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Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In his first report, the Independent Expert underlined the relationship between sexual orientation and gender identity and other issues, including racism, poverty, migration, disability and other factors. A particular concern to be highlighted here is the plight of children and youth from the perspective of gender diversity. Thus, on the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, 17 May 2017, the Independent Expert and a range of United Nations human rights treaty bodies and special procedures, as well as regional mechanisms, issued a joint statement calling for protection of transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents. The following excerpt epitomizes the universal message: We call on States to adopt and implement effective measures prohibiting violence, anti-discrimination laws covering gender identity and expression — real or perceived — as well as sexual orientation as prohibited grounds for discrimination, to develop inclusive curriculums and learning materials, training for and support to teachers and other school staff, education and support programmes for parents, safe and non-discriminatory access to bathrooms, and awareness-raising programmes nurturing respect and understanding for gender diversity. On another front, the mere existence of laws or by-laws criminalizing gender expression including through offences of “cross dressing” or “imitating the opposite sex” and other such discriminatory regulations impact on the liberty and security of these young people, tend to foster a climate where hate speech, violence and discrimination are condoned and perpetrated with impunity. Criminalization and pervasive discrimination in such context lead to the denial of health care, including safe gender affirming procedures, and to the lack of access to information and related services. Pathologizing trans and gender diverse people — branding them as ill based on their gender identity and expression — has historically been, and continues to be, one of the root causes behind the human rights violations against them. We reiterate our call for States to decriminalize and depathologize trans and gender diverse identities and expressions, including for young transgender people, prohibit “conversion therapies” and refrain from adopting new criminalizing laws and pathologizing medical classifications, including in the context of the upcoming review of the International Classification of Diseases. We also call on States to provide equal access to health care and access to gender affirming treatment to those who seek it.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 59i
- Paragraph text
- States should ensure that a variety of stakeholders adopt educational and capacity-building measures in regard to sexual orientation and gender identity to nurture empathy towards the diversity inherent to humanity, from a young age. They should also strengthen capacity-building of law enforcers and related personnel, including through integration of sexual orientation and gender identity into their training and educational curriculum, to enhance understanding for sexual and gender diversity.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The work of UNICEF is guided particularly by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Its programming on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues, and its link with children and youth, is part of its equity strategy to enable all children to develop and realize their potential without discrimination. UNICEF is increasingly looking at child protection through the lens of action against violence and discrimination, inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. Interestingly, in Goal 16, the target is to eliminate violence against children totally in the next 15 years; this also implies a relationship with sexual orientation and gender identity, in order to leave no children behind.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The present report endeavours to set the scene for more monitoring and advocacy to protect people from violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It is also important to comprehend the multi-layered nature of the violence and discrimination — it starts at home, extends into the educational spectrum, influences the community environment, and continues into the State setting and beyond. It has a longitudinal trajectory, with intergenerational implications. It is also concurrently personal/personalized, family-based, community-influenced and systemic, and at times is linked with institutional violence and discrimination. To overcome these impediments, it is necessary to “start young” with promoting mutual respect and tolerance.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- The present section highlights developments in the past few months, particularly in relation to action against violence and discrimination at the international and national levels, the intersectionality between sexual orientation and gender identity and other issues, such as children and youth, and the Independent Expert’s dialogues and support for international and national cooperation. Good practices and gaps are identified in sections V and VI on decriminalization and anti-discrimination, respectively.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- In some situations, children and youth, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex youth, and women can be vulnerable to violence, requiring access to safe housing and basic services if they are to thrive in the urban context. These groups are often forced into homelessness by sexual and other violence, socioeconomic deprivation, and religious and cultural intolerance within their homes or communities. A sound housing structure does not guarantee safety within housing for these vulnerable groups. When women, children and youth leave their homes, they require both short- and long-term support to secure adequate housing, as they often lack the means to secure housing themselves. In this regard, diverse, culturally appropriate options must be made available.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Manifestations and causes of domestic servitude 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Domestic bonded labour can be linked to gender-discriminatory cultural practices. Among certain ethnic groups in Ghana and neighbouring countries, for instance, girls as young as 6-10 years old are forced into bonded labour, serving as so-called trokosi or vudusi in the household of priests at local fetish shrines. They are given by their parents to the shrine to pay the shrine for erasing a moral failing or curse attached to the parents. In addition to performing domestic chores and ritual duties at the shrine, a trokosi is usually also expected to work long hours on farmland belonging to the shrine. From puberty, she is expected to endure sexual relations with the fetish priest. Although the Government of Ghana has criminalized the practice, it has not yet been eradicated.