Refugees are entitled to the protections outlined in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and its 1967 Protocol, as well as in other relevant international human rights declarations and treaties, including:

• the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
  

• the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
  

• the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and
  

• the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
  

Reproductive rights embrace many of the human rights recognised in these documents. Other, more recent, documents, particularly the 1994 Cairo Programme of Action of the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Beijing Platform for Action of the 1995 World Conference on Women, reflect broad international consensus on the issue of reproductive rights. Reproductive health (RH) care may also be safeguarded by national laws, which extend government responsibility for such care beyond international obligations. The policies of the host country should guide the implementation of RH care in refugee situations and humanitarian actors should familiarise themselves with these policies.

The following is a brief overview of basic principles related to reproductive health that are contained in international human rights declarations and treaties. These principles apply to all persons, including refugees, without discrimination.

• The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
  Sexual and reproductive health are essential elements of the right to health, as they cannot be separated from men and women's overall well-being and their right to the " enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health". International human rights law recognises that health represents an important factor in the realisation of the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, clothing, housing, water and sanitation. States parties to the Conventions in which this right is described are obliged to take measures that ensure "the reduction of the stillbirthrate and of infant mortality and the healthy development of the child", and "the creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness".
   

• The right to the survival and development of the child
  States parties to the Conventions are obliged to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the survival and development of the child. In this context, the threat to women's lives posed by the lack of RH care affects the health and development of children.
   

• Obligation on States to take measures to abolish traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children
  States shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children. These include the practices of female genital mutilation and early childhood marriage, which not only harm girls, but may also adversely affect their future offspring.
   

• The right of equal access to health care
  States parties to the Conventions shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services, including those relating to family planning.
   

• The equal right to reproductive choice
  Men and women have the same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights.
   

• The right to education
  Everyone has the right to education. In particular, women have equal rights with men to specific educational information to help ensure the health and well-being of their families, including information and advice on family planning. The best interest of the child shall be the guiding principle of those responsible for his/ her education and guidance; that responsibility lies in the first place with the parents. Adequate information and counselling are critical to enabling refugees to make informed choices about their reproductive health.
   

• The right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and found a family
  The World Health Organization recommends that the minimum age for girls to marry should be 18 years.
   

• The betrothal and the marriage of a child, as defined by national legislation, is specifically prohibited
  Early maternity is often an immediate result of early childhood marriage and can have adverse effects on the physical development of the mother and her child.
   

• The rights of the family special protection
  The family, as the natural and fundamental group unit of society, is entitled to the widest possible protection and assistance, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the care and education of dependent children.
   

• Special rights in relation to motherhood and childhood
  These are special provisions for pre-and postnatal health care for women and children.
   

• The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress
  Everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, which should also be interpreted to encompass reproductive health.