YOUNG people from the Caribbean engaged in a virtual discussion on bodily autonomy hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sub Regional Office (UNFPA SROC) on Wednesday.

The “Youth Round Table Talk”, which included youth participants from a cross-section of the Caribbean, was hosted to launch UNFPA’s annual State of World Population Report (SWOP) in the region. The theme for this year is “My body is my own: Claiming the right to autonomy and self-determination”. According to the report, bodily autonomy is the power to make our own choices about our bodies, and to have those choices supported by everyone around us, and by our societies at large.

During the event it was highlighted that countless people were often excluded from making autonomous decisions about their bodies, particularly women and girls, persons with disabilities and those with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. The panellists posited that a strengthened effort needed to be implemented.

One recommendation to address this was to focus on education and knowledge in advocating for change and awareness. Consent in sexual relationships was highlighted as another matter of concern because, according to one of the panellists, “we fail to realise that ownership and respect play important roles in the conversation.”