Sexual health is closely related to sexual rights, which are part of human rights that apply to everyone.
Sexual rights are:
● the right to be oneself – to make one’s own decisions about one’s body, to express oneself, to have a positive attitude towards sexuality, to choose one’s own partner, to make one’s own decisions about getting into a relationship, getting married and having children;
● the right to decide whether or not to be sexually active;
● the right to pleasure;
● the right to know – to receive comprehensive sexual education – to have knowledge about sexuality, contraceptive methods, sexually transmitted diseases and one’s sexual rights;
● the right to protect oneself and be protected – against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual violence;
● the right to counselling and health services that are confidential, accessible, high-quality and youth-friendly;
● the right to participate in the planning of youth-oriented programs and to influence decisions;
● the right to use contraceptives;
● the right to safely terminate a pregnancy;
● the right to a safe pregnancy.
The implementation of sexual rights also means the obligation to respect the sexual rights of other people – the rights of one person cannot be realized through coercion and violence of another.
