UN experts denounce violations of reproductive rights
A mission of experts listened to feminist organizations in three capital cities and reiterated their concern over bills that limit reproductive rights
Women take to the streets in protest against bill 1,904/2024 that equates abortion performed after 22 weeks with homicide on Avenida Paulista, central region of São Paulo, Brazil, this Saturday, June 15, 2024 (Photo by Marina Uezima / BRAZIL PHOTO PRESS / Brazil Photo Press via AFP)
From 2020 to 2022, more than 1 million adolescents aged 15 to 19 gave birth in Brazil, according to the International Center for Equity in Health at the Federal University of Pelotas. 49,000 girls between 10 and 14 years old gave birth, an age group in which sexual relations are regarded as rape. The data expose the lack of safeguarding and public policy, as well as the toll that criminalizing abortion takes on girls and women in situations of vulnerability.
This situation was the focus of the Brazil mission of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, conducted from July 7 to 11. In São Paulo, Brasília and Goiânia, UN experts took part in meetings with feminist movements, public defenders and government representatives to listen to reports on the dismantling of services, the persecution of health professionals and the actions of conservative groups blocking rights.
“We are witnessing serious setbacks in Brazil whereby those who guarantee access to rights are persecuted. We stand with you,” said Laura Nyirinkindi, President of the Working Group. The visit was organized by a coalition of civil society organizations, including Conectas, Criola, Campanha Nem Presa Nem Morta (Neither Imprisoned nor Dead Campaign), IPAS Brasil and ITTC. Although there is no official report on the meeting, the information gathered is expected to inform the UN’s international work on Brazil.
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In February, the Group expressed concern over the progress being made by the Rape Bill, which seeks to remove the guarantee of a legal abortion in cases of sexual violence. According to Ivana Krstić, a member of the UN Working Group, “respecting human rights means reviewing the criminalization of abortion and ensuring that professionals do not prevent procedures due to conscientious objection.”
In São Paulo, speakers denounced the closure of the legal abortion service at Vila Nova Cachoeirinha Hospital and the direct impact this had on the judicialization of cases. In Brasília, obstetric racism and the state’s failure to guarantee policies such as the Health of the Black Population were discussed. In Goiânia, the case of an 11-year-old girl who, in 2023, was forced to resort to the legal system to gain access to her legal right, sparked debate on violent practices within the judiciary.
The mission was a milestone for the Brazilian feminist movement, as it drew international attention at a critical time. “We are talking about 10- and 11-year-old children who should be playing, studying, and not having to fight for a right that is guaranteed by law,” said a public defender in a meeting with parliamentarians. For the movements, the fact that the UN listened to them reinforced the legitimacy of their denunciation of deepening gender, class and racial inequalities in Brazil.
