English and Dutch-speaking countries in the Caribbean have made signifi cant gains in efforts to secure the right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). In many instances, however, state efforts are hampered by laws
and practices that nullify or impair the ability of some individuals and groups from accessing the full range of sexual and reproductive health facilities, services, goods and information.
This policy brief highlights the status of the law on 12 issues affecting the realisation of the right to sexual and reproductive health in 20 English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; Montserrat; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; Sint Maarten; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago; and Turks and Caicos Islands.
It explores the gains and gaps in laws governing:
- minimum age of consent for sexual activity;
- minimum age to access sexual and reproductive health services without parental consent;
- contraception;
- termination of pregnancy;
- criminalization of HIV and legal protection for people living with HIV;
- minimum age for marriage;
- protection from discrimination;
- sexual abuse and violence – incest, statutory rape, sexual abuse of minors, grooming, child pornography, marital rape, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, and domestic violence;
- trafficking in persons;
- transactional sex;
- comprehensive sexuality education;
- pregnant learner retention and re-entry.
This policy brief urges Caribbean governments to strengthen the legislative framework governing sexual and reproductive health and rights. It advocates for law reform that allows Caribbean governments to align
national legislation with international public health and human rights standards and guidelines on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Adoption of the recommendations herein will assist Caribbean governments
in achieving the sexual and reproductive health goals and targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This policy brief complements the report, Legislative Review of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean: A Review of 20 Countries (UNFPA SROC, November 2023).
