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Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work 2017, para. 40 (x)
- Paragraph text
- Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences, including universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes, and recognizing that the human rights of women include their right to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on all matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence, as a contribution to the fulfilment of their economic rights, independence and empowerment;
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Health is defined by the World Health Organization as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”. Women’s rights to equality and to the highest attainable standards of health, including those related to reproductive and sexual health, and the interconnected right to a life free of violence are enshrined in international and regional human rights instruments and reaffirmed in international consensus agreements, yet remain among the most contested and violated women’s human rights standards. Gender-based violence and the instrumentalization and politicization of women’s bodies and women’s health agenda continue to undermine the fulfilment of women’s human rights throughout the world. These violations, fed by patriarchal ideologies and stereotypes that reduce women to means of reproduction or sexual objects, undermine women’s autonomy and self-determination, affecting the fulfilment of their human rights.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- In her thematic reports, the Special Rapporteur has underscored the importance of ensuring a gender perspective in all interventions related to persons with disabilities, stressing the significant additional barriers that women and girls with disabilities encounter that can prevent them from the full enjoyment of their rights. As international and national efforts on the rights of persons with disabilities have too often failed to take into account a gender perspective, it is urgent that the multifaceted discrimination, marginalization and compounded human rights violations that women and girls with disabilities face in most societies be addressed (see A/HRC/28/58, para. 19 (d)).
- 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
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The present report focuses on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities. The term “girls with disabilities” refers to women with disabilities below the age of 18 years, whereas the term “young women with disabilities” refers to women between 15 and 24 years of age. The Special Rapporteur stresses that those women face significant challenges in making autonomous decisions with regard to their reproductive and sexual health, and are regularly exposed to violence, abuse and harmful practices, including forced sterilization, forced abortion and forced contraception. She recalls that States have an obligation to invest in the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities, and to end all forms of violence against them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- 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. 29
- Paragraph text
- The forced sterilization of girls and young women with disabilities represents a widespread human rights violation across the globe. Girls and young women with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to forced and involuntary sterilization for different reasons, including eugenics, menstrual management and pregnancy prevention. Women with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, as well as those placed in institutions, are particularly vulnerable to forced sterilization. Despite the limited data on current practices, studies show that the sterilization of women and girls with disabilities continues to be prevalent, and up to three times higher than the rate for the general population.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Other medical procedures or interventions that are often performed without the free and informed consent of girls and young women with disabilities include forced contraception and forced abortion. Contraception is often used to control menstruation at the request of health professionals or parents. Moreover, while the contraceptive needs of girls and young women with disabilities are the same as those without disabilities, they receive contraception more often by way of injection or through intrauterine devices rather than orally, as it is less burdensome for families and service providers. In addition, girls and young women with disabilities are frequently pressured to end their pregnancies owing to negative stereotypes about their parenting skills and eugenics-based concerns about giving birth to a child with disabilities. During official country visits, the Special Rapporteur has received information about compulsory regular gynaecological checks and the use of forced abortion in institutions as a way to contain the institution’s population.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- States need to take all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures necessary to ensure the provision of procedural and age-appropriate accommodations for girls and young women with disabilities, which is essential to enabling their effective direct and indirect participation, including as witnesses, in all legal proceedings, from investigative and other preliminary stages to court hearings. All protection services must be age-, gender- and disability-sensitive. For instance, the Kenya Association for the Intellectually Handicapped provides training to law enforcement officials, health personnel and service providers on the provision of reasonable and procedural accommodations to persons with intellectual disabilities and on respect for their personal autonomy.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- 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. 50
- Paragraph text
- States must ensure the full accessibility of all sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services. All public and private facilities and services open or provided to the public, including gynaecological and obstetric services, must take into account all aspects of accessibility for women with disabilities, including accessibility with regard to infrastructure, equipment and information and communications. Transport to reach those services must be accessible, as otherwise girls and young women with disabilities will continue to be obstructed from enjoying and exercising their sexual and reproductive health rights in practice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- States parties should develop detailed guidelines on standards of reception facilities, assuring adequate space and privacy for children and their families. States should take measures to ensure an adequate standard of living in temporary locations, such as reception facilities and formal and informal camps, ensuring that these are accessible to children and their parents, including persons with disabilities, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. States should ensure that residential facilities do not restrict children’s day-to-day movements unnecessarily, including de facto restriction of movement.
