Sexual Rights Initiative Contribution to the OHCHR Study on Children’s Right to Health

Despite several initiatives to improve children’s health and reduce preventable mortality, including, among others, those undertaken to implement the Millennium Development Goals, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Secretary General’s Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, several challenges remain. As noted in the Human Rights Council’s resolution 19/37, more than 7.6 million children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable and treatable causes. An estimated three million unsafe abortions occur globally every year among girls aged 15-19 years. And, as of 2011, an estimated 3.4 million children under the age of 15 were living with HIV.

Hence, this report prepared by the OHCHR and the next full-day meeting focusing on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health are critical in order to deepen the Council’s understanding on the specific children’s health issues requiring attention, and on social, economic, cultural, legal and administrative barriers to children’s health. These will also provide concrete guidance to governments on policy and programmatic efforts required to fulfil children’s right to health including through the discussion of good practices. This submission focuses on adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues, an integral component of health and yet, often marginalised.