Sexual and Reproductive Rights

• Sexual and reproductive rights became an important topic due to the investigation of maternal and child deaths.
• The presentation plan includes important international documents, the International Federation of Family Planning's declaration, and relevant legal regulations.

Reproductive Health

• Reproductive health is not only the absence of disease or disability in the reproductive system.
• Reproductive health also encompasses complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
• Essential for people is a satisfying, safe sex life.
• Also to have the ability to reproduce freely and to make decisions without violence & discrimination.

Reproductive Rights - The Purpose of Reproductive Health Services

• Providing care and counseling for reproductive and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Enrichment of life and personal relationships.

Sexual and Reproductive Rights

• Individuals and couples should freely decide the number and spacing of their children.
• They should have the necessary information to make decisions.
• They should not face pressure, violence, or discrimination when accessing health services.
• The development of reproductive rights is linked to human rights and women's rights.

Important International Documents

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) initiates reproductive and sexual health rights
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (1979) is especially important for women.
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
• Declaration of the 4th World Conference on Human Rights (1993)
• International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Final Declaration (Cairo 1994)
• 4th World Conference on Women (Beijing +5) (1995)
• Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) (2011) is important
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2015)

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 16

• Every man and woman of marriageable age has the right to marry and start a family.
• This right exists without restrictions based on race, citizenship, or religion.
• Marriage can only occur with the free and full consent of the individuals involved.
• The family is the natural and fundamental element of society.
• The family is entitled to protection by society and the State.
• 1949 Declaration of human rights was the first document for all human rights.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) definition

• Discrimination against women means any distinction, exclusion or restriction based on sex.
• The purpose or effect is to deny or nullify the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status
• Denying or nullifying human rights and fundamental freedoms on the basis of equality between men and women in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.
• Women have the same right to decide freely and reasonably on the number and timing of children.
• They also have a right to the information, education and means to exercise this right.
• States Parties must prohibit all forms of sale of women and exploitation of women in prostitution.
• Individuals have the right to benefit from adequate health services, including information and counselling.
• Also, services in family planning.

Child Rights Convention

• States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.
• They also have a right to access medical care and rehabilitation facilities.
• States must ensure that no child is denied the right to such medical care.
• Activities here include reducing infant and child mortality rates.
• All children are to be provided with necessary medical assistance and care, with an emphasis on primary health care.
• Combatting disease and malnutrition is key using readily available techniques.
• Providing nutritious food and clean drinking water.
• Appropriate prenatal and postnatal care to the mother is a must
• Assisting all segments of society, especially parents and children, in obtaining and using basic information on child health and nutrition.
• Understanding the benefits of breastfeeding, public and environmental health and accident prevention
• Developing preventive health care, parental guidance, and family planning education and services.

Child Rights Convention Articles

• States Parties' must protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.
• States Parties must ensure that no child is deceived or coerced into unlawful sexual activity.
• The exploitation of children in prostitution or other illegal sexual activities is to be banned all over the world
• Child exploitation by using them in pornographic shows and materials,
• States shall take appropriate measures at the national and bilateral and multilateral levels to prevent the abduction, sale or prostitution of children

Declaration of the World Conference on Human Rights (1993) States

• The right to work
• The right to fair and favorable working conditions
• The right to join and establish a union
• The right to social security and social insurance
• Protection of the family and assistance to the family
• The right to adequate standards of living
• The right to physical and mental health
• Right to Education
• The right to benefit from cultural and scientific developments.

United Nations International Conference on Population and Development

• Explicit recognition and affirmation of women's right to control all aspects of their health, especially their fertility.
• This is fundamental to women's empowerment.

4th World Women's Conference (Beijing) (1995)

• All necessary measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls and to eliminate all obstacles to gender equality.
• Also the advancement and empowerment of women.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) (2011)

• Female circumcision is addressed in article 38.
• States parties must take legislative or other measures to ensure that intentional acts of mutilation, infibulation or disabling of all or part of a woman's labia majora, labia minora or clitoris are punished.
• Forcing a woman to undergo or requiring her to undergo any of the above-mentioned acts or inciting a girl child to undergo, forcing her to undergo or requiring her to undergo any of the above-mentioned acts
• Female genital mutilation is to be rejected and forbidden

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2015)

Stopping trafficking, sexual exploitation, and all forms of exploitation of all women and girls in public and private areas is key. Eradication of all forms of violence including is also key. The need for improvement continues in Turkey as in the world.

