Because our future begins with our bodies, our health and our freedom.
Having a healthy and fulfilling sexuality is not a luxury: it is a right.
And this right depends on access to comprehensive sexuality education, inclusive and without taboos, here in Canada and wherever young people need it.
Whether in Haiti, Benin, Burkina Faso or here in Canada, we share the same aspirations:
To be informed, to be respected, to be free to make informed choices.
But today, we see barriers rising:
- Cuts to the programs that concern us.
- Education reduced to anatomical diagrams and fear of infections.
- Silences that perpetuate shame, stigmatization and misinformation.
Around the world, millions of young people are deprived of vital information about their sexual and reproductive health.
When education and access to information decline, rights decline, health declines, and the stability of communities declines.
Why must we act now?
Because comprehensive sexuality education saves lives.
It protects, it includes, it liberates.
It reduces unintended pregnancies, infections, and promotes consent and safety for all.
It gives us the tools to choose, to respect, to love without fear.
And it is not just a health issue. It is a virtuous circle that begins with education.
An informed young person is also one who can study and contribute to their community.
It is therefore an investment in global prosperity and stability.
Our Call to Canada
We are calling on the Canadian government to:
- Strengthen its financial and political commitment to ensure comprehensive sexuality education here in Canada and to contribute to it elsewhere in the world.
- Not backtrack on its investments in international aid programs that empower young people to live healthy, free and responsible lives.
Sign the manifesto. Support our voice. Demand a Canada that protects the rights and health of young people, here and abroad.
Because building a fairer, safer, more prosperous world begins with supporting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people here and elsewhere, regardless of their sexual orientations and characteristics, their gender identities and expressions.