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Haz click aquí para leer en español. Political Declaration of the Social Forum of Feminist networks, organizations and collectives at the Fifth Regional Conference on Population and Development   Cartagena, Colombia, July 3rd 2024.- From a feminist, human rights, youth, anti-racist, anti-ableism and intersectionality perspective, it is essential to address the diverse and complex realities of all human groups without discrimination. The networks and organizations of feminist, indigenous, Afro- descendant, lesbian, transgender, youth, elderly, disabled, sex workers, women with HIV, all human rights defenders and committed to the fulfilment of the Program of Action of the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and all international commitments emanating from it, we are present today to highlight: That the Montevideo Consensus has been a crucial framework for advancing the protection and promotion of human rights in our region. We have seen improvements in access to sexual and reproductive health, inclusive education and political participation of women and other historically marginalized groups. We especially recognize the advances in the legal frameworks that guarantee access to sexual and reproductive rights to transform them into public policies, as in the case of: decriminalization of abortion in some countries in the region, comprehensive sexuality education, gender parity, access to justice and protection in cases of gender-based violence, and budgets earmarked for exceptional cases. However, these advances are insufficient, do not cover historically excluded populations and have been implemented unevenly and slowly during these almost eleven years. In fact, setbacks and threats of loss of rights have been identified in many countries of the region. We are alarmed by the persistent inequality that exacerbates violence and the lack of access to rights. The prevalent conditions of violence against women, young people, adolescents and girls, in all their diversity, as well as against people with disabilities, both in the family and in the institutional sphere, are unacceptable. Download and read the full declaration here:  

Haz click aquí para leer este resumen de noticias en español. IPPF ACRO's June News Round-Up If you want to receive SRHR news directly from the ground to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter Rising the Tide: Subscribe    🇧🇷 Brazil | Gestos joins protests against regressive abortion legislation  On June 17th, Gestos, IPPF Collaborative Partner in Brazil, joined protests in Recife to express their deep indignation at the urgent approval of Bill 1904/2024, which equates legal abortion with homicide if performed after 22 weeks of gestation.  For such a bill to pass to the plenary for a vote, without being analysed by the Commissions of the Chamber of Deputies, is a direct attack on the rights of all women, girls, and people who have abortions in Brazil.   Read their statement in English, Spanish, Portuguese.       🇨🇱 Chile | APROFA joins the official delegation at the 30th anniversary of the Belem Do Pará Convention  On June 11 and 12, at the ECLAC headquarters in Santiago de Chile, the 9th Conference of States Parties (CSP) of the Follow-up Mechanism of the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI) was held. This convention was the first to ever propose at an international level that violence against women is a violation of human rights.  APROFA, IPPF Member Association, was appointed to participate in this event as part of the official Chilean delegation, along with other civil society organisations. During the conference, relevant topics for the visibility and promotion of women's rights were addressed, including gender-based violence against Afro-descendant women and access to justice, truth and reparation in Latin America.      🇬🇩 Grenada | Grenada Planned Parenthood Association’s (GPPA) Board President reflects on how Roe v. Wade's overturn impacted the Caribbean  The United States Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in June 24, 2022. The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ignited legislative efforts, demonstrations, and a multitude of legal challenges, making the issue a central political topic regionwide. Currently, abortion is prohibited at all stages of pregnancy, with only a few exceptions, in 14 states governed by Republicans. In three additional states, it is banned after roughly six weeks, often before many realize they are pregnant.  Two years later, IPPF reached out to Dr. Tonia Frame, President of the Board of Directors at the Grenada Planned Parenthood Federation, to ask how Roe V. Wade’s overturn has impacted the Caribbean:  “It appears that since the overturn of Roe v Wade, the abortion movement in the region has been revitalized. [...] Interestingly, Caribbean countries with stricter abortion laws are being challenged. [...] However, we recognize that we cannot remain complacent, as there has been a rise in the anti-abortion rhetoric and policies. In some Latin American countries, for example, Peru approved the “fetal personhood” bill, and in Honduras lawmakers increased the number of votes needed to repeal its abortion ban.”  