- Body
- Committee on Migrant Workers
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- States parties should develop detailed guidelines on standards of reception facilities, assuring adequate space and privacy for children and their families. States should take measures to ensure an adequate standard of living in temporary locations, such as reception facilities and formal and informal camps, ensuring that these are accessible to children and their parents, including persons with disabilities, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. States should ensure that residential facilities do not restrict children’s day-to-day movements unnecessarily, including de facto restriction of movement.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19 2017, para. 31c
- Paragraph text
- [The Committee recommends that States parties implement the following protective measures:] Address factors that heighten the risk to women of exposure to serious forms of gender-based violence, such as the ready accessibility and availability of firearms, including their export, a high crime rate and pervasive impunity, which may increase in situations of armed conflict or heightened insecurity. Efforts should be undertaken to control the availability and accessibility of acid and other substances used to attack women;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Adequacy of the international legal framework on violence against women 2017, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Civil society organizations further expressed concern over insufficient support measures available for survivors of violence, such as protection measures and services. Shelters, health care and psychological support remained inaccessible. As highlighted by the Special Rapporteur in document A/HRC/35/30, the lack of systematic data collection on gender-based violence against women and femicide was a serious obstacle to addressing violence against women. Data collection was a crucial step in promoting advocacy at the national level to combat gender-based violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in her 2013 report to the General Assembly (A/68/256), stated that the difference between trafficking in organs and trafficking in persons for the removal of organs was largely semantic, given that organs were not moved or traded independently of their source, because the victim was moved or positioned in such a way as to make transplantation possible. However, the hypothesis regarding attacks against persons with albinism suggests a different context. Here the purpose is not the transplantation of a functional organ, but the collection of a body part for muti or juju. Although some cases of trafficking of persons with albinism have been reported, in the majority of the cases, the victims are attacked in their homes or while carrying out their ordinary activities, and their body parts hacked off their living or dead bodies at the place of the attack, or close by. In such cases, it cannot be considered that the victims are trafficked, yet their body parts are being harvested, transported and sold.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Access to rights-based support for persons with disabilities 2017, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Older persons with disabilities also have difficulties in accessing support arrangements for daily life, such as personal assistance, assisted living arrangements and palliative care. While families are the most common source of support for older persons with disabilities in most countries, there is an increasing demand for institutional care, especially from family members and other informal supporters of persons with dementia, which is increasing the risk of institutionalization among older persons with disabilities. Importantly, older women with disabilities are more likely to be institutionalized owing to the different life expectancies of men and women. The provision of in-home support services, including personal assistance and help with household chores, can avoid institutionalization and improve the quality of life of older persons by enabling them to stay at home (see A/HRC/30/43, para. 72).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, articles 11 and 12 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women address women’s right to protection of health and safety, including the safeguarding of the function of reproduction, and call for special protections to be accorded to mothers before and after childbirth. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women also calls on States to take appropriate measures to provide special protection to women during pregnancy. Such obligations clearly extend to minimizing the risks of maternal exposure to pesticides.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work 2017, para. 40 (t)
- Paragraph text
- Optimize fiscal expenditures for gender-responsive social protection and care infrastructure, such as equitable, quality, accessible and affordable early childhood education, childcare, elder care, health-care, and care and social services for persons with disabilities and persons living with HIV and AIDS, which meet the needs of both caregivers and those in need of care, bearing in mind that social protection policies also play a critical role in reducing poverty and inequality and supporting inclusive growth and gender equality;
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Older persons
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work 2017, para. 40 (w)
- Paragraph text
- Take steps to achieve the full realization of the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health by improving access to timely, affordable and quality health systems for women and girls through gender-sensitive national strategies and public health policies and programmes that are comprehensive, affordable and better targeted to addressing their needs, and work to improve access to paid leave and social security benefits, particularly in cases of retirement, unemployment, illness, disability, ageing and incapacity to work, as well as develop and implement occupational health and safety measures, including appropriate measures to provide special protection to women during pregnancy in types of work proved to be harmful to them;
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The work of WHO, particularly in the area of sexual health, has already been referred to above, as has the work of UNHCR on refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons, particularly in relation to the intersectionality issue. UNHCR has been facing new challenges in regard to recent outflows from the war-related situations in Middle East to Europe and other regions, and it has done key work to raise the profile of sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Meanwhile, UN-Women has been highlighting the rights of lesbians and bisexual, transgender and intersex women and girls; thus has included the mapping of country situations and support for follow-up to the recommendations of human rights treaty bodies and the universal periodic review. For instance, there is an awareness-raising programme on action to end violence against women in Malawi, which includes references to lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Complementing this, the International Labour Organization is infusing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issue strongly into its decent work programme, while the World Bank has helped to examine the cost of homophobia as well as to generate data on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender exclusion. The World Bank has now a focal point on sexual orientation and gender identity and this provides an important opportunity to address violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, especially with low-income countries. A range of other United Nations agencies and programmes, enhanced by United Nations country teams, are progressively integrating the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity into country programming.
