- What does sexual and reproductive health and rights mean?
- Who is most affected?
- How does a lack of sexual and reproductive health and rights affect women and girls?
- What about unwanted pregnancies?
- What are the links between sexual and reproductive health and HIV?
- How can traditional practices damage women’s reproductive health?
- What specific issues affect adolescent sexual and reproductive health?
What does sexual and reproductive health and rights mean?
It means that everyone should be able to have a responsible, satisfying and safe sex life, and all couples and individuals have the right to decide how many children they have, and when. It also means having the relevant information, services and contraceptives to do this safely. People should also have the right to decide when they have sex, free of discrimination, coercion or violence.
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Who is most affected?
Women and adolescents of both genders are most likely to suffer from inadequate sexual and reproductive health services and rights.
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How does a lack of sexual and reproductive health and rights affect women and girls?
Not having access to sexual and reproductive health services can result in unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections. These infections can lead to discomfort and chronic ill-health, as well as stillbirths or disabilities in a new born child.
Infections can also result in infertility, which can have grave social consequences for women. They may be divorced or abandoned, even if the problem lies with their male partner. Women are more susceptible to catching sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, if force or violence is used during sex.
What about unwanted pregnancies?
If they are unable to negotiate the use of contraception, and in the absence of effective family planning services, many pregnant women and girls seek terminations. However, access to safe abortions can be difficult or impossible. Abortion is outlawed in some countries, and may still be banned even if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. In the worst examples, doctors are not allowed to carry out abortions even if the mother’s life is at risk, with lengthy jail terms for those who break the law.
Women and girls who decide not to terminate unwanted pregnancies may be kicked out of school or thrown out of home, putting them at greater risk of poverty, violence and abuse.
What are the links between sexual and reproductive health and HIV?
There are very strong links. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection, which can also be transmitted during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. The HIV pandemic cannot be reversed without also addressing sexual and reproductive health.
Women are more biologically susceptible to HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections also increase the risk of HIV transmission. The prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections is one of many ways to help control the spread of HIV.
How can traditional practices damage women’s reproductive health?
Harmful traditional practices are still widespread in many parts of the world, with some devastating consequences for women and girls. For example:
- Female genital mutilation is the practice of partially or completely removing the female external genitalia, or in some way injuring the female genital organs, for cultural reasons. It is still a deeply rooted tradition in nearly 30 African countries and in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, despite 25 years of international efforts to end the practice. Estimates suggest that 100-140 million girls and women around the world today have been mutilated. Another three million girls, mostly under 15, are at risk every year. Female genital mutilation can have devastating health and social consequences.
- Child marriages are often justified with cultural, traditional, or religious arguments, and poverty plays a strong role in family decision-making. More than 100 million girls will be married before the age of 18 in the decade between 2004 and 2014. There can be serious health consequences for the child – early sexual activity, often with limited access to contraception, health services or health information, can lead to repeated pregnancies and childbirth before girls are physically and psychologically ready.
What specific issues affect adolescent sexual and reproductive health?
Sensitivities and disapproval of young people having sex means there is often a lack of information available and limited access to confidential health services for testing and treating sexually transmitted infections and contraception. Often health services that do exist aren’t youth-friendly, so take up is low.
Traditional practices in some countries can also negatively affect adolescents’ sexual health. For example, being introduced to sex by an ‘uncle’ or ‘aunt’, as part of a rite of passage. Economics can also play a part. Girls wanting some extra money may have sex with wealthier, older men – for money or gifts. In some countries this is thought to be one of the key routes in which HIV has spread through the adolescent population.
Last modified: 13/01/2011
