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UN International Year of Youth
                          Our Year, Our Voice
    A Joint Youth Statement on the Sexual and Reproductive Health and
                                  Rights
                             of Young People




We are members of youth organizations, networks who work in youth Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights; and we are working for youth serving organizations
all over the world from more than 55 countries around the world.1

                                                      'Today, youth represent 18% of the global
                                               population or 1.2 billion people. 87% of youth live in
                                                developing countries, facing challenges brought about
                                                by limited access to resources, healthcare, education,
                                                 training, employment and economic opportunities.'2

On the 12th of August 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution
proclaiming the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. We
have developed this joint youth statement in response to the concern of the young people we
represent, that more needs to be done to ensure young people's Sexual and Reproductive
Rights are realised.

Our Year, Our situation

We have diverse needs in regards to our sexual and reproductive health and rights that must
be met through policies, legislation and programmes that fully enable us to realise our rights.

In order to fully recognise young people’s sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right
to choose, we must achieve universal access to safe and youth-friendly sexual and
reproductive health care services, including access to evidence-based comprehensive sexuality
education, in formal and non-formal settings.

Young women’s health is threatened by policies and services that do not provide life-saving
access to family planning and contraception. It is vital to implement key effective measures in
the continuum of care for maternal health, including access to safe abortion.3

The rights of marginalized young people, including those who are living with HIV, Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgendered, young men who have sex with men, sex workers, injecting drug
users, disabled youth, young people in crisis situations and other vulnerable youth continue to
be violated through policies and programmes that criminalize them and ignore their specific
needs.

We know that:
       • About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth every year.
       • Complications during pregnancy or childbirth are the leading cause of death for
           girls aged 15-19
             in developing countries.4
       • It is estimated that almost half of the maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion in
           the developing regions are young women aged under 245.
       • Young people, 15 to 24 years old, accounted for 40% of all new HIV infections

1   This statement finalized during Y-PEER Partnership Meeting by Y-PEER and partners on October 1,2010.
    The International Year of Youth Brochure
2
    WHO Packages of Interventions for Family Planning, Safe Abortion Care, Maternal Newborn and Child Health 2010
3
    UNFPA: No Woman Should Die Giving Life Factsheet
4
    WHO. Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2003. Fifth Edition. 2007 p 19
5
among adults worldwide in 2008.6
                 •      Every day, 2 500 more young people get infected and globally there are more than
                        5.7 million young people living with HIV/AIDS.7


     The realization of young people’s right to the highest level of physical, mental and
      social health, of which sexual and reproductive health and rights is an essential
    component, must be prioritized in order to achieve international development goals
                                     and commitments.


Our Year, Our Future

We envision a world where:

      •      All young people globally have access to affordable and safe health care services that
             incorporate the needs of young people and uphold the right to confidentiality, to be free
             from judgement and provide for the specific needs of marginalised young people;
      •      The diverse needs and realities of young people are included in all programme and
             policy development;
      •      The voices of those young people who's rights are continually violated: Young Women,
             young people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
             and Transgender (LGBT), are included and listened to;
      •      Young people are actively and effectively participating in the development of
             programmes and policy and decisions that effect their lives and that they are supported
             as leaders of change;
      •      All young people have access to comprehensive sexuality education and evidence-based
             information both in and out of school;
      •      Young people are free from stigma and discrimination based on any ground including;
             sexuality, sexual orientation, gender, HIV status, marital status, migrant status, religion
             or ethnicity.
      •      Young people and youth led organisations are supported and their capacity built to
             ensure their meaningful participation in decision making processes that affect their
             lives;

     We envision a world where Young People's Sexual and Reproductive Health and
      Rights, are fully realised and where youth can experience and celebrate their
                                        sexuality.


Our Year, Our Call

Our vision is based on the Human Rights of all people and commitments set out in the the
agreed global development targets, particularly those outlined in the International Conference
on Population and Development Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

We call on governments and decision makers to take immediate action to fulfill the
commitments they have made and to young people on the global stage by:
   • Implementing the goals and objectives of the International Conference on Population
      and Development Programme of Action
   • Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
   • Adhering to the rights-based approach of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on
      HIV/AIDS
   • Ratifying and Undertaking measures to end discrimination according to the Convention
      on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
   • Ratifying and Upholding the Convention on the Rights of the Child
   • Implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action



     International Year of Youth Health and Young People Factsheet 2010
6
     WHO Factsheet no345 Young People: Health Risks and Solutions August 2010
7
Our Year, Our Stories

