SOGI Statement at the Human Rights Council

Last week one of our esteemed Youth Advocates, as part of the Right Here Right Now programme, delivered this statement to the UN Human Rights Council and the Independent Expert on SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity). The statement was addressing the Expert’s report on Conversion Therapy; a harmful practice that aims to ‘change’ the sexuality of someone (but in practice causes severe mental, physical, and social distress). We were pleased with the opportunity to address the Human Rights Council on this issue, as conversion therapy predominantly targets young people. See our report on Conversion Therapy here.

Meet Lindsay our new Executive Director!

Watch our video to get to know our new Executive Director Lindsay Vogelzang

Stay alert for the invisible victims of Covid-19

Five topics policy makers, civil society and activists need to stay alert for as the Covid-19 crisis has already and will continue to impact women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights

To the government of Nigeria: The right to privacy of LGBT persons in their own homes must be protected.

From the 13^th till the 27^th of September, 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing visited Nigeria. Through the REA program, CHOICE supported our partners to engage with her visit.

Never again.

Today is International Safe Abortion Day. This day originates in Latin America and the Caribbean where women’s groups have been mobilizing around September 28 the last two decades to demand their governments to “decriminalize abortion, to provide access to safe and affordable abortion services and to end stigma and discrimination towards women who choose to have an abortion.”

Dispatch from the Netherlands: abortion rights

Abortion rights are an important part of SRHR and CHOICE advocates for access to safe and legal abortion worldwide. We do this in our UN advocacy work, but more recently CHOICErs have also started to track the national debate on abortion.

CHOICE advocates for young people's rights at the 41st HRC

Last month, CHOICE advocated at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). We engaged with three core resolutions; namely Youth and Human Rights, Violence against Women and Girls, and Discrimination against Women and Girls, as well as closely following discussions around the resolution renewing the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

Speaking Truth to Power - YouthUpUN at HRC 41

At the end of June, CHOICE took the YouthUpUN campaign to the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council to campaign for meaningful youth participation. 

Historic Breakthrough at the UN - CHOICE Granted ECOSOC Status

We are incredibly pleased to announce that we have been granted ECOSOC Consultative Status! This is a special status granted to NGOs at the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

New Youth Ambassador Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights  

CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality, in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has recently appointed Justine van de Beek as the new independent Youth Ambassador for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, 2019-2020.