Read full interview in English and Spanish.      🇭🇹 Haiti | Women and girls are experiencing an alarming surge in sexual and gender-based violence  The ongoing violence in Haiti is preventing access to essential sexual and reproductive healthcare services, endangering the lives of mothers and newborns. The Haiti Midwives Association, our partner in Haiti, has informed us, ‘the gangs prohibit the movement of motorcycles and pedestrians, threatening and sometimes shooting in the air to terrorise us further. Due to these difficult conditions, fewer and fewer patients are attending the hospital, whether for prenatal consultations, deliveries or postnatal care.” This inaccessibility has led to a significant increase in maternal and infant mortality.   On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, IPPF shared a powerful statement to call for zero tolerance toward any form of SGBV, immediate protection of Haitian women, children, and those most at risk, as well as unhindered humanitarian access to allow aid into the country.  Read full statement in English and Spanish.      🇭🇳 Honduras| Llaves shares powerful speech at UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board  Established in 1994, UNAIDS is guided by a Programme Coordinating Board (PCB). On June 27th, Keren Dunway represented Fundación Llaves, IPPF Collaborative Partner in Honduras, in the 54th UNAIDS PCB Meeting, where she participated in the panel A vision for a sustainable HIV response, analysing the role of youth-led organizations in HIV sustainability.   “For the past 10 to 15 years, many organizations, including ours, have consistently issued an urgent call: The HIV response is only effective when communities lead,” she declared. “However, we cannot lead under the heavy uncertainty around sustainability. Many organizations are actively fighting to create policy change and meet the needs of people living with HIV while being under-resourced and without knowing if they will have the funding to continue next year. This is especially true for organizations of key populations, women-led organizations, and youth organizations.”  Read more about her participation here.       🇲🇽 Mexico | Recent elections present a vital opportunity to centre SRHR  On June 2nd, Claudia Sheinbaum was elected as the first female president in Mexico. As we watch how extreme-right groups make their way through high-level positions, IPPF ACRO shares our hope that this election represents an opportunity to renew efforts in advancing gender equality and sexual and reproductive rights.  “The cultural shift happening in Mexico that has allowed a woman to be elected as president cannot go unnoticed,” said Eugenia López Uribe, IPPF ACRO Regional Director. “Indeed, it is not only a historic moment for Mexico, but for the region, an opportunity to face the anti-rights movements positioned in the highest government levels, and to react to them with human rights- based polices, programs and services.”  Read the full text in English and Spanish.       🇱🇨 St. Lucia | St. Lucia’s Planned Parenthood Association’s (SLPPA) Youth Action Movement continues to expand menstrual management information to adolescents   On June 13th, the St. Lucia’s Planned Parenthood Association’s Youth Action Movement (YAM) hosted a session for the students at a local Primary School. In partnership with the Marchand Public Library, the Youth Advocacy Movement held a session that covered an extensive overview of the menstruation process: the cycle, symptoms and how to manage it, as well as Period Bag Essentials.  This activity was one of the many held by SLPPA’s YAM for infancies and adolescents, during the month of June. Across different Primary and Secondary schools, they continue to share a wealth of information, consultations, demonstrations and healthy living tips not only about menstruation, but on STIs, decision making, emotional awareness and other vital topics in Comprehensive Sexuality Education.       🌎 Regional Office | IPPF ACRO hosted the first of a series of sessions on Adolescent's Informal Unions in the Caribbean  Given the relevance of addressing Child, Early, and Forced Marriages and Unions (CEFMU) in our region, IPPF ACRO has launched a series of webinars, “Adolescents’ Informal Unions in the Caribbean, to strengthen cross regional dialogue to promote comprehensive initiatives that put adolescents’ rights and autonomy at the centre.   The first of these sessions commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, known as the Convention of Belém do Pará by analysing the situation of adolescent’s informal unions in the region and their link to discrimination and gender-based violence.    As a keynote speaker,  Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, researcher and academic from the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, shared the research she conducted from 2021 to 2023 on Child Marriage and Early Unions in the Caribbean commissioned by UNICEF under the Spotlight Initiatives Caribbean Regional Programme.  