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- The obligations of non-discrimination and equality oblige States to ensure that employment creation policies benefit all sectors of society equally. Policies that increase the employability (for example, through demand-driven skills development and vocational training) of groups that face specific barriers in their access to employment, such as women, persons with disabilities, young people and indigenous populations, will assist States in fulfilling their human rights obligations. To remove obstacles to employment for women, States should ensure the availability of care services (from the State, the community and the market), the redistribution of paid and unpaid work from a gender perspective and the elimination of all forms of gender discrimination. States are not only obliged to undertake effective legislation to this end, but also to take measures to modify social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- The past twenty years have witnessed the formulation of a multitude of tools and standards relevant to gender and forced displacement, which increasingly include IDW. While some standards and practices focus on particular issues such as reproductive health and SGBV, others tackle gender and displacement in a cross-cutting manner. The Guiding Principles formed the first normative framework to detail a number of specific rights of IDW, including non-discrimination and the right of expectant mothers, mothers of young children, and female heads of household, inter alia, to protection and assistance that "takes into account their special needs". The Guiding Principles identify various forms of violence and exploitation against which IDPs should be protected, including SGBV, underline the right of IDW to access all necessary documents, education and training, and call for the active participation of women in decision-making at all stages of displacement. They have informed subsequent instruments and frameworks, which address IDW, such as the Kampala Convention and the Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- The fact that in many instances women and girls risk being harassed when they relieve themselves in the open or in public facilities is partly due to the structural and systematic use of stereotypes and stigma. The promotion of awareness-raising campaigns, targeted education programmes and discussion groups, among other measures, to transform both men's and women's perceptions of gender roles is therefore encouraged. Gender-based violence must be prevented and investigated, and those responsible must be prosecuted, in order to break patterns of societal acceptance of exclusion and violence based on gender norms. Recognizing that young people may grow up to be change makers, curricula in all schools should challenge gender stereotypes and encourage critical thinking.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) defines sex workers as "female, male and transgender adults and young people who receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services, either regularly or occasionally, and who may or may not consciously define those activities as income-generating". It is noted, however, that no single term adequately covers the range of transactions worldwide that involve sex work (the term "sex worker" is increasingly used within the sector, as it is considered less stigmatizing and a better descriptor of workers' experiences than the word "prostitute").
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Adequate knowledge about sexual and reproductive health has repeatedly proved to be effecting in lowering rates of maternal mortality; preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections; delaying the onset of sexual intercourse; increasing knowledge about family planning options; and protecting against gender-based violence (see E/C.12/2000/4, para. 21). Empowering women through comprehensive education and information on sexual and reproductive health is also imperative since young women often have less power or control in their relationships, which make them disproportionately vulnerable to coercion, abuse and exploitation. As a tool for empowerment and means to critically examine gender inequalities and stereotypes, comprehensive education and information also becomes a way of eroding deeply entrenched systems of patriarchy; such systems perpetuate violations of women's rights, including their right to health (see A/65/162, paras. 7-9). Providing women with knowledge and skills relating to their sexual and reproductive health, related education and information enhances their freedom in making informed health-related decisions, and promotes their equal participation in society.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are at risk of "punitive" rape on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Adolescents suffer disproportionately from the effects of gun violence and significant numbers of adolescents face serious harm or death as a consequence of armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- According to a study carried out by the Guttmacher Institute, about half of 15 19-year-olds in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda have received some form of sexual education at school. In Malawi, 66 per cent of females and 56 per cent of males aged 15-19 who have attended school report that they have not received any kind of sexual education. In Burkina Faso the challenge is greater, since more than half of 15-19-year-olds have never attended school.56 Also, in the final years of primary education (age 12-14), young people are reaching a sexually active age and therefore need to have specific knowledge on preventing unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection. This suggests that sexual education should start before the end of primary education if it is to have some degree of effectiveness and a chance of changing behaviour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- As in all areas of education, sexual education must be adapted to different age groups and cultures. In addition, teaching strategies must be differentiated and flexible to meet the differing needs of female and male students, taking into account the fact that persons with special needs - such as young people not attending school or young married women - need to be taught about sexuality through methods other than formal education, as do adults who, often because of misconceptions, do not have a full sexual life.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- In order to be comprehensive, sexual education must provide the tools needed for decision-making in relation to a sexuality corresponding to the lifestyle which each human being chooses in the context of his or her situation. For this reason, the sexual education given to children and young people is crucial. In fact, decision makers involved in formal education should consider sexual education as an essential way of enhancing education in general and promoting quality of life. It has been said that education for sexuality is "an essential part of a good curriculum".2
