UNCRC Concluding Observations are out now. It’s a win for adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights!
UNCRC Concluding Observations are out now.
It’s a win for adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights!
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child finished its review of the Philippines and released its Concluding Observations. They considered the issues that we raised in our joint NGO submissions and other interventions and urged the Philippine Government to, among others, ensure adolescents’ access to modern contraception and confidential testing and HIV treatment without parental consent, ensure comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools, address sexual violence, and review of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act No. 10354. And for the first time, the UNCRC urges the government to legalise abortion and ensure access to abortion and post-abortion care services for adolescent girls.
Last August, we submitted an NGO alternative report on the status of adolescents’ reproductive rights. The report was one of the documents considered by the committee on its review of the Philippines in September. Following the review, the UN CRC adopted the present concluding observations and considered the recommendations laid out in our report. Watch the full session here.
The CRC’s Recommendations on the Area of Adolescent Health:
“Adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents and ensure sexual and reproductive health education at school, with special attention to preventing early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS and on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
“Ensure that adolescents have access to modern contraception, and confidential testing and HIV treatment without parental consent and review the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act No. 10354 of 2012 accordingly”
“Legalise abortion and ensure access to safe abortion and post-abortion care services for adolescent girls, making sure that their views are always heard and given due consideration as a part of the decision-making process, and develop and implement a policy to protect the rights of pregnant teenagers.”
What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child?
The Convention on the Rights of the Child – known as the CRC – is an international human rights treaty which exists since 1989 and lists the rights of all children under the age of 18. It obliges governments to say what they are doing to make sure children enjoy these rights. Almost all States of the United Nations have committed to the CRC.
The Philippines ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in August of 1990. Every five years since then the State is reviewed. Regularly, CSOs develop submissions and interventions that serve as reports and recommendations on the state of human rights in the country.
What are the concluding observations?
Concluding observations are public and official documents of the UN that contain the progress of a state in improving the situation of human rights, a committee’s areas of concern, and the proceeding recommendations. These are produced by all UN Treaty Bodies, including the CRC, at the end of every session. Learn more here.
What is the Committee on the Rights of the Child?
The Committee on the Rights of the Child is a group of 18 independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its States parties. After a government agrees to follow (ratifies) the CRC, it becomes a ”State Party” and the Committee members check that it is doing all it can to respect it.
Reference: OHCHR and My Pocket Guide to CRC Reporting, Child Rights Connect, June 2020
Thank you to our partners, Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns and Center for Reproductive Rights for leading the drafting of the submissions and making this happen!
We are also extending our appreciation to our co-signatories for supporting the CRC Joint NGO Submission last August
EnGendeRights, Inc.
Family Planning Organization of the Philippines – Davao Chapter
ILAW Shared Community, Inc.
Society of Trans Women of the Philippines
The Graciella Collective
Transman Equality and Awareness Movement
Women’s Clinic Pilipinas
Young Advocates for SRHR
Youth for Reproductive Health Awareness
Youth for YOUth Organization
We persist for the realization of #SRHR4ALL!
Our government is signatory to major international human rights treaties and monitoring bodies, including the UN CRC, that declared our commitments to sexual and reproductive health and human rights of all especially of adolescents. As advocates, we play crucial roles in ensuring that the government holds true to its obligations, and in the event that they do not, we are at the forefront of seeking accountability.
Moving forward, let us take these concluding observations as a roadmap that guides us in monitoring the state’s actions in upholding and protecting the rights of adolescents, including their sexual and reproductive health. Let us remain persistent in promoting and working for the realization of #SRHR4All which includes adolescent SRHR that recognizes bodily autonomy.
Do you want to collaborate with us in your campaigns? Email us at office@wgnrr.org.