Reclaiming Rights: Analysis of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights from Global and Indian Perspectives

Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) are the core and fundamental rights essential to uphold and maintain the well-being and dignity of an individual especially women. Despite various initiatives and efforts at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, there still exists various grey areas and challenges in the field including but not limited to inadequate infrastructure, lack of awareness, child marriages, unsafe abortions and the overall resistance to change due to lack of education. Although lack of adoption of these fundamental rights, impact the women at large, but primarily it affects the marginalized communities, who are overburdened by the socio-cultural adversities and political inefficiencies. This paper thus attempts to analyze the overall SRHR framework with respect to ICPD, Beijing convention along with India’s approach to addressing these rights. It attempts to emphasize on the crucial role of states in promoting the applicability and protection of SRHR whilst also highlighting the various legal gaps that arise in its implementation due to various political, cultural and social differences. Furthermore, the paper underscores the interplay between SRHR and other human rights, advocating for a holistic approach that prioritizes universality and inclusivity. Thereafter, the paper also provides key recommendations, such as strengthening monitoring mechanisms and fostering intersectoral collaboration to resolve the pertinent inadequacies in the regime. By addressing the international and domestic regime, the paper addresses and highlights the need for urgent attention to bridge the gaps in reproductive autonomy, equality, and dignity to ensure development and implementation of the human rights at a broader level.