International Planned Parenthood Federation - Declaration on Reproductive and Sexual Rights

• Every human being has the right to life.
• Under no circumstances should a person's life be endangered because of pregnancy, childbirth, or gender and "Safe Motherhood" practices should be spread to the whole society.
• Policies should focus on reducing maternal and infant mortality.
• Accessible family planning information and services.

The Right to Freedom in Reproduction and Sexual Life includes

• The freedom and security of the individual.
• The freedom to control one's reproductive and sexual life.
• Also Protection of all children, women, and men from sexual abuse and exploitation.
• The right not to undergo medical intervention regarding their reproductive and sexual health without their full, free and informed consent

Situations That Violate Reproductive Rights

• Sexual abuse
• Virginity control
• Forced pregnancy or continuation of this pregnancy
• Forced sterilization
• Forced abortion
• Laws or practices that require consent for family planning or voluntary abortion.
• Female genital mutilation (common in Asian and African countries)
• Imposing prison sentences for terminating a pregnancy

The Right to Equality in Reproductive and Sexual Life

• All human beings are born free and equal.
• No one shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, skin color, ethnicity, poverty, sex (gender), or sexual orientation.
• Lack of discrimination on marital status, family status, physical disability, mental disability, age, language, religion, political views are a must
• Social origin, personal characteristic, or birth status also included here.
• Laws here must prohibit discrimination against any minority group
• Laws must protect from unfair, traditional and other practices that humiliate women
• Gender-sensitive human rights should be ensured

The Right to Privacy in Reproduction and Sexual Life

• One has the ability to make autonomous decisions about their reproductive and sexual life.
• Access to information must be confidential
• A legal framework must exist to recognize women's rights to choose reproduction and sexuality autonomously with Voluntary abortion;
• Reproductive and sexual health information and services that respect the privacy rights of young people should be provided.

The Right to Freedom of Thought in Reproductive & Sexual Life

• All individuals have the right to reproductive and sexual health and rights.
• Also a right to receive information through any media and to decide on the dissemination of this information.
• There be an Interpretation of religious texts, beliefs, and philosophies that respect freedom of thought regarding reproductive and sexual health and rights.
• Medical personnel have the right to conscientiously object to family plannings
• However, one must ensure that the necessary service is provided to the patient, in emergency situations, the necessary intervention takes place.

The Right to Information & Education in Reproductive & Sexual Life

• Free access to information and education on this subject.
• Young people should have access to information and education on reproductive and sexual health and rights
• This should include Information and training programs with a gender-sensitive, non-stereotyped, objective, critical and pluralistic manner.
• Programs should empower service users to make fully informed consent.

The Right to Freedom of Assembly & Participation in Reproductive & Sexual Life

• The right to establish and participate in a non-governmental organization (NGO) to promote reproductive and sexual health and rights.
• This includes exercising self-defense and NGO advocacy in these fields.
• Active NGO advocacy is vital

The Right to Decide Whether or When to Have Children

• The right to make informed decisions about decisions on the number and spacing of their children.
• Includes the right to access to family planning methods and to determine when to have children

Framework of these Rights Include

• Affordable Reproductive health care.
• Safe motherhood and safe voluntary abortion services that are accessible with useful training and service.
• A service delivery has the widest possible range of safe, effective, and acceptable services to regulate fertility
• The freedom to choose and use a safe method of protection against unplanned pregnancies.

The Right To Receive Health Care

• Everyone has the right to the highest attainable level of physical and mental health.
• Programs that ensure the highest possible quality of health care
• Comprehensive health services,
• Free Access to family planning and voluntary abortion
• Diagnosis and treatment for infertility and sexually transmitted infections (including HIV/AIDS)
• Pregnancy and infertility counseling
• Providing comprehensive, inexpensive and geographically accessible, private and privacy-respecting, user-friendly reproductive and sexual health services
• Availability of appropriate prenatal and postnatal services including adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation
• Paid maternity or unpaid maternity leave with adequate social security benefits

Scientific Developments

• All people have a right to scientific progress.
• This includes access to benefits of reproductive health technology, such as family planning, voluntary abortion, and infertility treatments, provided they are safe
• Providing information on the harmful effects of reproductive health technology
• Providing Gender-sensitive medical research

Voluntary choice about marriage/ family formation

• Ensures a right to treatment
• Also prevention and treatment of all sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS for every person.