Read a summary of the session or watch the recording here.       🇻🇪 Venezuela | Members in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador respond to the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis  To address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, IPPF together with Member Associations in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, have been providing access to sexual and reproductive health for women, girls and people in transit. On June 19th, World Refugee Day marked the occasion to bring attention to the vital importance of emergency sexual and reproductive health services and call on governments to ensure women and girls safety and migration processes free of gender-based violence.   Watch video in English and Spanish.    If you want to receive SRHR news directly from the ground to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter Rising the Tide: Subscribe       

Haz click aquí para leer esta noticia en español.   In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), one in five women marry or enter a union before the age of 18. This is the only region in the world where child marriage rates have hardly decreased over the past 25 years, and where informal unions without official registration are far more common than formal marriages. Given the relevance of addressing Child, Early, and Forced Marriages and Unions (CEFMU) in our region, IPPF ACRO has launched a series of webinars, “Informal Unions in the Caribbean and Latin America”, to strengthen cross regional dialogue to promote comprehensive initiatives that put adolescents’ rights and autonomy at the centre.  The first of these sessions commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, known as the Convention of Belém do Pará by analysing the situation of adolescent’s informal unions in the region and their link to discrimination and gender-based violence.   As a keynote speaker,  Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, researcher and academic from the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, shared the research she conducted from 2021 to 2023 on Child Marriage and Early Unions in the Caribbean commissioned by UNICEF under the Spotlight Initiatives Caribbean Regional Programme.    A gender-based violence issue  The Belém do Pará Convention is the main regional instrument to address violence against women as a violation of their human rights. Thirty years after the adoption, child marriages have been recognised as part of harmful practices, being both a cause and a consequence of gender-based violence against girls and adolescents. “It's still a challenge for all of us because despite all the commitments signed at the UN level, Child, Early, and Forced Marriages and Unions are still a barrier for many girls and young women, and it really has impeded their rights to be fulfilled,” Alessandra Nilo, IPPF ACRO’s External Relations Director, reflected when opening the session. Although these political commitments imply numerous intersectoral interventions – ensuring girls' access to education, sexual and reproductive health, and rights, ending gender stereotypes and gender-based violence, and ensuring equality before the law – government responses in the region have been limited mainly in raising the age of marriage to 18 years and eliminating exceptions. This response, although an important step, is insufficiently short in addressing the needs and situations that girls, adolescents and young women go through.    Zooming in on the Caribbean context  There is growing regional evidence about underlying drivers, manifestations and impacts of CEFMU on the girls who marry, as well as in their families and communities. However, there remains a large information gap on the situation in the Caribbean.   At the end of 2023, Dr. Gabrielle Hosein published a research brief that summarises the information available on CEFMU in the Caribbean and complements it with findings of research commissioned by UNICEF in the framework of the Spotlight Initiative Caribbean Regional Program, conducted in six Caribbean countries.  “It's really important in our region that we always keep the question of adolescent sexual agency in mind and adolescent agency overall, and that we don't simply think about adolescent girls as victims,” Dr. Hosein shared.   “In our region, early unions, which are primarily informal, tend to be entered into by girls themselves. That is, girls are not being forced or married off into unions as they might be in other places or sold into unions in the same rates as in other places.”  “None the less, girls are in disadvantage context, characterized by vulnerability, and they may enter unions for transactional exchange, for protection, to escape from family violence to secure support for their education and to experience intimacy.”  In this research, Dr. Hosein and colleagues found clear intersectionalities that emerge from the data and point to the need to focus on the vulnerability these populations have been put in. Any approach needs to recognize these structural factors.  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to get information on the next webinars! Sign up here. 