- 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
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Significant progress in legal and policy frameworks for women’s rights has been made in the past decades. Nevertheless, while many countries have undertaken to repeal discriminatory laws, such laws persist in many parts of the world. Severely discriminatory laws and practices remain in particular areas of women’s human rights that continue to be contested, such as sexual and reproductive rights and equal rights in the family. Discriminatory laws also exist where the law is used punitively against women to maintain patriarchal values or to criminalize women’s struggles for their rights. In all contexts, there are ongoing challenges to the inclusion of an intersectoral approach to women’s full equality. Even in areas where the legal framework has advanced, or in societies with extensive and robust gender equality laws and policies, the test lies in the ability to implement progressive laws in practice. Innumerable barriers remain on many levels, not least of which is the male-controlled and discriminatory environment within which laws are operationalized. A good law requires a fully ameliorating environment in which it can be meaningfully implemented. No matter how strongly the law is drafted, it is filtered through the biases and limitations of the individuals and institutions, public and private, responsible for grounding it in reality, compounded by a social environment that disadvantages women through the perpetuation of historical discrimination, the patriarchal construction of gender and the perpetuation of stereotypes and prejudices. These factors must be considered closely when identifying which laws have become good practices.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19 2017, para. 31a (iii)
- Paragraph text
- [The Committee recommends that States parties implement the following protective measures:] Adopt and implement effective measures to protect and assist women complainants of and witnesses to gender-based violence before, during and after legal proceedings, including by: Ensuring access to financial assistance, gratis or low-cost, high-quality legal aid, medical, psychosocial and counselling services, education, affordable housing, land, childcare, training and employment opportunities for women who are victims/survivors and their family members. Health-care services should be responsive to trauma and include timely and comprehensive mental, sexual and reproductive health services, including emergency contraception and post-exposure prophylaxis against HIV. States should provide specialized women’s support services, such as gratis helplines operating around the clock and sufficient numbers of safe and adequately equipped crisis, support and referral centres and adequate shelters for women, their children and other family members, as required;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Girls and young women with disabilities frequently have limited access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. Common barriers to accessing those services include negative and hostile attitudes among service providers; the absence of physical accessibility with regard to buildings and equipment (e.g., exam tables and diagnostic equipment); the lack of information in accessible formats (e.g., in Braille or plain language); communication barriers (e.g., the lack of training for service providers on communicating with young women and girls with intellectual disabilities and the inability to use sign language); relatives and caregivers acting as gatekeepers to information and services; the lack of accessible transportation to or from services; the affordability of services; and the isolation of girls and young women with disabilities in institutions, camps, family homes or group homes. Moreover, many women and girls with disabilities report that their specific needs and expectations are not met by gynaecological services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- 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. 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. 51
- Paragraph text
- States must ensure that all information and communication pertaining to sexual and reproductive health and rights are accessible to persons with disabilities, including through sign language, Braille, accessible electronic formats, alternative script, easy-to-read formats, and augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication.64 For instance, call centres to report cases of gender-based violence must be accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing girls and women through text messaging or other alternative methods. For example, Illinois Imagines has developed guides and other materials for rape crisis centres, disability service agencies and self-advocates that include guidance for prevention education programmes and picture guides about sexual assault exams and the rights of sexual violence survivors. The University of Tartu in Estonia has provided training for teachers on how to deliver comprehensive sexuality education in plain language so that children with intellectual disabilities can benefit equally from the lessons.
