The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) Statement on the Kinsey Institute
June 1st, 2023 WAS is deeply concerned by the recent attack by Indiana lawmakers against a WAS Member Organisation – the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, the world’s leading institution of academic research on sexuality. Last month Indiana lawmakers adopted a...
WAS Statement on Comprehensive Sexuality Education
July 26, 2023 The WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEXUAL HEALTH (WAS) RECALLS the WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights, which states that everyone has the right to education, including comprehensive sexuality education.(1) CSE must be age-appropriate, scientifically-accurate,...
WAS Statement on the Human Reproductive Programme meeting in Geneva
May 12th, 2023 The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) is grateful to have had the opportunity to engage and contribute to the Policy Coordination Committee (PCC) meeting of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and...
WAS Statement on World Sexual Health Day (WSHD)
September 4th, 2023 The WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEXUAL HEALTH (WAS) WELCOMES the 14th celebration of World Sexual Health Day on 4th September. The theme for 2023 is: “CONSENT.” WAS RECOGNISES that consent is an essential human right as enshrined in the landmark WAS...
WAS statement about the conclusion of the Commission on Population and Development
21st April 2023 The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), a non-governmental organization with special consultative status from the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was represented at the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on...
WAS Statement about Ugandan Anti-LGBT Legislation
March 31st, 2023 To the President and the Parliament of Uganda, The WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEXUAL HEALTH (WAS) strongly condemns the bill passed by the Parliament of Uganda criminalising same-sex conduct on March 21, 2023. WAS is seriously concerned about the health,...
Sexual and reproductive health services must be available for survivors of rape in conflicts
The World Association for Sexual Health stresses that sexual and reproductive health services are crucial for recovery of sexual violence survivors in conflict zones and other situations. The United Nations must aim for survivor-focused policies in the protection of...
WAS statement about marital rape and related issues in India
The Gujarat High Court in India has stated that sex without consent within marriage should be considered rape. The court demanded the abolition of the marital rape exemption in the penal code of India and stated that “the law must uphold the bodily autonomy of all...
Ireland: The right to decide about reproduction belongs to all women
May 23, 2018 The World Association for Sexual Health urges all citizens and organisations in Ireland to support the freedom to decide about their own bodies, reproduction and family planning and go to vote on May 25th. The citizens of the Republic of Ireland will vote...
WAS statement about limitations of abortion rights in Poland
WAS statement about limitations of abortion rights in Poland 4th April 2018 Alarming news reports are coming from Poland this week about the right and access to abortion. Right to abortion is being challenged at the national Parliament. At the initiative of the...
WAS statement about limitations of abortion rights in Brazil (PEC 181)
WAS statement about limitations of abortion rights in Brazil (PEC 181) 11th December 2017 In Brazil, abortion is only permissible in cases of rape, when a pregnancy threatens the woman's life, and in the case of very serious brain damage of the fetus...
Blueprint for trans people health published
WAS participated in consultation for creating the Blueprint for the Provision of Comprehensive Care for Trans People and Trans Communities in Asia and the Pacific. The document can be found here. More information is available from the website of the Health Policy...
Statement: Brunei must respect the human rights of sexual minorities
Brunei violates the sexual rights of its citzens with the sharia-based penal code Open letter to Sultan of Brunei The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), along with many other international organizations concerned with human rights and human dignity are deeply...
To the President of Uganda: There can be no scientific justification for discrimination
To the President Yoweri Museveni and the Members of the Ugandan Parliament: World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) condemns the Anti-Homosexuality Act passed by the Ugandan parliament and signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni on February 24th, 2014. There is...
Statement: Banning homosexual sex in India disregards basic sexual rights
Ruling by India’s Supreme Court banning homosexual sex disregards basic sexual and human rights India’s Supreme Court re-criminalised consensual adult same-sex relations and referred to the colonial era penal code 377 that describes homosexual sex being “against the...
Position Statement: Co-Adoption of Children by Same Sex Couples
With spreading legal recognition of same-sex couples, issues relating to adopting children have been increasingly discussed. In countries where laws allow the joint or co-adoption of children by married couples, the issue centers on whether these laws extend to...
Uganda should dismiss the Anti-Homosexuality Bill
To the President Yoweri Museveni and the Members of the Uganda Parliament: WAS has learned that political leaders in Uganda are preparing to vote on an Anti-Homosexuality Bill that would increase penalties for citizens convicted of homosexuality acts. We strongly...
Acknowledging “traditional values” should not undermine the rights of the lgbt people
A letter to the UN Human Rights Council We have learned through web-based news reports that representatives in the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution titled ‘promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms through a better understanding of...
Nigeria’s Prohibition of Same-Sex Marriage Bill violates human rights
On 29th November 2011 in Nigeria the Prohibition of Same-Sex Marriage Bill went unopposed through the Senate – the country’s highest chamber. Under the new bill, same-sex couples entering into either marriage or cohabitation would face jail terms of up to 14 years....
Homosexual and heterosexual couples must be treated equally
In 2010 the Austrian Government introduced Registered Partnership as a form of legal partnership and an alternative to the traditional Civil Marriage. This form of recognition has some benefits for certain couples over the traditional Civil Marriage but has been...