It also includes the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion, and violence as expressed in human rights documents. The Platform for Action, which was adopted by 189 delegations at the Beijing Women's Conference, reaffirms the Cairo Programme's definition of reproductive health and advances women's wider interests. Equal relationships between women and men in matters of sexual relations and reproduction, including full respect for the integrity of the person, require mutual respect, consent and shared responsibility for sexual behaviour and its consequences. The health consequences of violence often occur in the context of reproductive health and seriously contribute to the burden of disease in women and young people. Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima Director General of the World Health Organization Gender-based violence is a profound human rights abuse and health problem for women around the world.
Gender violence can occur throughout a woman's lifecycle.
Types include sex-selective abortion, battering during pregnancy, coerced pregnancy through rape, female infanticide, differential food and medical care for girls, child marriage, genital mutilation, child prostitution, dating and courtship violence, psychological abuse, marital rape, sexual harassment, trafficking in women, dowry abuse and murder, and abuse of elderly women. Increasingly, reproductive health services are dealing with the issue of violence. Morning-after pills to prevent pregnancies resulting from rape are being dispensed, and health clinics are offering counselling and support services for victims of abuse and violence. The Beijing Platform for Action contains an entire chapter on violence against women, which outlines concrete policies to combat this global threat to women and girls. The agreement also calls for close cooperation in advocacy, research, and technical cooperation between the two agencies.