Rights, needs, responsibilities and requirements of girls, boys, adolescents and youth

Girls, boys, adolescents and youth
Chapter
B

Region countries have Instruments on B. Girls, boys, adolescents and youth

Policies and instruments

According to the current estimates of the United Nations (United Nations Population Division, 2022 https://population.un.org/wpp/), Latin America and the Caribbean had a population of 665 million in 2023, of which 46,9% belong to the 0-29 age group, which constitutes the focus group of this chapter. This group comprises children (under the age of 15), totaling 152 million, thereby constituting 22,9% of the population, and young individuals (aged 15 to 29), numbering 159,5 million, representing 24% of the total population. Furthermore, adolescents (aged 10 to 19), account for 105 million individuals, making up 15,8% of the population.

Equally important as the population weight of children, adolescents, and young people is the acknowledgment of their status as rights-holders in various international instruments, including the widely ratified Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in addition to national legislations. Public actions must guarantee the protection of these rights and address the demands of this group, ensuring that this phase of life is both fulfilling and rewarding. Concurrently, social investment in this particular segment of the population is essential for sustainable development across its three pillars (social, economic, and environmental), as it is within this phase of life that the fundamental building blocks of adulthood take shape. Living a healthy childhood, adolescence, and youth, encompassing aspects such as sexual and reproductive health and access to quality education, while promoting social integration and cultural sensitivity with regard to themes of equality and sustainability, paves the way for individuals to unleash their full potential, exercise their rights, and make enduring contributions to sustainable development throughout their life course.

Priority Measures

  • B.7 - Boys, girls, adolescents and young people

    7
    Guarantee for all boys, girls, adolescents and young people, without any form of discrimination, the chance to live a life free from poverty and violence, and to enjoy protection and exercise of their human rights, a range of opportunities and access to health, education and social protection.

  • B.8 - Mechanisms for effective participation

    8
    Guarantee also the existence of mechanisms for the effective participation, without any form of discrimination, of adolescents and young people in public debate, in decision-making and in all policy and programme phases, in particular on matters that affect them directly, and strengthen institutional mechanisms for youth.

  • B.9 - Full and satisfying youth

    9
    Invest in youth, through specific public policies and differentiated access, especially through the provision, without discrimination, of universal, free, public, secular, high-quality, intercultural education in order to ensure that this stage of life is full and satisfactory, to enable them to develop as autonomous individuals with a sense of responsibility and solidarity and with the ability to tackle creatively the challenges of the twenty-first century.

  • B.10 - Policies and programs for youth

    10
    Promote and invest in labour and employment policies and special training programmes for youth to boost personal and collective capabilities and initiative and to enable them to reconcile studies and work activities, without precarious working conditions and guaranteeing equal opportunities and treatment.

  • B.11 - Education for sexuality

    11
    Ensure the effective implementation from early childhood of comprehensive sexuality education programmes, recognizing the emotional dimension of human relationships, with respect for the evolving capacity of boys and girls and the informed decisions of adolescents and young people regarding their sexuality, from a participatory, intercultural, gender-sensitive, and human rights perspective.

  • B.12 - Sexual health and reproductive health

    12
    Implement comprehensive, timely, good-quality sexual health and reproductive health programmes for adolescents and young people, including youth-friendly sexual health and reproductive health services with a gender, human rights, intergenerational and intercultural perspective, which guarantee access to safe and effective modern contraceptive methods, respecting the principles of confidentiality and privacy, to enable adolescents and young people to exercise their sexual rights and reproductive rights, to have a responsible, pleasurable and healthy sex life, avoid early and unwanted pregnancies, the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and to take free, informed and responsible decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive life and the exercise of their sexual orientation.

  • B.14 - Prevention of adolescent pregnancy

    14
    Prioritize the prevention of pregnancy among adolescents and eliminate unsafe abortion through comprehensive education on emotional development and sexuality, and timely and confidential access to good-quality information, counselling, technologies and services, including emergency oral contraception without a prescription and male and female condoms.

  • B.16 - Guarantee of opportunities and capabilities

    16
    Guarantee for boys, girls, adolescents and young people the opportunities and the basis for harmonious coexistence and a life free from violence, through intersectoral strategies to address the factors that disrupt harmony in the community and foment violence, to provide education from early childhood that promotes tolerance, an appreciation for diversity, mutual respect and respect for human rights, conflict resolution and peace, and to ensure protection, timely access to justice and compensation for victims.

  • B.17 - Reliable statistical data

    17
    Guarantee also reliable statistical data, disaggregated by sex, age, migration status, race and ethnicity, cultural variables and geographical location, with regard to education, health, in particular sexual health and reproductive health, employment and the participation of adolescents and young people.

Instruments

SDG

Indicators

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