Declaration of Sexual Rights

adopted by the World Association of Sexology, Hong Kong, 1999

Often we talk about sexuality and assume that we are all speaking the same language, and that our words are universally understood. In fact this is rarely the case. Sex has become such a loaded topic, particularly in the West, that any discussion quickly splinters and becomes muddled by miscommunications.

So where do we start a conversation about sex?

An important starting point is by talking about human sexual rights. We need to agree on the ground rules before we can go further and start imagining a healthier sexual world.

In 1999 the World Association of Sexology adopted a sexual bill of rights in Hong Kong. This document isn’t just something for policy makers, sexual health educators, academics, and therapists. It’s something worth reminding yourself of often. It reminds us that sexuality is not a small luxury in our lives; it is an integral part of who we are. The complete document can be found here .

1. The right to sexual freedom. Sexual freedom encompasses the possibility for individuals to express their full sexual potential. However, this excludes all forms of sexual coercion, exploitation and abuse at any time and situations in life.
2. The right to sexual autonomy, sexual integrity, and safety of the sexual body. This right involves the ability to make autonomous decisions about one's sexual life within a context of one's own personal and social ethics. It also encompasses control and enjoyment of our own bodies free from torture, mutilation and violence of any sort.
3. The right to sexual privacy. This involves the right for individual decisions and behaviors about intimacy as long as they do not intrude on the sexual rights of others.
4. The right to sexual equity. This refers to freedom from all forms of discrimination regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, social class, religion, or physical and emotional disability.
5. The right to sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure, including autoeroticism, is a source of physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual well being.
6. The right to emotional sexual expression. Sexual expression is more than erotic pleasure or sexual acts. Individuals have a right to express their sexuality through communication, touch, emotional expression and love.
7. The right to sexually associate freely. This means the possibility to marry or not, to divorce, and to establish other types of responsible sexual associations.
8. The right to make free and responsible reproductive choices. This encompasses the right to decide whether or not to have children, the number and spacing of children, and the right to full access to the means of fertility regulation.
9. The right to sexual information based upon scientific inquiry. This right implies that sexual information should be generated through the process of unencumbered and yet scientifically ethical inquiry, and disseminated in appropriate ways at all societal levels.
10. The right to comprehensive sexuality education. This is a lifelong process from birth throughout the life cycle and should involve all social institutions.
11. The right to sexual health care. Sexual health care should be available for prevention and treatment of all sexual concerns, problems and disorders.