In early 2015, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child announced its decision to develop a General Comment (GC) on the Rights of Adolescents. The experiences, opportunities and challenges facing adolescents clearly varies widely across different regions and between different groups of adolescents. The Committee therefore sought submissions from interested bodies and States, in all regions and from a wide range of perspectives, to inform the drafting process. WWDA’s Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, strongly encourages the Committee to engage a gender and disability cognizant and responsive framework in its formulation of the General Comment on the Rights of Adolescents. WWDA’s Submission focuses on 8 key areas and themes, including: 1) Freedom from forced or coerced sterilisation; 2) Freedom from forced contraception; 3) Freedom to exercise full control over sexual and reproductive health; 4) Freedom to express sexuality and gender identity and to access relevant and accurate information and resources regarding sexuality and gender identity; 5) Freedom from all forms of violence, exploitation and abuse; 6) Acknowledgment of the multiple and intersectional nature of identity and experience; 7) Right to inclusive education; 8) Right to justice and freedom from denial of legal and decision-making capacity.
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