Brazil Joins Islamic Countries to Veto Sex Education in UN Girls’ Protection Project

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In yet another round of the ideological sea change in Brazilian diplomatic policy, on Tuesday, July 7th, the government of President Bolsonaro called for the elimination of a paragraph in a draft UN resolution to fight discrimination against women and girls. The paragraph in question proposes a guarantee of universal access to sex education as one of the means to address discrimination and violence.

The Brazilian veto was also backed by ultra-conservative governments and is accused of violating women’s rights. The position of [Foreign Office] Itamaraty was also adopted by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan and Iraq. All other Western members came out in support of the project.

The passage that mentions the guarantee of universal access to sex education has been crossed out by the Bolsonaro government, which has not explained the reason for its position. A few moments later, during a meeting at the UN in Geneva, the Argentine government made a point of urging that the terms be upheld.

Last week, Itamaraty had already signalled that it would adopt an ultra-conservative stance in diplomatic negotiations on a resolution condemning gender discrimination and aimed at reinforcing women’s rights. The text under consideration at the UN Human Rights Council has gained significance at a time when the pandemic is exposing global inequality and how the crisis is disproportionately impacting women.

The project was submitted by Mexico and addresses issues such as the need to “eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls”. The goal is to strengthen the fight for gender equality as one of the targets set for 2030 and should be put to a vote next week.

However, this is not the only change requested by Brazil to the project. An entire paragraph was the target of an Itamaraty action. The other passage that Brazil wants to see excluded recognizes that…

“…the full range of sexual and reproductive health information and services includes family planning, safe and efficient modern contraception methods, emergency contraception, adolescent pregnancy prevention programs, maternal health care such as qualified childbirth care and emergency obstetric care, including midwives for maternity services, perinatal care, safe abortion where not contrary to national legislation, post abortion care, and prevention and treatment of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and reproductive cancers.”

However, the pressure from Islamic governments and Brazil has not persuaded the project’s authors to accept its removal from the draft. In taking the floor, the Mexican government said it would be “difficult” to exclude the entire paragraph and warned that removing the chapter on health and access to reproductive health would undermine the focus of the resolution, which is to fight discrimination suffered by women and girls.

One of Itamaraty’s main challenges in supporting the text is its reference to abortion as part of reproductive health. Yet the resolution does not dictate abortion where it is prohibited, and only refers to countries where it is legal. The text also calls for assistance for women who have abortions. Nonetheless, the passage is viewed as “dangerous” within the government, as it could create a loophole. The text’s authors deny this.

The deadlock between the ultraconservative bloc and the remaining governments should cause the project to be the target of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations until next week, when it will be put to a vote. Governments may also choose to disconnect from parts of the resolution.

Brazil wants inclusion of religious institutions

In another part of the project, the Brazilian government also called for the recognition of the role of religious entities in the development of public policies for the defense of women and gender equality.

The official draft proposes that states be urged to “…develop, support and protect an enabling environment for the full, effective, meaningful and equal involvement of civil society, including women and girls’ rights organizations, feminist and women and girls’ human rights groups and organizations led by girls and youths in the development, design, implementation and monitoring of all relevant legislation and policies to achieve substantive gender equality.”

The amendment suggested by the Itamaraty modifies the passage to include representatives of religious groups. The text, therefore, would read “…including women’s and girls’ rights organizations, feminist groups, faith-based organizations and women and girls’ human rights activists.”

The recent Itamaraty positioning of closer ties with more conservative governments has been the target of controversy within the UN, which considered Brazil as one of its traditional allies in the promotion of women’s rights.