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should be viewed as part of spiritual companionship, rather than just sexual

intercourse, and monogamy is deeply emphasised in Sikhism. Any other way of
living is discouraged, including celibacy and homosexuality. However, in comparison
to other religions, the issue of sexuality in Sikhism is not considered one of
paramount importance.

REPRODUCTIVE & SEXUAL RIGHTS

The Platform for Action from the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women established
that human rights include the right of women freely and without coercion, violence or
discrimination, to have control over and make decisions concerning their own
sexuality, including their own sexual and reproductive health. This paragraph has
been interpreted by some countries as the applicable definition of women’s sexual
rights. The UN Commission on Human Rights has established that if women had
more power, their ability to protect themselves against violence would be
strengthened.
At the 14th World Congress of Sexology (Hong Kong, 1999), the WAS adopted
the Declaration of Sexual Rights, which originally included 11 sexual rights. It was
heavily revised and expanded in March 2014 by the WAS Advisory Council to
include 16 sexual rights.

1. The right to equality and non-discrimination

2. The right to life, liberty and security of the person
3. The right to autonomy and bodily integrity
4. The right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or
punishment
5. The right to be free from all forms of violence and coercion
6. The right to privacy
7. The right to the highest attainable standard of health, including sexual health;
with the possibility of pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences
8. The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its application
9. The right to information
10. The right to education and the right to comprehensive sexuality education
11. The right to enter, form, and dissolve marriage and similar types of
relationships based on equality and full and free consent
12. The right to decide whether to have children, the number and spacing of
children, and to have the information and the means to do so
13. The right to the freedom of thought, opinion, and expression
14. The right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly
15. The right to participation in public and political life
16. The right to access to justice, remedies, and redress
This Declaration influenced The Yogyakarta Principles (which were launched as a
set of international principles relating to sexual orientation and gender identity on 26
March 2007), especially on the idea of each person's integrity, and right to sexual
and reproductive health.
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating
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