Dear JOhn,

Today is International Safe Abortion Day, where activists across the world stand together to demand access to safe abortion for all women and girls.

Protecting girls from forced pregnancy in Argentina

“We’re talking about girls who are 10, 11, 12 years old. Any sexual relations with young girls counts as rape. When there is a pregnancy, we must remember that girl has been victim of a crime.” - IACHR President, Commissioner Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño

Yesterday, on behalf of Equality Now I joined five Argentine women’s and children’s rights organizations in Washington, DC to urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to take action to protect girls from sexual violence and forced pregnancy in Argentina. 

We testified that Argentina is failing to live up to its obligations under international and regional human rights law when it comes to accessing legal abortion for victims of sexual violence, particularly young girls.

Part of the impetus for the hearing was the high-profile case of Lucía an 11-year old girl who became pregnant after being raped and was forced to give birth by Cesarean section this past March after Argentine authorities refused to allow her the abortion to which she was legally entitled, and which she requested. Sadly, Lucía’s case is neither unique nor isolated.

"This is not a complicated matter at all"

The Commissioners were particularly upset by the fact that so many cases of forced pregnancy following sexual violence involve young girls.

“This is not a complicated matter at all. Children are children, and must be allowed to be children, not forced to do adult things like bear children. And no one has the right to decide otherwise.” - Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay

Thank you for your unwavering support of the rights of women and girls. We couldn’t do it without you.

In solidarity,

Bárbara Jiménez-Santiago
Americas Regional Coordinator