Beijing Platform for Action. Chapter IV. C. Women and Health – Paragraph 108(l)-(m)
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/11/09
Strategic objective C.3.
Undertake gender-sensitive initiatives that address sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health issues
Actions to be taken
108. By Governments, international bodies including relevant United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors and non-governmental organizations:
l. Design specific programmes for men of all ages and male adolescents, recognizing the parental roles referred to in paragraph 107 (e) above, aimed at providing complete and accurate information on safe and responsible sexual and reproductive behaviour, including voluntary, appropriate and effective male methods for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases through, inter alia, abstinence and condom use;
m. Ensure the provision, through the primary health-care system, of universal access of couples and individuals to appropriate and affordable preventive services with respect to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and expand the provision of counselling and voluntary and confidential diagnostic and treatment services for women; ensure that high-quality condoms as well as drugs for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases are, where possible, supplied and distributed to health services;
Beijing Declaration (1995)
The role of the governments and the various international bodies or organizations is to work for the benefits of their constituencies, whether in part or whole. With the collection of them working in relative unison, the benefits should accrue to all.
It should in principle. It may not necessarily play out this way in every case. But the specific programmes listed in paragraph 107 can provide some minimal mapping for men to become fathers.
In even relatively poor data, most men and women still want to be parents. This leads to the honest conclusion of most men simply needing to be tracked in a healthy and an appropriate manner.
This will need to start early in order for parenthood to be both planned and grounded in safe and responsible sexual practices and actions. It all sounds so clinical. But it’s not, truly.
These simply refer to the knowledge and tools for men and women to be able to make informed choices about their own sexual paths in life. No one should have control over them in this regard; however, the should retain the right to accurate knowledge of safe sex practices and the rights and responsibilities expected within a sexual activity, e.g., consent, contraception, and so on.
These will likely be negotiated within each relationship. But, nonetheless, there will be a general intent for healthy boundaries, respect between partners, and so on. This becomes especially consequential in the cases of the young and sexually active being, potentially, exposed to STIs and STDs.
It is also a risky terrain to unplanned pregnancy and so on. This can create several problems in the long-term socio-economic livelihood of the individual woman or man, or both for that matter.
Next is the – aside from the education about condoms and other methods of birth control and safe sexual practices – is the connection or linkage with the health-care system.
Where the couples can have provision from it, they can appropriately and confidently afford the various preventative services regarding STDs and STIs.
This also includes the frequently mentioned HIV/AIDS epidemic. It was still a problem in 1995 and is now. There are a wide variety of problems but the international community continues to work on them.
Now, note the “universal access” as the phraseology here, the movements and political parties fighting for universal access to health care, in essence, fight for these internationalist stipulations, ideals, or goals
For those who want it, they should have some form of health care coverage of their sexual health. It is should be fundamental and primary, as this is the health of the next generations, of a major facet of the general wellbeing of the citizenry.
Tied into this, the mention of counselling, which could, of course, expand the health and wellness around sexuality too. Unfortunately, many cultures preach, encourage, and enforce a sexual culture of Puritanism on the one side and depravity on the other.
Either extreme seems inappropriate; in fact, most people seem to fit in a healthy range but this preaching, encouraging, and enforcing lead these otherwise informed, healthy, and rational individuals to pursue unhealthy forms of sexuality, seen through the statistical outcomes at times.
But without the support in counselling, social support services with provisions of condoms and other tools, and proper knowledge about anatomy, consent, the psychology and physical aspects of sex, and so on, many adults, even older adults, can be left without proper mentalities about a safe and responsible sexual life.
–One can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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