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- According to a study by the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), in East Asia most countries had sexual education policies, and many had had them since the early 1990s. Of the cases studied, the policies most widely implemented were those of Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, the Philippines and Thailand. In addition, since 2009, progress has been made in the implementation of public policies and national laws in several countries. However, although some form of sexual education is provided in the region, most young people do not receive comprehensive sexual education.48
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Article 23 of the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Young People establishes the right to sexual education: 1) The States Parties recognize that the right to education also includes the right to sexual education as a source of personal development, effectiveness and communicative expression, as well as information on reproduction and its consequences; 2) Sexual education shall be provided at all levels of education and shall promote responsible conduct in the exercise of sexuality, aimed at its full acceptance and identity and at the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and sexual abuse or violence; 3) The States Parties recognize the important function and responsibility of the family in the sexual education of young people; 4) The States Parties shall adopt and implement sexual education policies, establishing plans and programmes ensuring information and the full and responsible exercise of this right.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- One of the fundamental challenges to achieving change in people's behaviour and attitudes through education is the need to involve families and communities, avoiding the false dichotomy between the family and the State as guarantor of the right to comprehensive sexual education. Studies indicate that in some countries, one third of young women and one fifth of young men aged 15 to 19 say that they have never discussed sexuality-related issues with their parents.56 Thus, both real life and international law provide ample reason to oppose movements that seek to relieve States of their obligation to provide sexual education in the name of alleged and often non-existent family education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In order for sexual education to be comprehensive and to meet its goals, it must have a solid gender perspective. Many studies have shown that young people who believe in gender equality have better sexual lives. Conversely, when this is not the case, their intimate relations are generally marked by inequality. Sexual education should therefore focus on gender norms, roles and relationships.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- In its concluding observations, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has called for the provision of education on sexual and reproductive health and has specifically recommended sexual education as a means of ensuring the right of women to health, particularly reproductive health, as well as full access to sexual education for all girls and young women, including in rural areas and indigenous communities. The Committee has also recommended the development of training programmes and counselling services on reproductive health and has expressed the view that sexual education and awareness campaigns are appropriate means of reducing maternal and infant mortality. The Committee has associated the lack of education with the practice of abortion as a primary means of family planning and has advocated education programmes aimed at eliminating female genital mutilation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Women’s right and the right to food 2013, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Women's access to employment in the industry or the services sectors of the economy requires improved access to education for girls; and infrastructural and services investments that relieve women from part of the burden of the household chores that women shoulder disproportionately. Millennium Development Goal 1, on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, includes a target (1.B) to "achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people," an implicit recognition that women, due to discrimination and lack of educational opportunities, are generally disadvantaged in access to employment. In September 2010, Heads of State and Government at the High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals pledged to invest in "infrastructure and labour-saving technologies, especially in rural areas, benefiting women and girls by reducing their burden of domestic activities, affording the opportunity for girls to attend school and women to engage in self-employment or participate in the labour market," as well as to remove "barriers and expanding support for girls' education through measures such as providing free primary education, a safe environment for schooling and financial assistance such as scholarships and cash transfer programmes".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Overview of the activities carried during the first three-year term of the mandate 2011, para. 146
- Paragraph text
- We commit to reduce maternal and child mortality and to improve the health of women, youth and children. We reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and to protect the rights of women, men and youth to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including access to sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence. We will work actively to ensure that health systems provide the necessary information and health services addressing the sexual and reproductive health of women, including by working towards universal access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable modern methods of family planning, as this is essential for women's health and advancing gender equality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Rights of indigenous women and girls 2015, para. 72a
