Sexual and Reproductive Health Tips

Sexual and reproductive health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in which a person has all the conditions to exercise a sexual life free of risks of unwanted pregnancies, with the autonomy to decide whether or not to procreate.

It also has to do with the availability of methods, techniques and services to have a sexual and reproductive life that avoids or solves health-related problems. It is a right of all citizens of the world, and is related to couples or individuals being able to freely decide the number and spacing of their children, to exercise actions related to reproduction without suffering violence or discrimination, and to have access to family planning and prevention or treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined sexual rights as follows:

Every citizen of the world has the right to these regardless of sex, gender, age, class, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity.

Abuse of sexual and reproductive rights

There are different forms of sexual violence or abuse of sexual and reproductive rights. It is important to know them in order to understand that the violation is not only limited to the physical but also to the psychological, these are some types of aggressions:

• Sexual abuse: defined as sexual activity without the consent of one of the parties, it is an aggression that involves emotional manipulation or threats.

  
  

• Abusive sexual acts: violate victims through forced physical contact or groping.

  
  

• Forced pregnancy: violates the right of women to decide freely about their bodies.

  
  

• Obstruction of the use of contraceptive methods: when one of the partners refuses to use contraceptive methods, the right to decide how many children to have is violated.

  
  

• Verbal sexual violence: is a form of attack against the integrity of people, sexist and sexist expressions violate the free development of people.

What should be done?

Sexual abuse is a crime and all victims have the right to report it. The state institutions where the report can be made are: prosecutors' offices (verbally or in writing), police stations and Family Police Stations. When the abuse is related to persons under 12 years of age, it can be reported to the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF).

Legal Medicine (establishes the tests to confirm the aggression) and the Ombudsman's Office and the Municipal Personerías (provide free advice to defend Human Rights), are institutions involved in the process.