Haz click aquí para leer este posicionamiento en español. Clique aqui para ler essa posição em português.   Gestos, IPPF Collaborative Partner in Brazil, expresses its deep indignation at the urgent approval of Bill 1904/2024, which equates legal abortion and homicide if performed after 22 weeks of gestation. For such a bill to pass to the plenary for a vote, without being analysed by the Commissions of the Chamber of Deputies, is a direct attack on the rights of all women, girls and people who have abortions in Brazil.   The right to abortion is permitted in Brazil in three cases: risk to the life of the pregnant woman, pregnancy resulting from rape and anencephalic fetuses. This bill, which has the support of the Chamber President, Arthur Lira, represents another serious violation of rights, increasing the conditions of suffering and impotence. It is unjust, ineffective and will cause further damage to the health (including mental) of women, girls and pregnant people.  In Brazil, about 60% of rape cases occur against girls up to the age of 14. According to the Unified Health System (SUS), in 2022 there were more than 17,000 pregnancies of girls up to 14 years old, which represents an average of 39 girls giving birth every day. Data indicates that girls take longer to realise the violence they have suffered, most often committed by male family members, and do not immediately identify the pregnancy.   Brazil is already considered a country that has failed to guarantee the right to legal abortion. The last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Brazil conducted by the UN Human Rights Committee in September 2023 expressed serious concern about the violation of access to legal abortion in the country. Several recommendations made to the country call for the repeal of laws that criminalise people in need of legal abortion and the health professionals who assist them.  Civil society organisations, research institutes and the World Health Organisation itself have warned about the seriousness of the reversals in reproductive rights. In 2019, five years ago, Gestos launched the campaign "Legal abortion: don't judge, support", which highlighted the urgent need to offer support and solidarity to people who need abortions in the cases provided for by law.     There is no shortage of evidence that abortion is a public health issue and that it must be discussed considering the multiple structural inequalities faced by women, girls and people who have abortions. That is why we reject those representatives who, in the National Congress and/or in the different executive bodies, represent fundamentalism, sexism, misogyny and irresponsibility towards the people they are supposed to protect in their public functions.  For this reason, Gestos joins the different demonstrations and activities of feminist organisations, social movements and civil society: we will not stop until Bill 1904/2024 is stopped in Congress.        Gestos is a Collaborative Partner of IPPF in Brazil. Since1993 they have effectively contributed to guaranteeing the human rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. They also help to form new civil society organizations, such as the National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (RNPVHA - 1995), the Positive Work Group - GTP+ (2000), the Group of Positive Actions (2003), the Group of Support to HIV Positive People (GASP) 2003, Acts of Citizenship (2006). From 2007 to 2011, Gestos created and coordinated the UNGASS-AIDS Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health, where it oversaw the implementation of agreements signed at the UN in sixteen developing countries. The UNGASS-AIDS Forum has established itself as a space for political debate on issues related to HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights. They are also a consultative NGO at the UN, with ECOSOC status since 2017.     

The International Planned Parenthood Federation’s Regional Office in the Americas and the Caribbean (IPPF ACRO) congratulates Claudia Sheinbaum, who has made history as the first female president in Mexico. We share our hope that this election represents an opportunity to renew efforts in advancing gender equality and sexual and reproductive rights.  “The cultural shift happening in Mexico that has allowed a woman to be elected as president cannot go unnoticed,” said Eugenia López Uribe, IPPF ACRO Regional Director. “Indeed, it is not only a historic moment for Mexico, but for the region, an opportunity to face the anti-rights movements positioned in the highest government levels, and to react to them with human rights- based polices, programs and services.”  In the past few years, Mexico has, on several occasions, proven its commitment to be a secular state that respects reproductive and sexual autonomy. In 2022, the Mexican Supreme Court declared abortion criminalization to be unconstitutional. The Court mandated every state must take steps to guarantee access to safe abortion, and 20 of the 32 states adopted reforms that recognize and protect transgender people when they wish to officially change their gender marker on identity documents. Both are examples of significant progress towards sexual and reproductive justice, which has allowed public institutions and civil society organizations, including the Mexican Family Planning Foundation, Mexfam, to provide sexual and reproductive health access to underserved communities around the country.  Mexican women and girls in all their diversity, LGBTQI+ folks, sex workers, people living with HIV, youth, displaced people, people living in poverty, and those in more vulnerable situations need not only progress in law making processes, but efficient public policies to guarantee they have real access to such rights. In this historical moment, IPPF ACRO urges the newly elected government to continue building a human rights-based structure that will eliminate social and legal barriers hindering access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. This includes essential services such as gender-based violence prevention, abortion care, fertility care, HIV and STI treatment, and gender-affirming care. Particular attention must be given to those who, due to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, geography, education, or financial situation, have been systematically left behind.  “There has been considerable progress made towards advancing sexual and reproductive rights in the last years,” stated Eugenia López Uribe, who is Mexican herself. “Our hope is that president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum together with the more than 20,000 public officials elected on June 2 will join us to further guaranteeing adequate financing to guarantee the right to high-quality services related to sexuality and reproduction, to the 127.5 million people living in Mexico.” 

