Related
Also check out our other stories!
Embrace the reality of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, today! That’s the powerful message behind The Heart of the Matter, our ICPD+30 shadow report. This comprehensive document tells us the stories of youth activists from around the globe.
In the lead-up to the CPD57, where the ICPD Programme of Action will be reviewed, Rutgers talked to five young changemakers about their advocacy and what SRHR issues are at the heart of the matter for them.
Growing with a brother with an intellectual disability, and being part of the LGBTIQ+ community, Jim Monkel, 24, realised from an early age on that the enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights is not self-evident. For a year, he was able to advocate for SRHR as the Youth Ambassador SRHR, Gender Equality and Bodily Autonomy for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality. As independent advisor to the ministry, he spoke to young people from all over the world to ensure Dutch foreign policy aligns with their realities.
As Advocacy Officer for Hivos he now advocates for the adoption and implementation of Feminist Foreign Policies and gender equality. Women, girls and the LGBTIQ+ community need to be front and centre in policy development processes. It’s time to walk the talk!
Transcription
“Young people with disabilities should be able to understand their SRHR, they should be able to stand up for those rights and they should also be able to make informed decisions on their SRHR needs.”
Intro of Jim walking up stairs and sitting down in a chair. Text reads ‘Jim Monkel – Advocacy Officer Hivos and former Dutch Youth Ambassador for SRHR – The Netherlands’.
What made you get into advocating for better acces to SRHR?
“Growing up with a brother with an intellectual disability, and also being part of the LGBTQ+ community, made me realise from an early age on that it does not have to be self-evident to enjoy your sexual and reproductive health and rights. And also having conversations with more and more young people about SRHR also made me realise how well opinionated young people are. Young people really know where they face their own barriers, but more importantly as well, where they see room for improvement.”
What impact in SRHR do you want to see most?
“What impact I want to see most, in regards of SRHR, is that I want to see an integrated approach for SRHR needs. Sexual and reproductive health and rights are not a standalone issue, but are interwoven into every aspect of life. And what I think we should expect from the government is, especially the Dutch government, is to use their feminist foreign policy to catalyse this process of integrating SRHR needs into every foreign policy development.”
What message do you want to bring back to governments and policy makers?
“I think the message that I want to bring back to the government, is that being a feminist – or being a government that has a feminist foreign policy, is something that you should deserve. I think we should walk the talk, we should practice what we preach, we should put our money where our mouth is, if we say that we have a feminist foreign policy.”
When it comes to #EmbraceOurRights, what SRHR right has been ignored too long for you?
“When it comes to #EmbraceOurRights, I think the intersection of disability inclusion and sexual and reproductive health and rights has been ignored for too long. Often young people with disabilities are not able to access their SRHR easily. This is due to stigma, due to social exclusion, due to taboos.”
“Young people with disabilities should be able to understand their SRHR, they should be able to stand up for those rights and they should also be able to make informed decisions on their SRHR needs.”
What do you want to say to other young people on the importance of speaking out for SHRH?
“What I want to say to other young people that want to speak out for SRHR; no matter what other people tell you, even if those people are older than you is that your voice matters, your opinion matters, and your experience matters as well. You do not have to do this alone. We as young people stand together. We stand together in solidarity.”
“Please also remember that young people are not only the future, but we are the present. We can make positive impact together.”
About the CPD57
At the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD57), Rutgers and colleagues worldwide will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. With various emerging issues globally, such as climate change and health crises, its more timely then ever to turbocharge our efforts to ensure the ICPD agenda is implemented. For young people today and future generations, we need the commitments of United Nations member states to the ICPD agenda, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.
The Heart of the Matter
Our report, The Heart of the Matter: Embrace the reality of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights today, gives a comprehensive insight into the reality of young people’s SRHR and how well governments are implementing their commitments made in 2019. It covers 16 countries and 4 regions and echoes the voices of young people. This report will provide perspective and a direction for change for advocates and decision-makers.