Press Release # 13  

July 1, 2004. San Juan. Puerto Rico, Women's Press Team in CEPAL/SIPAM/RIF-FIRE
(Maru Chávez) Translated by Claudia Anfossi

Young women and men have something to say at the XXX Meeting of the Economic Commission of Latin America (CEPAL) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Around 30 young people, whose ages range from 18 to 25 years, represent several NGOs (non-governmental organizations) from Latin America and the Caribbean at the meeting of the CEPAL. “We do not represent everyone, but we represent those who wish to practice their sexuality in a safe and responsible manner. We represent those who do not wish to get STD’s (sexually-transmitted diseases), HIV/AIDS or an unwanted pregnancy.  If some young people wish to practice abstinence they have that right, but they should also respect those who wish to be sexually active,” says 22-year-old Jerónimo Herrera from Nicaragua.
  
The population under age 30 comprises over 30% of the total population of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of this group has never had any sex education, so they often confront situations that may endanger their lives and human development.

In the countries of the Latin American region, between 12% and 18% of women have given birth for the first time when they were between 15 and 17 years old. Many other women of the same age have had an unsafe abortions.

The problems being encountered by young people related to sexual activity without information or services in Latin America are also evident in the increase of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS.  About 11.8 million people between 15 and 24 years of age are infected with this virus.

Such problems are not only experienced by young people in Latin America, the practice of sexuality in a safe manner is something that troubles youth worldwide, says Jerónimo.  But now, at the CEPAl meeting in San Juan, they are focused on Latin American countries and it is here where they want the governments to see that young women and men know what they need to know in the exercise of their sexuality.

“We have the right to participate, we have the right to services, we have the right to sex education. We came here to be heard, “ says Yhanina Campoverde, a 19-year-old Ecuadorian woman.

Jerónimo adds, “In Nicaragua 62% of the population are young, we are the majority and they cannot tell us what to do, they cannot come see us only when it is election time.  We are not puppets, that’s why we are here to say that we have rights and we are here to make them count.”.

In a press conference, the youth organizations demanded that their governments increase the budget for formal and non-formal education.  They called in particular for equity in education for young women, which must take into account issues such as sexual pleasure, STDs and HIV/AIDS, contraception methods including emergency contraception, pregnancy, trust, and freedom of sexual orientation and expression.

 
In their declaration, the young men and women demanded that their governments reaffirm the declaration of Santiago, which resulted from the CEPAL meeting in March of this year and  reaffirms the Cairo agreements from 1994.