The Third Annual Session of CIA First Model United Nations 1

Research Report

Assembly: Human Rights Council

Topic: The Question of Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Student Officer Name: Arunaka Sean

Position: 1st Deputy Chair

Introduction

When we talk about sexual and reproductive rights we simply think of the autonomy and
education to freely decide who you want to have sex with and the knowledge on how to prevent
disease transmission. In fact, the sexual and reproductive rights/sexual and reproductive health
(SRHR) education is a lifelong journey and they are also the fundamental factors to health and
well-being, sustainable development, peace and agreement, security, gender equality, and even
democracy. The SRHR is the main ground for all individuals to be able to decide over their own
bodies and to live healthy and productive lives.

However SRHR has been under threat from restrictive laws, and policies as well as social norms
that also threaten the body autonomy and civil liberties.

Definition of Key Terms

Sexual
Relating to or associated with sex or any intimate physical contact between individuals (Oxford
Dictionary).
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Reproduction
The act or process of reproducing, or the production of offspring (Oxford Dictionary).

Rights
A moral or legal entitlement to have or do something (Oxford Dictionary).

Discrimination
the practice of treating somebody or a particular group in society less fairly than others (Oxford
Dictionary).

Background Information

Sexual and reproductive rights is an essential building block in order to achieve gender equality
especially to women and girls, however it is restricted globally. In fact, the right to sexually
reproduce is a choice for mainly women to choose whether or not they want to reproduce, to carry
or to bear a child, or to even terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Thus, this is why many
organisations including The (International Conference on Population and Development) ICPD
recognized the women’s right to reproductive and sexual health as being key to women’s health.
Other than that, these rights also include the right to life, liberty and security of the person, right to
health care and information and the right to non-discrimination in the allocation of resources to
health services and in their availability and accessibility.

On the other hand, the problem of sexual and reproductive rights is also a problem especially when
it comes to family planning. In point of fact, families everywhere around the world are trapped in
cycles of poverty because they do not have the option to plan when to have or decide how big they
want their family to be. Hence, because of this issue it is blocking a human’s life to live up to their
potential. In countries like China, they take SRHR really seriously, but by enforcing the “One
child ” policy that was adopted since 1980, and the “two child” policy in 2016. With this policy, the
number of Chinese women choosing to have children may increase sharply in a short span of time,
and RH problems related to pregnancy and childbirth will become more prominent. While,
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countries like Nepal and India, due to the low standard living, low educational system and low
reinforcement, SRHR is a taboo.

Major Countries and Organizations Involved

United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA)

The UNFPA has stated that every individual has the right to make their own choices about sexual
and reproductive health. UNFPA have worked with a wide range of partners, towards the goal of
universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, which also include family planning.

The Center for Reproductive Rights

The Center for reproductive rights is a global human rights of lawyers and advocates who ensure
reproductive rights are protected. This organisation was founded in 1922, with a mission of using
the power of law to advance reproductive rights and to as well allow women to freely decide
whether or when to have a family.

Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights Organization (WHRRO)

WHRRO is an organisation that was founded roughly in 2013 by a group of dedicated group
activists, which works to ensure access to quality sexual reproductive health and rights services,
especially for women in hard-to-reach communities.

India
The government of India has undertaken several initiatives to improve reproductive and sexual
rights. Thus, they have also strengthened different policies in regards to this problem in order to
improve the accessibility and availability of abortion and contraceptive services that still remain
under SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights), UHC (Universal Health Coverage),
and SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). In addition to that, India’s National Health Policy
2017 have also prioritises ensuring availability of primary health care services for all assets *this
includes reproductivity).

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

The problem of sexual and reproductive health rights in DPRK is currently very problematic,
especially due to the lack of essential supplies, equipment, and skills that are among the barriers to
achieve full universal access to quality reproductive health services. UNFPA has also put its full
support that include essential attribution such as support training, medicines and even equipment
which began in 1985. Despite all these contributions UNFPA is also following up on different
policy development in terms of SRHR.
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Timeline of Events

Date Description

May 28h May 28th is a time to celebrate and take encouragement from the
hard-fought gains in health and sexual and reproductive healths
and rights (SRHR) that were won by social movements
worldwide. In fact, the initiative behind this is to bring justice for
all women who are being treated unfairly in terms of SRHR.

