Sexual health and Sexual Rights

Sexual health

Sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.

The World Health Organization defines sexual health as: "Sexual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence."

Sexual Rights

Unlike the other three aspects of  (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights)  SRHR, the struggle for sexual rights include, and focus on, sexual pleasure and emotional sexual expression. One platform for this struggle is the World Association for Sexual health(WAS) Declaration of Sexual Rights.

The Platform for Action from the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women established that human rights include the right of women freely and without coercion, violence or discrimination, to have control over and make decisions concerning their own sexuality, including their own sexual and reproductive health. This paragraph has been interpreted by some countries as the applicable definition of women’s sexual rights. The UN Commission on Human Rights has established that if women had more power, their ability to protect themselves against violence would be strengthened.

At the 14th World Congress of Sexology (Hong Kong, 1999), the WAS adopted the Universal Declaration of Sexual Rights, which includes 11 sexual rights:

·         The right to sexual freedom.

·         The right to sexual autonomy, sexual integrity, and safety of the sexual body.

·         The right to sexual privacy.

·         The right to sexual equity.

·         The right to sexual pleasure.

·         The right to emotional sexual expression.

·         The right to sexually associate freely.

·         The right to make free and responsible reproductive choices.

·         The right to sexual information based upon scientific inquiry.

·         The right to comprehensive sexuality education.

·         The right to sexual health care.