Pakistan is a third world developing country that is among the 179 countries in the world to sign the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA) (1994) and is also reporting on the MDGs. In addition Pakistan is also a signatory to Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). And yet an overview of the overall situation of Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRR) in the country does not suggest positive outcomes.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRR) form an important pillar of the human rights framework and negative outcomes in this area reflect poorly on the overall human rights situation in the country. Pakistan is currently the sixth most populous country in the world with a prominent youth bulge, and yet the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) concerns of the population in general and of the youth in particular remain unaddressed at the policy level as well as in terms of service delivery. Traditional and cultural norms consider SRR to be a taboo subject and choice for matters small and big still remains restricted.
This country profile documents Pakistan’s progress towards its commitments in the ICPD Programme of Action (PoA) with regards to sexual and reproductive rights, and analyses the gaps and challenges in achieving those commitments. It also offers preliminary thoughts on the post 2015 development agenda.
