In early July 2015, the U.N. Human Rights Council, the principal body at the U.N. that promotes and protects human rights for all, reaffirmed its commitment to women’s and girl’s human rights by passing a key resolution to end violence against women and eradicate child, early, and forced marriage. The resolution, which was adopted without a vote, recognized marital rape for the first time, in addition to addressing intimate partner violence and including a strong paragraph on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Regarding SRHR, the resolution urges states to provide “comprehensive sexual and reproductive health-care services, commodities, information and education, including, inter alia, safe and effective methods of modern contraception, emergency contraception, prevention programmes for adolescent pregnancy, maternal health care… [and] safe abortion where such services are permitted by national law.” (UN Doc. A/HRC/29/L.16/Rev.1). For more information, click here for the Center for Reproductive Right’s press release and here for the Center for Reproductive Right’s fact sheet on the resolution.
