title: Dignity and the right of internally displaced adolescents in Colombia to sexual and reproductive health.
abstract: In Colombia, national policies and laws on the protection of vulnerable populations pay specific attention to the sexual and reproductive health needs and rights of internally displaced adolescents. This paper describes how a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-supported programme (September 2000-August 2004) on the sexual and reproductive health of internally displaced adolescents contributed to restoring their dignity as a precursor to promoting their sexual and reproductive health rights. Different forms of the arts were used as basic techniques to discover their body and to provide sexual and reproductive health information and education. The arts were found to play a key role in restoring their dignity. Although dignity appeared to be a determinant of greater awareness of rights, it did not lead to increased empowerment with regard to rights. The availability of and access to sexual and reproductive health services remains a problem and displaced populations continue to have little or no power to hold their authorities accountable.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Reproductive Health, De Pintelaan 185 P3, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. marleen.bosmans@ugent.be
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bosmans
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brems
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Temmerman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D003105:Colombia; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006806:Human Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D028723:Personhood; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012036:Refugees; D034121:Reproductive Health Services; D012736:Sex Education; D014480:United Nations / Q000458:organization & administration; D035862:Vulnerable Populations