“My name is Bothaina. I am a peer educator from Jordan. Once a 15-year old girl came up to
me telling me that for two years she hid her menstrual cycle from her parents, because she
thought she have done something bad. Now she knows that every girl in the world goes
through the same changes. If she was having sexuality education in school she would have
never been worrying about her body changes.”
                                                             (Bothaina, young woman, Jordan)




              “I am young activist and educator from Macedonia. After one educational
              session, a 17 year old guy approached me. He told me that when he went the
              last time to urological check up, the doctor realized that he had sex without
              condom. After that the doctor told him that he deserve that because of his
              irresponsible behavior. This young man has never been to doctor again.
              Afterword I’ve referred him to a youth friendly doctor. Therefore we should
              advocate for improvement of the health system in order to meet the needs of all
              young people.”

                                         (A young man, activist and peer educator, Macedonia)



 “In my country, young women are forced into arranged marriages with men. I know a young
woman whose husband worked abroad. When he was away, he would sleep with other women.
On one of his trips he contracted HIV and was deported from that country. He did not tell this
to his wife, and continued to have unprotected sex with her. When she was pregnant with first
child, at the age of 18, she was diagnosed with HIV.
...When she found out her status, both his and her families blamed her for her “negative
character” and bringing HIV to their home. Even though it was in fact her husband who had
infected her, he beat and divorced her.
Without resources, education and support, she felt obligated to abort the child. It is important
to note that abortions are illegal in Pakistan, and therefore she was put in an unsafe situation
and had to perform the procedure herself.
This story is not uncommon for women living with HIV. They suffer immense amounts of
stigmatization because of ignorance due to lack of education.
As the Y-PEER regional representative in my country, we felt the need to respond. We took
actions in two ways: we enhanced SRHR education in rural communities and we began a high-
level media advocacy campaign. Today, we are have trained 120 trainers and have 15, 000
peer educators. The problem still exists but we are working towards re-educating and
strengthening our communities.”

                                                              (A young man, activist, Pakistan)




Collaborators of the statement:
Supporters of the statement:

UNFPA
JCI - Morocco
National Volunteer Network Trust (NAVNET)
Itaava Development Youth Group (IDYG)
Ishtar MSM
Expressions India "Life Skills Education and Youth Wellness Programme",New Delhi ,India
International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)
World AIDS Campaign (WAD)
SOAAIDS
National Center Public Health Protection (NCPHP), Bulgaria
American University of Beirut (AUB)
Youth Coalition (YC)
CHOICE
Indonesia Independent Youth Alliance - ARI (Aliansi Remaja Independent), Indonesia

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International Year of Youth Joint Statement

