A Universal Human Right Print
Monday, 14 September 2009 19:00

By Nickie Imanguli, Coordinator for the International Youth Leadership Council

I have been involved with the sexual and reproductive rights and justice work for over three years and it never ceases to amaze me the reaction I get from some people when I explain to them exactly what it is I do at my new job as the International Youth Leadership Council (IYLC) coordinator. My initial approach in explaining my job was to go into detail about US international policy around sexual and reproductive rights and young people, but then I realized that the lengthy explanation is not necessary.  Now, when people ask, I tell them that I work with policy around basic human rights.

Article 1 in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Does that not mean that all young people deserve unconditional respect and equal treatment from society? Moreover, society, in the spirit of “brotherhood” has a responsibility to provide access to information and education that will allow young people to make healthy decisions about the well-being of their bodies.

Article 5 of the Declaration states that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.  Does that not mean that young people have the right to walk into a clinic and request an HIV test without being judged, stigmatized, or labeled as “promiscuous”? Doesn’t it mean that young women have the right to grow up without being pressured or coerced to undergo female genital cutting or to express their gender identity as well as sexual orientation without feeling unwelcomed or discriminated against?

Article 16 states that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.  Does that not mean that young women and young men have a right to engage in relationships without putting themselves, their partners and their unborn children at risk? If the family is truly the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection, then all young women have a right to healthy pregnancies in addition to having the right to decide if and when they want to have children. And if the family is to be protected, then they must be ensured the right to have unlimited and unconditional access to health services that include HIV testing.  

Article 26 states that everyone has the right to education and that it shall be free in the elementary and fundamental stages. Does that not mean that all young people have the right to comprehensive and science-based sex education in order to make informed decisions about the well-being of our bodies? What could be more “fundamental” than information that can help young people protect their health and lives?

The list of connections between sexual and reproductive rights and justice can be endless.  Thus it is very important to keep these connections in mind, because it is our social responsibility to do everything we can to make sure that the younger generations and all generations that follow will live in a stigma-free world with the rights and respect they deserve. The right to protect one’s sexual and reproductive health is a universal human right. Advocates envisions a world in which all young people’s human rights are respected.