
WAS2021 Sexual Justice Indaba
Indaba (noun)
Pronounced: in-dah-bah
The term “Indaba” comes from the Zulu and Xhosa languages of Southern Africa. It means “business” or “matter” and usually refers to a meeting or conference where such important matters are discussed, usually under the cool shade of an African tree by a gathering of people.
What is the World Association for Sexual Health’s current understanding of Sexual Justice?
We understand Sexual Justice to be at the intersection of social justice and sexual rights and that it is based on the following principles: Human dignity; Equality; Personal and Bodily Autonomy; Citizenship; Community; Participation; Solidarity; Rights and Responsibilities; and Peace.
Sexual Justice is not only a theoretical construct, but it is oriented towards the implementation of operational actions that facilitate a virtuous tripod that rights should be based on: accessibility, guarantee and equity.
In relation to sexual health, Sexual Justice is directly associated with the possibility of access to information and education, affordable health care, accessibility to health services, the specificity of supply in these services for all people, as well as the right to acceptance and respect.
Within the framework of Sexual Justice, sexual, gender and relationship diversity are considered as indisputable realities which should be safe guarded. This means that individual sexual expression extends far beyond reproduction and includes pleasure and enjoyment throughout the course of a person’s life, including freedom and protection from violent, non-consensual and/or unwanted sexual and reproductive activities.
We acknowledge that our current understanding of Sexual Justice is limited. During WAS 2021, we will start to embark on a Sexual Justice Consultation to improve our understanding of Sexual Justice. Our long- term aim is to produce fully informed Declaration on Sexual Justice and for it to be disseminated in order to change policy around the globe.
Want to Contribute?
Please tell us what you think Sexual Justice is by clicking here.
Who Should Attend?
Anyone who works in and around sexuality and sexual health and has an interest in Sexual Justice issues, including activists, medical professionals, mental health professionals, educators, politicians, and clergy and all interested individuals.
How Can You Participate?
Leading up to the Indaba we ask you to share your ideas on what Sexual Justice is. Your responses will be analysed by our team and distilled into the key discussion themes at the Indaba.
Any person or organisation is welcome to participate in the data collection part of this consultation via our Padlet page. Just click here to have your say, and follow the instructions below.
- Once the Padlet link is open, click on the pink plus sign icon in the bottom right hand corner and a text box will pop up on the screen. You can also double click on the board to make the text box appear.
- Enter your comment in the text box to create your own post. You can type, add an image, document or video. Please add as much information as possible – we are looking to collect opinions, papers, examples, stories – anything you think might add to this comprehensive consultation on Sexual Justice.
We will be using the World Café methodology which is a structured conversational process for knowledge sharing where groups of people discuss several topics. The Café is built on the assumption that people already have within them the wisdom and creativity to confront even the most difficult challenges. Given the appropriate context and focus, it is possible to access and use this deeper knowledge about what is important.
Please click here to share your ideas on our Padlet or add your ideas to the conversation on social media via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Besides being the culmination of weeks of engagement with you, the Indaba itself is the starting point of a global consultation that will be undertaken by WAS with the aim to produce a WAS declaration to be presented at the 2023 WAS Congress and to be approved by WAS General Assembly.
DATE: 9 September 2021
TIME: 10:00 – 14:00 (GMT+2)
COST: The Indaba is free to all delegates who have registered for the WAS 2021 Congress.
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