Eighty percent of rape victims in the region are girls between 10 and 14 years old.
Originally published Global Voices Global
A photo from Ro Orie, with permission.
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United Nations Commission on Human Rights Three historic decisions On 20 January, my Government condemns Ecuador and Nicaragua for violating the rights of “Norma”, “Suzanah” and “Lucia” — three girls who survived sexual violence, who were forced to continue carrying those who did not wish to complete it. These are the judgments made by the Girls Movement, not mothers. (Son Niñas, No Madres) Reproductive independence and children ' s rights in Latin America are notable.
These resolutions oblige both States to reform their laws to provide safe, legal and effective abortion services, specifically in cases of sexual violence, risk to the life or health of women, or that pregnancy may cause severe suffering. The Committee emphasized that the denial of women ' s right to choose constituted a kind of cruelty, torture, inhuman treatment against women and a violation of the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
In addition, it recognized the disruption of forced motherhood to girls ' life plans and their impact on the course of their lives, limiting their educational opportunities, affecting their mental and physical health and their fundamental rights. According to PAHO reports, maternal mortality remains one of the main causes of death among girls and adolescents in the region.
disturbing data in Latin America
The Latin American and Caribbean region has the second highest birth rate among girls under 15 years of age worldwide, according to United Nations Population FundI'm sorry. In 2021, the maternal rate was five girls from every 100 girls in the region, with girls pregnant as a result of sexual violence reaching 20%, often by close family members.
The impact of these facts is compounded by lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services and by judicial systems that entrench the ease of impunity. And...Help! Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that 80% of rape cases in the region affect girls between 10 and 14 years of age.
Action ordered by the Committee
Among the most important actions to be implemented by States, for example: law reform to ensure safe abortion, remove obstacles to access to reproductive health services, combat sexual violence through educational programmes, awareness campaigns and effective justice measures, and train health and judicial personnel to provide comprehensive care in cases of sexual violence, as well as provide comprehensive reparation to victims, including compensation, psychological support and education and resources to rebuild their lives.
These resolutions constitute a historic precedent in the region and stress the urgent need for structural changes to protect the rights and lives of girls and adolescents.
Girls, not mothers.
Leaded the ‘girls, not mothers’ (Son Niñas, No Madres)— which includes organizations like ‘Planned Parenthood Global’And...‘Promsex’ Peru, And Surkuna Ecuador, And 'women change the world' (Mujeres Transformando el Mundo, Guatemala) — Efforts to prosecute international courts since 2019 to highlight the devastating impact of sexual violence and forced motherhood. The work of the Movement also included the 2023 ruling on the case of Kamila, a 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused by her father.
Catalina Martinez Coral, Regional Vice-President of the Centre for Reproductive Independence, said: " These decisions are a global achievement that triumphs with physical independence, reproductive rights and girls ' rights; abortion is a basic health service that must be guaranteed " .
Urgent call for action
The Movement urges the Governments of Ecuador and Nicaragua to comply with these resolutions and to work in coordination with civil society organizations to implement them immediately. It also calls upon the international community to demand transparency and oversight throughout the implementation phases.
This triumph, which was achieved with the courage of “norma”, “Suzanna” and “Lucia”, seeks to ensure that no girl is forced to abandon her childhood and fundamental rights anymore. It is a decisive step towards a world where girls are as they are supposed to be — just girls, not mothers.
