Citation

Cottingham J, García-Moreno C, Reis C. BJOG 2008; 115(3): 301-303.

Affiliation

Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. cottinghamj@who.int

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1471-0528.2007.01605.x

PMID

18190365

Abstract

Increasing attention has been given to women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in the past decade. This is thanks partly to the impetus given by international conferences such as the 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights, at which women’s rights were articulated for the first time, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. The consensus documents from ICPD (1994 Programme of Action of ICPD) and Beijing (1995 Beijing Platform for Action) clearly articulated the need for women to have access to sexual and reproductive health services, including those for family planning, antenatal and delivery care, safe abortion where legal, postabortion care and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. They further recognised that refugee and internally displaced populations have particular reproductive health needs that must be met. These international agreements also stress the right of women to be free from all forms of violence and coercion. They have highlighted the multiple forms of violence against women, including intimate partner violence, sexual coercion, exploitation and rape in 'peaceful' times as well as during conflict situations.

Language: en