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Strategic objective C.3.
Undertake gender-sensitive initiatives that address sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health issues
Actions to be taken
108. By Governments, international bodies including relevant United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors and non-governmental organizations:
n. Support programmes which acknowledge that the higher risk among women of contracting HIV is linked to high-risk behaviour, including intravenous substance use and substance-influenced unprotected and irresponsible sexual behaviour, and take appropriate preventive measures;
o. Support and expedite action-oriented research on affordable methods, controlled by women, to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, on strategies empowering women to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and on methods of care, support and treatment of women, ensuring their involvement in all aspects of such research;
p. Support and initiate research which addresses women’s needs and situations, including research on HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases in women, on women-controlled methods of protection, such as non-spermicidal microbicides, and on male and female risk-taking attitudes and practices.
Beijing Declaration (1995)
This section of the Beijing Declaration continues to speak to the international and national level responsibility to the health and wellbeing of women through the furtherance of their human rights.
Taking this into account, there is the first emphasis on the support programmes with women in mind. Indeed, the education should, relative to the time, recognize the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
It remains right in line with the recent set of articles on the education of girls and women about their own bodies, about sex, and about sexuality. All important to make independent and informed choices about their health.
One issue continues to be linked to this. The possibility of ignorance of contraception and other tools of safe and responsible sex and sexuality. These preventative measures can be the first line of defence against STIs and STDs, and unplanned pregnancies, and so on.
The affordability of contraception will remain a problem for, especially, young women and women in general. It is a general support of the inexpensive to the rich but costly to the poor – but impactful in life outcome – contraceptive methods.
Poorer women have a harder time in self-financing for contraception and other methodologies. With cuts in funding for relevant social services, these increased risks for the precariat or those living in penurious circumstances will become even further exacerbated.
While there is a lack of appropriate resources, the boundary between infection or unplanned pregnancy and not will become ever-thinner.
Also, the research into the best means by which to educate and support women where they’re at is important too. This includes on particular types of contraception and the odds of acquisition of a disease.
This provision of tools and education can result, potentially, in positive attitudinal and cultural practice changes.
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- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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Photo by Jim Strasma on Unsplash