Over a billion women and girls are without access to at least one of their sexual and reproductive rights.
A fundamental right that many are still fighting for: access to contraception, sexual health education, the right to choose when and if to have a baby, an end to female genital mutilation and the right for their reproductive health to be respected.
Sexual and reproductive health uphold our autonomy as individuals in control of our bodies and futures, including our right to be free from sexual abuse, to choose who we marry, and to decide whether or not to have children.
Still today, women and girls are forced to live without these rights or health access, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and preventing them from being in charge of their own futures.
Right now, millions of women die from pregnancy and childbirth related complications because they have limited reprductive health access, meaning no support from midwives, doctors, of the medicines required for a safe birth.
Respecting and investing in a person's sexual and reproductive rights is essential to achieving gender equality, ending extreme poverty, preventing and treating STIs like HIV/AIDS, improving maternal health outcomes, and combating stigma and discrimination.
Yet leaders fail to make proper investments leaving millions of women and girls around the world vulnerable.
Take this opportunity and leave a message about why you believe leaders should support and invest in sexual and reproductive health and rights. We'll share the strongest messages this September.