Annotation:
This comprehensive report examines the status of women's reproductive rights since the 1995 Beijing Conference, focusing particularly on eight critical areas: 1) population, reproductive health and family planning; 2) contraception, including emergency contraception; 3) abortion; 4) HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases; 5) harmful traditional practices affecting reproductive health, including female circumcision and female genital mutilation; 6) rape and other sexual violence; 7) marriage and family law; and 8) reproductive rights of adolescents. In its introduction, the report presents a brief history of reproductive rights in the international arena. In covering each of the eight critical areas, the report presents numerous examples of diverse policies adopted by various countries and subsequently offers recommendations for policy reforms. It concludes by noting that elements of coercion, discrimination, and violence are frequently faced by women in the context of reproductive rights violations; emphasizing the inter-dependent nature of reproductive rights and other human rights; and attributing the trend of increased recognition of women's reproductive rights since the Beijing Conference primarily to the efforts of women's rights advocates. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - Overview, International]