The Right to Freedom from Torture or Ill treatment

• This includes the right to be free from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and to receive medical and scientific diagnosis and treatment without free and informed consent

Rights for Children must include

• Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, in addition to safe and legal access to abortion.
• Minors need to have the ability to exercise their rights safely and legally.

Conclusion

• Interdisciplinary cooperation is inevitable in preventing child marriages.
• Nurses/midwives in close communication with women, can play an important role in the fight against child brides and can be held responsible for risk management.

Promoting Women's Rights

• In addition to the roles of practitioners, educators, managers and researchers related to their professions, contemporary roles such as advocating for all women, ensuring equality, women, etc.
• Legal regulations include CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention.

Turkey's Laws

• Turkey signed the Beijing Action Platform in 1995 without reservations.
• All reservations to the CEDAW convention have been removed.
• The goal is to increase the literacy rate of women to 100% and reduce maternal and child mortality by 50%.
• Changes to existing legislature were a means to meet the state's purpose.

Turkish Civil Code

• Adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
• Enacted 1 January 2002.
• It observes equality of men and women
• Ends gender discrimination
• It recognizes that the developments are contemporary.
• It makes women equal to men in the family /society, + evaluating work.

Changes in Turkish civil law relate to marriage

• In the old Civil Law, boys had to be 17 years old
• Girls had to be 15 years old to get married
• With the new Law, the marriageable age has increased requiring equal ages
• One must be of at least 18 years.
• A judge may allow a marriage at 17 years.

Other changes include rights regarding Marriage

• Those who are born out of wedlock have the right to inherit equally from the father's side.
• Those who have reached the age of 30 can also now adopt.
• The requirement for adoptees under the age of 18 had been removed.

Article 282-285 detail family rights

• A child is related related with a mother at the point of birth
• A husband is considered the father of a child during the marriage even after a dissolution for three hundred days
• A child born after that needs to prove that they were after that period
• The attachment of the child born after this period to the husband is possible if the mother proves that she was conceived during the marriage.

Turkish Civil Code for conception

• A child born after at least 180 days after the marriage and within a maximum of 300 days after the dissolution of the marriage is deemed to have been conceived within the marriage.

Further Details in Turkish Law

• Marriage between the parent and the sublineage.
• These include: between siblings or the like, between uncles, aunts and nephews, Between the descendant of other people
• Cannot marry with one step children or grandchildren etc

Turkish Criminal Law

• Regulations on gender equality and violence against women.
• It was accepted by the Grand National Assembly and ready to enact

Turkish Criminal Law key principles

• “The definition of "distinction between women and girls" has been removed from the text of the article.
• Sexual crimes are crimes against sexual Inviolability.
• The concepts of forced are now related to sexual assault or abuse, as they've been reclassified.

Sexual Assault Law

• If there is violence in a marriage, it is forbidden
• In the event that the crime of sexual assault is committed against the spouse, the investigation and prosecution are subject to the complaint of the victim.
• Sexual assault is defined and has basic forms of crime that are also defined

Turkish Criminal Law (2)

• There was not a law with the concept of sexual harassment in the workplace.
• The new law introduces qualified forms of the crime of sexual harassment and severe punishment

Remorse in Turkish Law

• Suspended sentences may occur
• An accused of a perpetrator cannot have the legal issue erased
• In effective cases of remorse, a person marries to lower their punishment

Aggravating Factors according to Turkish Criminal Law

• By adding the expression "with the motive of honor" to the article regulating the qualified cases of the crime of intentional murder that require aggravated life imprisonment was accepted.
• Unjust/ unfair provoc actions are deemed as a lesser crime.

Abortion under Turkish Law

• Is a crime to go over 10 weeks in the region
• After 10 weeks voluntary abortion gets one imprisonment
• Abortion or injury cases are only viable before 20 weeks with an explanation and with a hospital
• The victim needs to consent while pregnant is very important before 20 weeks with doctor

If physical or mental health is an issue

• If Causing a person/ woman is the victim's health deteriorates because with sexual assault are punished
• Or when and how this is not ok

Incapacitaed People

• Lesser sentence, or a different prison was the situation or is committed against children, a person is that