Promoting the Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights.

The author is director of the peruvian human rights NGO DEMUS and is responsible for coordinating the project on the Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights.

The campaign for the Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights is the result of an initiative developed by a coalition of Latin American and Caribbean organizations that believe that our sexual and reproductive rights are not adequately protected.

Throughout history, sexuality has been restricted politically, legally, culturally and ethically. As the result of the domination of conservative views rooted in religious beliefs, sexual freedom has been associated with sin. Despite the supposed separation of Church and State, these stereotyped and discriminatory attitudes persist, especially with regard to women, young people and those whose sexual orientation differs from the heterosexual standard. Attitudes towards reproduction are similar. Despite the fact that reproductive decisions have been nominally accepted as "rights," many restrictions limiting reproductive freedom persist. Abortion is one such case: as a result of the criminalization of this procedure, thousands of women die every year in the Latin American and Caribbean region alone. We also continue to witness family planning policies that, in the name of improving information on contraceptive methods to help people make better decisions, actually induce demand in the poorest sectors or, even w orse, violate women's freedom of choice...

We also understand that in this ambitious proposal, the process we generate is as important as the final results. We see the convention as part of a process of consensus-building and development of a central aspect of the feminist political platform. It provides an opportunity to express, debate and come to agreement on our perspectives on sexuality and reproduction, their importance and their place in society, the state's responsibilities in regard to sexuality and reproduction, and how the exercise of these human rights broaden and strengthen our abilities and potentials.

For these and other reasons, we believe that there is a serious need for an international human rights instrument to promote and guarantee rights in areas that traditionally have been considered secondary, silenced in the name of a repressive moral standard or only recently addressed from the perspective of health. Although the dimension of health is very important, it restricts the understanding of sexuality and reproduction by linking these two aspects. This perception also implies the risk of medicalizing sexuality and reproduction. We also understand that linking the concepts of sexual and reproductive rights reinforces this association between the exercise of sexuality and reproduction and privileges a heterosexual perspective of sexuality. In practice, the union of sexuality with reproduction has contributed to the current imbalance evident in the greater development of reproductive rights over sexual rights.

One of our starting points is the lack of reliable and accessible information on sexuality and reproduction, not only due to our organizations' limited possibilities for undertaking research but also because information on government practices in these areas is minimal and very difficult to access. This situation not only prevents citizens from becoming aware of what is happening in areas that are extremely important for their lives, but also prevents informed debate on these issues.

Strengthening democracy implies sharing and understanding different points of view. Only through such an exchange will we truly know what we think or be able to build bridges of understanding in our societies and openly agree or disagree on these issues. Even today, very little is said about sexuality, information is scarce, and open debate is even rarer. Reproduction is talked about a great deal, but fundamentally in terms of the reproductive mandate. We feel that it is essential to create the conditions for generating informed, serious and lively debates that will allow us to think, to demand explanations and to create as a society.

In the hopes of contributing to the promotion of such initiatives throughout the region, we have developed some materials that we believe will be very useful:

The website is our primary means of communication. The convention's webpage includes information about the various stages of the campaign, including the steps already undertaken and information we have produced and that shared by other organizations. Other relevant, and not so relevant but humorous, interesting or different information from around the world is also included. We invite you to visit the site: www.convencion.org.uy

The Regional Evaluation is a recent project that was presented at CLADEM's 3rd Regional Seminar, November 2001. The written report systematically details and analyzes the trends in the exercise of sexual and reproductive rights in the region based on studies carried out in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The evaluation identifies difficulties that our allies in the region have faced or are facing in the areas of sexual and reproductive rights, as well as gains regarding the respect for and effective exercise of these rights throughout the region, especially by women. This initial version presents an analysis of ten of 15 issues researched.

The National Evaluations were undertaken from 1995 to 2000 in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico, Peru, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Puerto Rico. These studies gathered statistical information indicative of the status and evolution of sexual and reproductive rights; general information on the political and economic contexts that affect their development; information on public and academic debates on key aspects of these rights; and the evaluations of laws and public policies adopted on 15 issues identified as crucial for sexual and reproductive rights in all of the countries studied.

Agreements and disagreements regarding sexual rights and reproductive rights documents the debates produced within the women's movement on these issues over the past 15 years and identifies aspects that require further analysis. This data was drawn from the conclusions of workshops, seminars and other national and international events. This project is still in progress.

Work on law and jurisprudence in matters of sexual and reproductive rights in the European system and in the countries of the European Union is organized into two reports. These reports are the result of a review of both the laws and jurisprudence of the European system and of each of the European Union countries. The reports also identify the courts' decisions on pertinent cases as well as the judicial reasoning behind the rulings.

The region-wide survey of women's organizations on sexual and reproductive rights identifies the common issues, doubts, contradictions and omissions related to the formulation of these rights. A total of 170 organizations responded to our survey.

And finally, as its name implies, the presentation and motivation CD-ROM contains a four-minute motivational presentation of the campaign for use with different audiences that will encourage reflection and debate on sexual and reproductive rights.

* For more information, visit the website of the Campaign for the Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights: www.convencion.org.uy

RELATED ARTICLE: URUGUAY Campaign for the Inter American Convention Launched

As part of the activities commemorating May 28, the International Day of Action for Women's Health, the Regional Campaign "For an Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights" was launched by the Uruguayan branch of Comite de America Latina y el Caribe para la Defense de los Derechos de la Mujer (CLADEM, Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights), the Comision de Seguimiento de los Compromisos de Beijing (Committee to Monitor the Beijing Commitments), Cotidiano Mujer, Mujer y Salud en el Uruguay (MYSU. Women and Health in Uruguay), and the Red Latinoamericana y Caribena de Jovenes por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (Latin American and Caribbean Network of Young People for Sexual and Reproductive Rights).

Already a wide range of women's organizations and regional networks that work in the promotion and defense of women's human rights have joined in the efforts for the Convention. The recently-launched campaign hopes to encourage even greater interest throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The campaign also seeks to stimulate discussion on the contents of the Convention.

Why is the Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights important? As the campaign materials explain: "When our rights are not clearly and explicitly stated, others can decide what we may or may not say, do and touch. And because we don't talk about that,' our societies do not dare debate issues of sexually openly and democratically; because 'you just don't do that,' clandestine abortion kills women or leaves them will serious health complications; because 'it's not nice to touch that,' love and pleasure are forbidden. The poverty that plagues our region is not only material: sexual repression and the control by others over our reproductive lives also sow the seeds of human misery. We are all citizens, and we can make decisions regarding the destiny of our nations. Why can't we make decisions over our own bodies?"

The organizers of the campaign hope that this initiative will stimulate the creation of freer and more creative images and concepts of sexuality and reproduction as separate dimensions of our lives.

As part of this effort, a Regional Poster Contest to promote the Inter American Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights was also launched to publicize the Convention throughout the region. All interested individuals and groups, including publicity agencies, communications specialists and art/design students, are invited to participate. First prize is US$2,000 and runners-up will receive US$500. All submissions must be original and unpublished and sent under a pseudonym to CLADEM before September 30, 2002.

* For more information, contact the contest organizers at: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; or [e-mail]