We applaud the ESCR Committee for its commitment to women’s rights and the strong observations and recommendations the committee has issued in the past, which stress the need to enact, implement, and monitor effective policies geared towards increasing access to the full complement of human rights for women. We also applaud the great advancements the Chilean Government has taken in the last years to protect women’s reproductive rights. Particularly, we congratulate the Chilean Government for introducing Bill N° 9895-11 to the legislature to improve access to abortion services. However, while the introduction of this Bill represents a significant step in the route towards achieving reproductive rights for all women the change of law is still a plan and not a reality, we hope that the Committee will consider addressing the following questions to the Chilean Government that remain of concern: With regard to sexual violence: What measures are being taken by the State to collect data on the impact of gender-based violence on sexual and reproductive health? Children and adolescents who have been victims of gender-based violence are more vulnerable to teenage pregnancy. What policies and/or programs are being taken by the State to prevent sexual violence against adolescent girls? With regard to emergency contraception: What measures are being taken by the State to address the lack of information about the legality of emergency contraception in the country? What measures is the State undertaking or planning to undertake to provide contraceptive methods, information and services to vulnerable populations, including poor, rural, and adolescent women? With regard to abortion: What alternative measures to Bill N° 9895-11 are being taken by the State to review the existing laws, health policies, and guidelines to ensure that they are consistent with international human rights standards? What is the government doing to ensure access to timely, quality and affordable care and reproductive health counseling? We believe that now more than ever, an explicit recommendation towards the decriminalization of abortion is determinant for the recognition of the right to health without discrimination for women.
We applaud the ESCR Committee for its commitment to women’s rights and the strong observations and recommendations the committee has issued in the past, which stress the need to enact, implement, and monitor effective policies geared towards increasing access to the full complement of human rights for women. We also applaud the great advancements the Chilean Government has taken in the last years to protect women’s reproductive rights. Particularly, we congratulate the Chilean Government for introducing Bill N° 9895-11 to the legislature to improve access to abortion services. However, while the introduction of this Bill represents a significant step in the route towards achieving reproductive rights for all women the change of law is still a plan and not a reality, we hope that the Committee will consider addressing the following questions to the Chilean Government that remain of concern: With regard to sexual violence: What measures are being taken by the State to collect data on the impact of gender-based violence on sexual and reproductive health? Children and adolescents who have been victims of gender-based violence are more vulnerable to teenage pregnancy. What policies and/or programs are being taken by the State to prevent sexual violence against adolescent girls? With regard to emergency contraception: What measures are being taken by the State to address the lack of information about the legality of emergency contraception in the country? What measures is the State undertaking or planning to undertake to provide contraceptive methods, information and services to vulnerable populations, including poor, rural, and adolescent women? With regard to abortion: What alternative measures to Bill N° 9895-11 are being taken by the State to review the existing laws, health policies, and guidelines to ensure that they are consistent with international human rights standards? What is the government doing to ensure access to timely, quality and affordable care and reproductive health counseling? We believe that now more than ever, an explicit recommendation towards the decriminalization of abortion is determinant for the recognition of the right to health without discrimination for women.