Operationalising human rights for sexual and reproductive health: celebrations, achievements and challenges.

©FSRH J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2008: 34(1) Progress The concept of human rights has progressed beyond the national politics in France and the USA of the late 18th century to numerous sectors, including health. Whereas governments are responsible for compliance with international human rights instruments, health professionals have a complementary role by respecting and promoting the rights of women, providing objective information for strengthening policy formulation, advocating for increased resource allocation, improving service delivery, and broadening concepts of related rights as pertaining to sexual and reproductive health. As far back as the 16th century, a girl from Lyon in France justified her premarital sexual activities by arguing that “Paris est au Roi et mon corps est à moi” (Paris belongs to the King and my body belongs to me). This approach fits in the long line of events demonstrating that government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation. The prominence of the women’s movement led to major developments for sexual and reproductive health and rights1 with increasing involvement of parties as disparate as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health,2 professional medical associations3 and Amnesty International.4 Concerns for sexual and reproductive health, and specially the HIV epidemic, led to efforts to examine the relevance of human rights.5 With the special anniversaries in 2008 of numerous landmarks in the international human rights movement, it is apt to review the current status and implementation of those agreements as pertaining to sexual and reproductive health.