We regret that Botswana received and noted several recommendations on decriminalising abortion, on repealing Section 167 of the Penal Code, and on ensuring access to legal gender recognition. Botswana must eliminate discrimination against women and ensure their access to legal, safe, and affordable sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion, which Botswana still criminalises, and gender-affirming care.
The criminalisation of abortion is taking an increasing toll in my country. Women die because of lack of access to life saving abortion care, the entire hospitals rely illegally on the consciousness clause. The recent police intervention in the case of a woman who took an abortion pill and another who miscarried show how the restrictive legal and policy environment is facilitating the abuse of powers by authorities, and legitimising the refusals of care by medical providers.
The relationship between health, race, caste, class and gender is rooted in colonial, patriarchal and capitalist control over women’s sexuality, reproduction and bodies and produces distinct experiences of oppression that are often fatal. Racialised women are specifically targeted by harmful stereotypes, the essentialisation of women to their reproductive capacities, forced sterilisation, forced pregnancies and chromosomal testing in sporting events through state interventions or purposeful inaction. This has profound impacts on their health and human rights.
We welcome the recommendations made to Pakistan on protecting women’s rights, the rights of transgender people, and sexual and reproductive rights.
We are concerned by the recent regressive ruling by the Federal Shariat court, which struck down key sections of the Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Act 2018.
We appreciate Brazil's acceptance of almost all of the recommendations received during its review, and its noting of two recommendations related to a concept of traditional family that does not conform to Brazilian legislation and jurisprudence and which opposes Human Rights.
The 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 27 February to 4 April 2023.
Below you can find information about:
Anticipated sexual rights-related resolutions, panels and reports
UPR outcomes
SRI’s online events taking place during the 52nd session
As we embark on another year of activism for sexual rights, we wanted to share with you our highlights of 2022. While the UN human rights system continues to be confronted by multiple challenges –from funding shortages, geopolitical tensions and polarisation and attempts to undermine multilateralism to the presence and influence of regressive and conservative actors, we have made steadfast progress in advancing sexual rights in this system. Read below for our highlights of 2022.
As observers of the Human Rights Council, we have repeated and continue to repeat our concerns with these so-called efficiency measures. The so-called efficiency measures privilege convenience over the Council's effectiveness, which should concern all of us. The lack of general debates during the June sessions has severely impacted civil society participation. It is particularly true for feminist groups and groups that work on issues of gender and sexuality.
The 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 12 September to 7 October. Below you will find information on some of the key sexual rights-related:
Resolutions
Panel discussions
Oral statements
Side Events
A Conversation on Safe Abortion
Autonomy, control & self-management:
guidelines & essential policy
Side-event during the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council
Tuesday 20 September 17:00 to 18:00 CEST
Palais des Nations, Room XXV
The 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 12 September to 7 October.
In this post you'll be able to find information about: Anticipated sexual rights-related resolutions, panels and reports, UPR outcomes and SRI’s online events taking place during the 51st session.
The 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 13 June to 8 July. Below you will find information on some of the key sexual rights-related: resolutions, panel discussions and oral statements.
The side event explores the history and resurgence of coercive population policies - from pro-natalist policies to forced sterilisation.
The 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 13 June to 8 July.
Joint Civil Society Statement on Abortion at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council. This statement has been supported by more 450 organisations and 425 individuals as of Monday, 3 October, 2022. A full list of signatories will be published on our website shortly.
Statement by the Sexual Rights Initiative on the Item 6 General Debate: Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Statement by the Sexual Rights Initiative, Al-Haq, IWRAW Asia-Pacific, ILGA and AWID on the Panel discussion on the negative impact of the legacies of colonialism on the enjoyment of human rights at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council.
Statement by SRI's partner the Federation for Women and Family Planning to Item 4 General Debate at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Statement by the #EmptyChairs Campaign to the Annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective to the work of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Statement by AWID, SRI and IWRAW Asia Pacific to the Biennial panel discussion on the right to development at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement by Sexual Rights Initiative to the interactive dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development at 51rst session on the Human Rights Council.
Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of the Sexual Rights Initiative, the International Dalit Solidarity Network, Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network and National Council of Women Leaders.
Em apoio ao próximo Dia Internacional do Aborto Seguro em 28 de setembro, a Sexual Rights Initiative, Center for Reproductive Rights, Association for Women’s Rights in Development, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Ipas, International Service for Human Rights, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, MSI Reproductive Choices e a Swedish Association for Sexuality Education formularam uma declaração conjunta sobre o direito ao aborto a ser lida na 51ª sessão do Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU em Genebra.
في سياق دعمنا لليوم العالمي للإجهاض المأمون في ٢٨ أيلول/سبتمبر، أعدّت «مبادرة الحقوق الجنسيّة» و«ائتلاف العدالة الجنسيّة والإنجابيّة» و«مركز الحقوق الإنجابيّة»، و«الرّابطة لحقوق المرأة في التّنمية»، و«CHOICE للشّباب والجنسانيّة» «اتّحاد التّخطيط الأسري» و«Ipas» و«الخدمة الدولة لحقوق الإنسان» و«مركز المرأة لمنطقة آسيا والمحيط الهادئ للموارد والأبحاث» و«MSI للخيارات الإنجابية» و«الرّابطة السّويديّة للتّثقيف الجنساني» بيانًا مشتركًا بشأن حقوق الإجهاض لتقدّمه عند انعقاد الجلسة الـ٥١ لمجلس الأمم المتّحدة لحقوق الإنسان في جينيف.
In support of the upcoming International Safe Abortion Day on 28 September, the Sexual Rights Initiative, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Ipas, the International Service for Human Rights, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, MSI Reproductive Choices and the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education have developed a joint statement on abortion rights for delivery at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
SRI Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Statement by independent activists in Sudan and the Sexual Rights Initiative to the Outcome of the Universal Periodic Review for Sudan at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement by Dili Model United Nations and SRI Statement to Timor-Leste's Universal Periodic Review outcome at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Statement by the Uganda LBQ Loose Network, a collective working towards increasing the voice and visibility of lesbian, bisexual and queer women in advocacy, feminist leadership, and women’s rights in Uganda, CREA, the Coalition of African Lesbians and the Sexual Rights Initiative to the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of Uganda at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council.
Statement by Girls Awake, Peer to Peer Uganda, the PACT, and the Sexual Rights Initiative at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council on the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review for Uganda.
SRI statement to Annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women - Panel 2:Human rights-based and gender-responsive care and support systems at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council
SRI and Center for Reproductive Rights Statement: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council
Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression
SRI Statement to the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants at 50th session of the Human Rights Council
SRI, Her Rights Initiative, the Women’s Legal Centre Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
SRI Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
Statement by Action Canada, Action Canada's National Youth Advisory Board and the Sexual Rights Initiative to the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.
Statement of Federa to the Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
SRI Statement on the commemorative event on the occasion of the 50th session of the HRC.
The Human Rights Council will marked its 50th session through a high-level interactive discussion that provided stakeholders an opportunity to reflect on the achievements made and the lessons learned since its 1st session. The following is SRI's statement to this interactive discussion.
The 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 28 February to 1 April.
This statement on racism and gender discrimination in sport was delivered 22 September.
Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with SR on Unilateral Coercive Measures
The Sexual Rights Initiative and partners co-sponsored a side event at the 20th session of the Human Rights Council focusing on criminal laws and women’s right to health. The objective of the event was to provide a forum for States and stakeholders in Geneva to discuss the key findings and recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health’s 2011 report to the General Assembly on the criminalization of sexual and reproductive health including abortion.