Haz click aquí para leer el Resumen de noticias de mayo en español. Brazil | Gestos celebrates 31 years of advocating for SRHR   Gestos, IPPF Collaborative Partner in Brazil, celebrated their 31st anniversary with dance, music and much love from their community. Since their founding, they have advocated to link social, cultural, economic and environmental issues to inclusive and effective public policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights.  For 31 years, Gestos has effectively contributed to guaranteeing the human rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. Around 70 per cent of the people who have sought legal support from the institution have had their rights repaired, through injunctions and judgements. Gestos' advocacy efforts effectively reach multilateral bodies dedicated to monitoring HIV, gender, sexual rights and public development policies and, since 2001, the organisation has been monitoring United Nations resolutions on these agendas.  Congratulations, parceiras!       Bolivia | Colectivo Rebeldía celebrates diverse 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ families for IDAHOBIT  To commemorate the International Day Against LGBTIphobia, Colectivo Rebeldía,  Collaborative Partner in Bolivia, joined the Sexual Diversity Movement of Santa Cruz to celebrate love and diversity on May 17th. They brought the community together to celebrate all forms of love and all forms of families. The cold weather was no obstacle to this warm and welcoming gathering where they shared moments of reflection, art and connection.  You can learn more about this joint project with their most recent (and creative!) post.      Cuba | Cenesex fights LGBTQI-Phobia with gala, march and community-oriented events  IPPF Collaborative Partner in Cuba, Cenesex, went all out for IDAHOBIT celebrations with the Cuban Days Against Homophobia and Transphobia during the month of May. They took the streets to the rhythm of the Cuban Conga against Homophobia and Transphobia, waving the trans and transinclusive pride flag across San José de las Lajas. They also celebrated the graduation of 30 transgender people as Sexual Health and Rights promoters in prisons. Their community work is incredible!      Dominica | Dominica Planned Parenthood Association champions gender equality at SIDS4  From May 27-30 the Dominican Planned Parenthood Association participated in the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States. This year, Antigua & Barbuda was host to leaders from the 39 independent States and 18 Associate Members of United Nations regional commissions and other world leaders, officials, and experts from the private sector, academia and civil society. DPPA participated in the Gender Equality Forum as part of the SIDS4, bringing forward the importance of addressing gender-based violence.      Haïti | The Association of Midwifes of Haiti highlights the important role of midwives at the forefront of crisis.   To celebrate the International Day of the Midwife, on May 6th the Association des Sages-Femmes d’Haïti (ASFH) organized the webinar “Midwives in Haïti: Agents of Solution in the Socio-political Crisis”, of particular importance in the country’s current context. Key stakeholders came together to discuss best practices, challenges and solutions to strengthen maternal and child health in the country. It was a relevant virtual platform for reflection, exchange of ideas and collective action.      Perú | INPPARES and IPPF ACRO express concern regarding the latest Health Ministry’s decree that violates LGBTQI+ rights.  The IPPF Americas and Caribbean Regional Office joined INPPARES, IPPF Member Association in Peru, in expressing its rejection of the Supreme Decree Nº 009-2024-SA issued on May 10th by the Peruvian Ministry of Health which, by updating the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) based on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), violates the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people.  This decision of the Peruvian government to use ICD-10 is very serious, as it violates binding codes and agreements at local, regional and international level. You can read our joint statement here.     If you want to receive SRHR news directly from the ground to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter Rising the Tide: Subscribe