  • 1. UN International Year of Youth Our Year, Our Voice A Joint Youth Statement on the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Young People We are members of youth organizations, networks who work in youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; and we are working for youth serving organizations all over the world from more than 55 countries around the world.1 'Today, youth represent 18% of the global population or 1.2 billion people. 87% of youth live in developing countries, facing challenges brought about by limited access to resources, healthcare, education, training, employment and economic opportunities.'2 On the 12th of August 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. We have developed this joint youth statement in response to the concern of the young people we represent, that more needs to be done to ensure young people's Sexual and Reproductive Rights are realised. Our Year, Our situation We have diverse needs in regards to our sexual and reproductive health and rights that must be met through policies, legislation and programmes that fully enable us to realise our rights. In order to fully recognise young people’s sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right to choose, we must achieve universal access to safe and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health care services, including access to evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education, in formal and non-formal settings. Young women’s health is threatened by policies and services that do not provide life-saving access to family planning and contraception. It is vital to implement key effective measures in the continuum of care for maternal health, including access to safe abortion.3 The rights of marginalized young people, including those who are living with HIV, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, young men who have sex with men, sex workers, injecting drug users, disabled youth, young people in crisis situations and other vulnerable youth continue to be violated through policies and programmes that criminalize them and ignore their specific needs. We know that: • About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth every year. • Complications during pregnancy or childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 in developing countries.4 • It is estimated that almost half of the maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion in the developing regions are young women aged under 245. • Young people, 15 to 24 years old, accounted for 40% of all new HIV infections 1 This statement finalized during Y-PEER Partnership Meeting by Y-PEER and partners on October 1,2010. The International Year of Youth Brochure 2 WHO Packages of Interventions for Family Planning, Safe Abortion Care, Maternal Newborn and Child Health 2010 3 UNFPA: No Woman Should Die Giving Life Factsheet 4 WHO. Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2003. Fifth Edition. 2007 p 19 5
  • 2. among adults worldwide in 2008.6 • Every day, 2 500 more young people get infected and globally there are more than 5.7 million young people living with HIV/AIDS.7 The realization of young people’s right to the highest level of physical, mental and social health, of which sexual and reproductive health and rights is an essential component, must be prioritized in order to achieve international development goals and commitments. Our Year, Our Future We envision a world where: • All young people globally have access to affordable and safe health care services that incorporate the needs of young people and uphold the right to confidentiality, to be free from judgement and provide for the specific needs of marginalised young people; • The diverse needs and realities of young people are included in all programme and policy development; • The voices of those young people who's rights are continually violated: Young Women, young people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), are included and listened to; • Young people are actively and effectively participating in the development of programmes and policy and decisions that effect their lives and that they are supported as leaders of change; • All young people have access to comprehensive sexuality education and evidence-based information both in and out of school; • Young people are free from stigma and discrimination based on any ground including; sexuality, sexual orientation, gender, HIV status, marital status, migrant status, religion or ethnicity. • Young people and youth led organisations are supported and their capacity built to ensure their meaningful participation in decision making processes that affect their lives; We envision a world where Young People's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, are fully realised and where youth can experience and celebrate their sexuality. Our Year, Our Call Our vision is based on the Human Rights of all people and commitments set out in the the agreed global development targets, particularly those outlined in the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals. We call on governments and decision makers to take immediate action to fulfill the commitments they have made and to young people on the global stage by: • Implementing the goals and objectives of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action • Achieving the Millennium Development Goals • Adhering to the rights-based approach of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS • Ratifying and Undertaking measures to end discrimination according to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women • Ratifying and Upholding the Convention on the Rights of the Child • Implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action International Year of Youth Health and Young People Factsheet 2010 6 WHO Factsheet no345 Young People: Health Risks and Solutions August 2010 7
  • 3. Our Year, Our Stories “My name is Bothaina. I am a peer educator from Jordan. Once a 15-year old girl came up to me telling me that for two years she hid her menstrual cycle from her parents, because she thought she have done something bad. Now she knows that every girl in the world goes through the same changes. If she was having sexuality education in school she would have never been worrying about her body changes.” (Bothaina, young woman, Jordan) “I am young activist and educator from Macedonia. After one educational session, a 17 year old guy approached me. He told me that when he went the last time to urological check up, the doctor realized that he had sex without condom. After that the doctor told him that he deserve that because of his irresponsible behavior. This young man has never been to doctor again. Afterword I’ve referred him to a youth friendly doctor. Therefore we should advocate for improvement of the health system in order to meet the needs of all young people.” (A young man, activist and peer educator, Macedonia) “In my country, young women are forced into arranged marriages with men. I know a young woman whose husband worked abroad. When he was away, he would sleep with other women. On one of his trips he contracted HIV and was deported from that country. He did not tell this to his wife, and continued to have unprotected sex with her. When she was pregnant with first child, at the age of 18, she was diagnosed with HIV. ...When she found out her status, both his and her families blamed her for her “negative character” and bringing HIV to their home. Even though it was in fact her husband who had infected her, he beat and divorced her. Without resources, education and support, she felt obligated to abort the child. It is important to note that abortions are illegal in Pakistan, and therefore she was put in an unsafe situation and had to perform the procedure herself. This story is not uncommon for women living with HIV. They suffer immense amounts of stigmatization because of ignorance due to lack of education. As the Y-PEER regional representative in my country, we felt the need to respond. We took actions in two ways: we enhanced SRHR education in rural communities and we began a high- level media advocacy campaign. Today, we are have trained 120 trainers and have 15, 000 peer educators. The problem still exists but we are working towards re-educating and strengthening our communities.” (A young man, activist, Pakistan) Collaborators of the statement:
  • 4. Supporters of the statement: UNFPA JCI - Morocco National Volunteer Network Trust (NAVNET) Itaava Development Youth Group (IDYG) Ishtar MSM Expressions India "Life Skills Education and Youth Wellness Programme",New Delhi ,India International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) World AIDS Campaign (WAD) SOAAIDS National Center Public Health Protection (NCPHP), Bulgaria American University of Beirut (AUB) Youth Coalition (YC) CHOICE Indonesia Independent Youth Alliance - ARI (Aliansi Remaja Independent), Indonesia