- 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
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- States must ensure a supportive legislative and regulatory framework for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities. Existing general laws and regulations that restrict the free access of girls and women to sexual and reproductive health services, including by requiring spousal or parental consent or setting a minimum age, should be amended to facilitate universal and equitable access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. Narrow definitions of sexual violence, including sexual assault and rape, should be reviewed to include all forms of violence experienced by girls and young women with disabilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- 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. 17
- Paragraph text
- While attention to the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women with disabilities increased following the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development of 1994 and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995, it is in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that States and the international human rights system restated their commitment to promote and protect the rights of girls and young women with disabilities in that area. For example, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights issued a general comment on the right to sexual and reproductive health with specific references to persons with disabilities, including accessibility and reasonable accommodation. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on the Rights of the Child have also highlighted the importance of ensuring sexual and reproductive health services and ending sexual violence and harmful practices against women and girls with disabilities. The special procedures of the Human Rights Council have also addressed the issue of sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls with disabilities, including recent reports by the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health with regard to the rights of adolescents (see A/HRC/32/32, paras. 86 and 94), the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment focused on torture in health-care settings (see A/HRC/22/53, paras. 48 and 57-70), the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, with regard to violence against women with disabilities (A/67/227) and the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice focused on the issue of discrimination against women with regard to health and safety (see A/HRC/32/44, paras. 45-47).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- 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. 18
- Paragraph text
- Stigma and stereotypes play a significant role in limiting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities. The sexuality of persons with disabilities is usually considered a taboo topic. Relatives, teachers and health-care providers are generally anxious, untrained and unconfident about discussing sexuality with them. Moreover, there is a prevalent assumption that persons with disabilities, particularly girls and young women with disabilities, are either asexual or hypersexual. Those stigmas are particularly strong in the cases of persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. Empirical studies show, however, that young people with disabilities have the same concerns and needs with regard to sexuality, relationships and identity as their peers, and have similar patterns of sexual behaviour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Good practices in this area require a differentiated approach in order to meet women’s particular needs, influenced by biological functions and social constructions of gender alike. The instrumentalization of women’s bodies, particularly as regarding sexual and reproductive health, and the ongoing normalization of violence against women must be combatted through rights-based measures that put women’s right to dignity, autonomy and self-determination at the core of legal and policy undertakings.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to mental health 2017, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Special attention should be paid to women, who suffer disproportionately from mental health practices that are based on paternalistic and patriarchal traditions, inappropriate and harmful gender stereotypes, medicalization of women’s feelings and behaviour, and coercion. Women who have suffered from violence and inequalities within their families, communities and societies, and who have mental health conditions very often face situations in mental health settings that amount to violence, coercion, humiliation and disrespect for their dignity. It is unacceptable that after suffering from violations in family and other settings, women suffer from violations again within services that are supposed to promote their mental health. In that regard, it is very important to emphasize that violations of sexual and reproductive health rights have a direct, negative impact on the mental health of women.
- 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
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to mental health 2017, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The right to health is an inclusive right to both health care and the underlying and social determinants of health. Public health has individual and collective dimensions, which are essential in securing the right to the enjoyment of the underlying and social determinants of health. Given the deep connections between mental health and the physical, psychosocial, political and economic environment, the right to determinants of health is a precondition for securing the right to mental health. Under international human rights law, States must act on a range of underlying determinants, such as violence, supportive family environments and discrimination, to secure in particular the right to health of children and women and persons with disabilities. In short, respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to mental health requires concerted action to secure certain preconditions that are associated with mental health.
- 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
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The human rights of migrants on a 2035 agenda for facilitating human mobility 2017, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Migrants may be more vulnerable to poor health by virtue of their often low socioeconomic status, the sometimes harrowing process of migration and their vulnerability as non-nationals in the new country. The mental health of migrants is an issue of concern, with factors such as human rights violations before or during the migration process, social isolation caused by separation from family and social networks, job insecurity, difficult living conditions, detention and exploitative treatment potentially having adverse effects. Migrant women and girls often experience more problematic pregnancy and gynaecological health issues as compared with the host population. Those working in domestic services face widespread physical, sexual and psychological abuse and thus require urgent health care and protection. Access to health care for migrants and the level of such care, however, varies enormously, depending on State policies and the immigration status of the migrant.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2017
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