Youth for Women's Rights Caucus statement to the 49th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Several nongovernmental caucuses submitted statements on various issues to the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, held at the United Nations in New York from February 28 to March 11, 2005. The following is a statement submitted by the Youth for Women's Rights Caucus, a group made up of youth from organizations and networks working to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide, including the Asociacion Panamena de Planificacion Familiar, Asociacion Venezolana de Planificacion Familiar, ASTRA Youth, CHOICE for youth and sexuality, DAWN, Asociacion Demografica Costarricense, HELAM, Ipas, Lentswe La Rona, NAPY, Profamilia, REDLAC, REPEM, YMCA, YouAct and Youth Coalition.

**********

The Youth for Women's Rights Caucus is comprised of more than 40 young people from various organizations from all over the world. Sexual and reproductive rights are human rights and apply equally to all young people.

We would also like to thank all governments, international organizations and progressive women and men from civil society for their continuous efforts over the years to ensure and defend commitments to reproductive and sexual rights. For this we are extremely grateful.

The achievements and gains made at Beijing should be celebrated. The Beijing Platform for Action provides our governments with an essential framework to guarantee the promotion and protection of our rights and freedoms, which in turn enhances the quality of our lives as young people in all its aspects.

Today, we are alarmed by threats to revert those achievements. The human rights framework with freedom of choice at its core is under ferocious attack. We are also alarmed by the persistence of patriarchy, the rise of religious fundamentalism, and the prevalence of conservative cultural and traditional norms that impede our right to decide freely over our bodies and sexualities.

The struggles for sexual and reproductive rights are inextricably linked to the global economic and political contexts. The deepening poverty among young people caused by the economic policies of globalization and the prevailing unilateral control over world politics, the lack of democracy in many parts of the world, and militarization and war are major obstacles that further hinder our struggle for human rights, especially sexual and reproductive rights.

We urge our governments to:

* Ensure the full, meaningful participation of young people at all levels of decision-making;

* Secure labor markets free from exploitation, underemployment, underpayment and flexibility that ensures us a return on our educational investment and that provides us social security that builds upon our current and future needs in order to develop ourselves;

* Eliminate legal, cultural, religious and socioeconomic barriers as well as gender stereotypes that hinder our development and empowerment;

* Eliminate all forms of discrimination based on gender, age, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, disabilities, HIV/AIDS status, immigration status and marital status;

* Recognize and protect the right to sexual pleasure and to enjoy our sexuality free of shame, guilt, violence and coercion;

* Develop mechanisms to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls including rape, sexual harassment, trafficking, forced prostitution and sexual violence in the context of armed conflict and war. Provide support services for women and girls subject to any form of violence;

* Provide access to information and education, including comprehensive sexuality education (especially with regard to safe sex practices);

* Provide access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services that are specific to young women's needs, including emergency obstetric services, contraception and respect for our right to confidentiality;

* Recognize the right to be involved in and benefit from the development of new technologies;

* Provide the legalization and expansion of the right to access safe and affordable abortion services.

We hold all governments accountable to the full and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the ratification of and implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Programme of Action from the International Conference on Population and Development and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The political will of governments should be expressed explicitly in concrete measures to address all the issues raised above and provide an enabling environment for young people to enjoy their reproductive and sexual rights.

Another world where rights are respected and cherished is possible. We are determined to struggle for this world.

New York, March 10, 2005

Source: Women's International Health Coalition website, http://www.iwhc.org