63
PRIORITYMEASURE35
“Review legislation, standards and practices that restrict access to sexual and reproductive health services, including the provisionof comprehensive user-friendly
services for adolescents and youth, andguarantee access to full information on all of the service options available to all persons, without any form of discrimination,
in order to ensure that the highest international standards of protectionof human rights and fundamental freedoms aremet in the region.”
Possible lines of action
1. Identify the existing gaps in legislation and regulations, or any contradictions vis-à-vis the international human rights framework that
foster discrimination or that impede universal access to sexual and reproductive health services; 2. Amend legislation and regulations as
necessary to ensure access to complete and comprehensive information on all the options of services for all persons, without
discrimination of any kind; 3. Publicize progress in legislation and regulations on sexual and reproductive health rights and care;
4. Establish mechanisms for the enforcement of rights and for monitoring the established goals and verifying their progress and
observance, nationally and regionally; 5. Mount campaigns to bring about the cultural change needed for the protection and observance
of sexual and reproductive rights.
Targets
1. Eliminate constraints on access to sexual and reproductive health information and services; 2. Increase the percentage of people who
are familiar with the specific national legal framework governing sexual and reproductive health rights and care; 3. Increase the
percentage of health service providers who are familiar with the specific national legal framework governing sexual and reproductive
health rights and care; 4. The entire population has access to timely, high-quality sexual and reproductive health services suitable for their
specific characteristics and needs; 5. Reduce the percentage of people facing discrimination in the exercise of their sexual and
reproductive rights; 6. Percentage of women making decisions on their sexual and reproductive health and their reproductive rights by
age, geographical area, socioeconomic level, disability status and ethnicity.
Tentative indicators
1. Number of information campaigns conducted on sexual and reproductive rights and access to sexual and reproductive health care;
2. Percentage of people who are aware of their rights and the conditions for access to sexual and reproductive health care; 3. Percentage
of people reporting discrimination in the exercise of their sexual and reproductive rights; 4. Proportion of discriminatory laws and
regulations that have been amended or reformed; 5. Proportion of the population that has experienced difficulties or problems in
accessing sexual and reproductive health services; 6. Level of satisfaction from users of sexual and reproductive health services.
Related instruments,
forums andmechanisms
1. Brasilia Consensus, 2010; 2. Santo Domingo Consensus, 2013, paragraphs 80:
Enforce national and local policies and adopt
preventive, punitive, protection and care measures to eliminate all forms of violence and stigma against women, girls, adolescent girls,
young women, older women, indigenous and Afro-descendent women, rural women, LGBTTI persons and women with disabilities, and
include the effective use of information and communications technologies with an intercultural approach in order to achieve greater
inclusion and equality for all women
; and 93:
Define and develop public policies to combat discrimination and foster affirmative action
on the basis of an intersectional approach that includes tackling sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, homophobia and lesbophobia
;
3. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination againstWomen; 4. Follow-UpMechanism to theConvention of Belém
do Pará (MESECVI); 5. SDG 5:
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; 5.1. End all forms of discrimination against
all women and girls everywhere; 5.c. Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender
equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.
Goal 16:
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels; 16.b: Promote and
enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.
Comments
This priority measure is related to PM 34 on the exercise of sexual rights, and complements PM 12 which refers to implementing
comprehensive, timely and high-quality programmes of sexual and reproductive health for adolescents andyoung people.
