Washington, June 21, 2023.
Mr. Secretary, Member States, civil society colleagues.
This Coalition wishes to urge member states to promote and protect the equality and human rights and dignity of all people without distinction, exclusion or discrimination of any kind.
Sexual and reproductive rights are a significant aspect of human rights. Strengthening a culture of democratic accountability implies respecting, promoting and guaranteeing these rights. Unfortunately, there is a wide gap in the region between the letter of the law and its implementation.
Honorable Secretary and representatives of the Member States, in LAC, the high prevalence rates of violence, including sexual violence, experienced by women by their partners throughout their lives vary by country, but always at pandemic levels.
Latin America and the Caribbean ranks second among the world’s regions for its teenage pregnancy rate. Every year in the region, five out of every 100 pregnancies occur in girls under the age of 20, many as a result of rape, and 2 million children are born to young mothers between the ages of 15 and 19. The Dominican Republic and Guyana have the highest rates of unwanted teenage pregnancy in the Caribbean, while Bolivia and Venezuela have the highest rates in South America.
In most Caribbean countries, the age of consent is 16 years. However, the Caribbean context is marked by early sexual onset with an average age of 14 years for first sexual encounter (Allen, 2013; WHO/GSHS, 2017). Navigating access to sexual and reproductive health services is a major obstacle for sexually active youth, along with legal barriers and socio-cultural barriers produce a judgment-laden and shame-based environment.
One in four girls is forced to marry or enter into early unions on this continent. Girls and women, in all their diversities, are the most affected by poverty.
Although many Caribbean countries have frameworks for health and family life education, there are concerns regarding the quality and content, as well as the level of implementation of these curricula, as they do not sufficiently address the need for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). On the other hand, in the countries of the Americas where CSE regulations exist, they do not reach all girls and adolescents.
Our region is burdened with the shame and pain of deaths from unsafe abortions that have shattered the lives of women and their families. Unsafe abortion remains a serious public health problem in most countries. Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Curaçao, Dominica, Haiti, United States, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago have restrictive abortion laws, while 7 countries prohibit abortion altogether: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Suriname, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti and Jamaica.
Representatives of the Member States, we ask you to take into account the obligations enshrined in international law, and the urgent need to comply with the principles of progressiveness and universality of human rights for all people, as a means to strengthen weakened democracies.
Finally, we would like to invite the State missions to hold an election of new IACHR Commissioners that responds to the inter-American tradition of respect for fundamental rights, including sexual and reproductive rights. We hope that, regardless of their ideological positions, the votes they cast at the end of this Assembly will reflect the commitments they made as signatories to the Inter-American Convention.
Thank you very much.
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Honorable Secretary, Member States, colleagues from civil society.
This Coalition wishes to urge the member states to promote and protect equality and human rights, as well as the dignity of all people without any distinction, exclusion or discrimination.
Sexual and reproductive rights is a significant aspect of human rights. Strengthening a culture of democratic responsibility implies respecting, promoting and guaranteeing these rights. Sadly however, there is a large gap in the region between the letter of the law and its implementation.
Honourable Secretary and representatives of Member States, in LAC, high prevalence rates of violence, including sexual violence, experienced by women from their partners throughout their lives vary by country, but always in levels of pandemic.
Latin America and the Caribbean ranks second among the world regions for its adolescent pregnancy rate. Every year in the region, five out of every 100 pregnancies occur in children under 20 years of age, many as a result of rape, and 2 million children are born to young mothers between the ages of 15 and 19. The Dominican Republic and Guyana have the highest rates of unintended teenage pregnancies in the Caribbean, whilst Bolivia and Venezuela have the highest rates in South America.
In most countries of the Caribbean, the age of consent is 16. However, the Caribbean context is marked by early sexual debut with a mean age of 14 years for the first sexual encounter (Allen, 2013; WHO/GSHS, 2017). Navigating access to sexual and reproductive health services is a major hindrance for sexually active young persons, along with legal barriers and sociocultural barriers produce a judgement-laden and shame-based environment.
1 in 4 girls is forced to marry or establish an early union on this continent. Girls and women, in all their diversities, are most impacted by poverty.
Although many Caribbean countries have frameworks for health and family life education, there are concerns regarding the quality and content, as well as the level of implementation of these curricula, as they do not sufficiently address the need for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). On the other hand, in the countries of the Americas where there are regulations on CSE, it does not reach every girl and adolescent.
Our region bears the shame and pain of deaths from unsafe abortions that have destroyed the lives of women and their families. Unsafe abortion continues to be a serious public health concern in most countries. Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, Haiti, United States, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago have restrictive abortion laws, whilst 7 countries totally prohibit abortion: the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Suriname, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti and Jamaica.
Representatives of the member states, we kindly ask that you take into account the obligations enshrined under International Law, and the urgent need to comply with the principles of progressiveness and universality of human rights for all people, as a means of strengthening weakened democracies.
Finally, we want to invite the State missions to hold an election for new Commissioners of the IACHR that responds to the inter-American tradition of respect for fundamental rights, including sexual and reproductive rights. We hope that, regardless of your ideological positions, the votes you cast at the end of this Assembly reflect the commitments you acquired as signatories to the Inter-American Convention.
Thank you so much.
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