing stigma as a cross-cutting issue and strategy to facilitate legal and social change.

Mr. Grover concluded the event, recognizing that the impacts of the criminalization of sexuality and reproduction are experienced at the level of the individual. When empowered with respect for their autonomy and agency, affected individuals and their communities are best placed to identify solutions. Looking ahead, Mr. Grover expressed that it is critical that these issues remain on the agendas of the Human Rights Council and General Assembly.

A full report on the event can be accessed via the link below.

The Sexual Rights Initiative is a coalition of organizations comprising of Action Canada for Population and Development, Akahata (Latin America), Coalition for African Lesbians, Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action (India), Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Federation for Women and Family Planning (Poland). For more information, visit: www.sexualrightsinitiative.com
Link: Event Report |