June 1st The 1st of June is marked to be an historic day for advancing
sexual and reproductive health rights in Burkina Faso (West
Africa). Although the main initiative of this day is committed to
providing free family planning service in Burkina Faso, it incredibly
works and truly contributes to the better protection of women and
girl’s rights in terms of sexual and reproductive health rights.

September In an attempt to raise global awareness of sexual health issues, the

4th World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) called on all of its
organisations to observe World Sexual Health Day (WSHD) on
September 4th each year.

September The World Contraception Day is a day of global recognition

26th dedicated to raise awareness on the significance of birth control and
the profound power it has beyond its fundamental health benefits.

September The annual International Day of Sexual and Reproductive Rights

28th is commemorated each year on September 28th, in which it was
first in 1990. This event was mainly focused on legal and social
decriminalisation voluntary interruption of pregnancy. Thus, on
the same day, The United Nations Human Rights have also
declared The International Safe Abortion Day, which mainly
focuses on the ability to decide if and when to have children and
access, affordable, respectful abortion care.
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Relevant UN Treaties and Events

➢ Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health - the ICPD and the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Was
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, in 1979. This treaty initiative was to end
discrimination of all forms against women (including sex rights) and to ensure that all
women are well protected.

➢ The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR): The

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a United Nations treaty body that
was entrusted with overseeing the implementation of the international covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. CESCR was founded on May 28th, 2985. In
CESCR General Comment 14 has explained the concrete obligation to take deliberate
steps towards fulfilling the right to health of pregnancy and childbirth. Nevertheless, in
CESCR General Comment 22 it has recommended the states “to repeal or eliminate laws,
policies and practices that criminalise, obstruct or undermine access by individuals or a
particular group to sexual and reproductive health facilities, services, goods and
information.”

➢ The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Also known
as ICCPR is a treaty that commits nations and respects the civils and its political rights
which all of these includes, right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of movement,
freedom of speech and also the right to decide freely and without arbitrary interference on
one’s reproductive functions.

➢ The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): The main
importance of CRPD is to value persons with disabilities, however it also recognizes the
importance of fulfilling the right to sexual and reproductive health for persons with
disabilities, particularly women and girls. Therefore the convention also specifically
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specified that they have the right “to decide freely and responsibly on the number and
spacing of their children and to have access to age-appropriate information, reproductive
and family planning education…” .

➢ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD): Although this

committee is particularly drawn to the attention of gender-related and racial discrimination
it also works its way in highlighting sexual and reproductive rights violations. In fact these it
stated “sexual violence committed against women members of particular racial or ethnic
groups in detention or during armed conflict; the coerced sterilization of indigenous
women.”

Previous Attempts to solve the issue

After a very long negotiation, the Commission on Population and Development capped its 47th
session in the early hours of April 12th in implementing resolutions , urging the governments to
address the problem in implementing th 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development (ICDP) which includes, human rights, gender equality and sexual and reproductive
health. In fact, it also calls on the government to recognize the correlations between ICDP
priorities and sustainable development to carry out strategies to eradicate poverty, promote
inclusive growth and address the news of children, and older persons. In other words, the
Commission itself recognized the parental duties to provide guidance on sexual and reproductive
matters to adolescents. Nonetheless, the Commission also urged all stakeholders and all related
factors to pay attention to “Areas of Short Fall” in the implementation of the Programme of
Action, which include the elimination of preventable maternal morbidity through strengthening
the health system and universal access to sexual and reproductive health services.

Possible Solutions
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Given the current problem on sexual and reproductive rights it is extremely controversial.
Therefore, to narrow this problem down, there should be approaches to effectively sort out this
problem. In fact, the government should improve data collection systems to generate better
evidence to improve health service quality and provision. Yet, authorities should be educated and
informed, in terms of SDGs and he universal health care as a whole, in order to constructively
address the problem and improvise the data collection systems. Thus, by having a functional data
collection system now only the government is able to monitor and collect sex-disaggregated data,
but to also be responsive towards the problem as a whole. On the other hand, Women should also
be encouraged to participate and take on leadership roles in designing solutions to improve sexual
and reproductive health and right access, because they’re the main victim of SRHR after all. In
addition to that, women are the central approach towards human rights and gender equality.
Nevertheless, by using innovative approaches to actively address entrenched gender norms and
power imbalances that perpetuate harmful ideas about sexual and reproductive health and rights
would be ideal to tackle and promote community outreach and to as well as outsizing the number
of awareness.

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 The Third Annual Session of CIA First Model United Nations 8

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