Rights-based programming emerges from organizational commitment to promoting and protecting the sexual and reproductive rights of young people. This is why it is essential to begin by examining the attitudes within your organization. After assessing your organizational climate and taking steps to build management and staff knowledge and support for a rights-based approach, then it is possible to begin thinking about how to translate a rights-based ethos into programmatic activities. The following are some suggestions to help you reach that goal.
1) Start with an assessment
Are young people aware of their rights? Are young people free to make decisions concerning their sexual health? Are young people able to express their sexuality? Do young people have access to comprehensive information and health services concerning their sexual and reproductive health? Are governmental policies in support of young people’s rights? Good programming begins with assessment activities to help answer these types of questions and identify the underlying causes of unrealized rights. An assessment can be informal or formal, ranging from casual interviews and community discussions to more structured surveys. It can be done on a large or a small scale, broadly focused on investigating multiple topics in a large geographic area or narrowly refined to gather more specific information about a given issue in a particular community. Whatever the case, assessment is an important part of rights-based programming. Assessment activities help focus resources more effectively and are an opportunity to involve young people and build community support from the beginning.
2) Use an ecological framework to analyze issues
An ecological framework is a conceptual model recognizing that multiple factors influence health and behaviour. These factors include individual knowledge and beliefs, one’s relationships and interactions with others, organizational issues, community conditions and governmental policies. Programme development from an ecological perspective calls for examining the different factors contributing to a health issue and designing strategies that address both individual level determinants and factors in the environment. For instance, perhaps high rates of sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy among young people have been identified as a concern. Young people may lack accurate information and skills to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. However, providing information and skill building activities alone will probably not be sufficient for change, especially in the context of other factors such as the absence of youth friendly health services or lack of acceptance of young people’s sexuality. When it comes to rights-based programming, it is important to identify the behavioural factors and the environmental conditions that impact the ability of young people to exercise their rights, and strive to develop cross-cutting, multi-level programmes.
3) Define programme objectives in terms of rights
You have done an assessment, selected the focal issues for your program and used an ecological model to help identify the behavioural and environmental factors that you want to impact. When you articulate your programme’s goals and objectives relate them directly to young people’s sexual and reproductive rights. Identify measurable goals and objectives that can be used to help you evaluate the programme’s impact.
4) Involve young people
Youth participation is an important component of rights-based programming. Interventions should strive to involve young people in all programme phases, from development to implementation and evaluation. Set clear goals for youth involvement and create a youth recruitment plan, but be willing to be flexible when working with young people. Youth involvement, in combination with assessment, helps ensure programme relevance.
The following are additional characteristics of human-rights based strategies:*
- Strategies are empowering not disempowering
- Both outcomes and processes are monitored and evaluated
- Programmes focused on marginalized, disadvantaged, and excluded groups
- The development process is locally owned
- Top-down and bottom-up approaches used in synergy
- Strategic partnerships are developed and sustained
(*Source: UN Common Understanding )