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the significant constraints facing them, there are many instances where indigenous women having successfully mobilized to fight for their rights. Those successes have led to the development of promising practices in relation to the respect and protection of indigenous women. The following examples of good practice are illustrative and not exhaustive:] As observed by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, the tribal justice system of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the United States has an effective infrastructure to provide safety of women within their jurisdiction, including dedicated codes to address domestic violence and training for personnel of tribal law enforcement authorities, tribal courts, prosecutors and probation officers. Furthermore, tribal courts have ordered that offenders enrol in re-education programmes and tribes support programmes to encourage boys and young men to respect women;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Rights of indigenous peoples, including their economic, social and cultural rights in the post-2015 development framework 2014, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The existence of relevant information is a vital precondition for devising adequate policy responses for addressing inequalities and for monitoring the effectiveness of measures to overcome discrimination, both within and between countries, as well as for identifying additional gender-based discrimination. In this context, the Special Rapporteur commends the efforts of the Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to "democratize information". With the support of a number of United Nations agencies, donor agencies and private funders, the Commission has established a comprehensive database, which provides sociodemographic data on indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants in the region, including data disaggregated by sex and age, as well as data on internal migration, health, youth and the territorial distribution of inequalities. The basis of much of this impressive work is the inclusion by most countries in Latin America of an "indigenous identifier" into their 2000 census round, thus building data through the self-identification of individuals as being a member of an indigenous community.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Overview of the activities carried during the first three-year term of the mandate 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- We emphasize that sustainable development must be inclusive and people-centred, benefiting and involving all people, including youth and children. We recognize that gender equality and women's empowerment are important for sustainable development and our common future. We reaffirm our commitments to ensure women's equal rights, access and opportunities for participation and leadership in the economy, society and political decision-making.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Girls and young women with disabilities are disproportionately affected by different forms of gender-based violence, including physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse; bullying; coercion; arbitrary deprivation of liberty; institutionalization; female infanticide; trafficking; neglect; domestic violence; and harmful practices such as child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation, forced sterilization and invasive and irreversible involuntary treatments (see A/HRC/20/5, paras. 12-27). Many of those forms of violence are a consequence of the intersection between disability and gender, and might happen while a girl or young woman with disabilities performs daily hygiene, receives treatment or is overmedicated. Gender-based violence occurs at home, in institutions, in schools, in health centres and in other public and private facilities, and perpetrators are frequently relatives, caregivers and professionals on whom the girl or young woman may depend.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- For women with disabilities, disability inclusion and gender equality cannot be achieved without addressing their sexual and reproductive health and rights. In particular, girls and young women with disabilities are able to develop their own identities and realize their full potential when their sexual and reproductive health needs and rights are met. That contributes to ensuring their health and well-being, reducing the existing gaps in their access to education and employment and achieving their empowerment. When those needs and rights are not met, they are exposed to unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, gender-based violence and sexual abuse, child marriage and other harmful practices that hamper their participation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- States need to provide comprehensive and non-discriminatory sexuality education to girls and young women with disabilities, both within and outside school (see A/65/162, paras. 62 and 87). It should include information about self-esteem and healthy relationships; sexual and reproductive health, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases; the prevention of sexual and other forms of exploitation, violence and abuse; stigma and prejudices against persons with disabilities; gender roles; and human rights. Indeed, sexuality education has been found to be effective in improving the sexual knowledge and skills of youth with disabilities, and in reducing sexual violence against them. States must ensure that their sexuality education programmes are inclusive of girls and young women with disabilities and their specific needs, and that they are made available in accessible and alternative communication formats. Peer-education programmes are effective ways to enhance knowledge and skills with regard to the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Many girls and young women with disabilities do not have access to information and education about sexual and reproductive health and rights and related services. Several studies found that youth with disabilities, especially girls and young women with intellectual disabilities, have low levels of sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health and rights knowledge, including information with regard to the prevention and transmission of HIV. The lack of inclusive education prevents girls and young women with disabilities from accessing comprehensive sexuality education, as those programmes are usually not available in special education settings. In addition, comprehensive sexuality education is not always delivered in accessible formats and alternative languages, and very often it does not address disability-specific needs. Stigma and stereotypes about female sexuality can also lead to the exclusion of girls and young women with disabilities from existing comprehensive sexuality education programmes by their parents, guardians and teachers. There is a general lack of guidance for families and teachers on how to talk about sexuality and equality with girls and young women with disabilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph