Bill of Rights for Girls

Hi all,

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what girls down here (and all around the world) face and how much their rights are ignored and neglected.  I created this Bill of Rights to share with girls and young women so they know their own rights and feel they can stand up for their rights as females.  I see too many young girls here forced to do things they would not choose to because they feel it is their obligation to their family, relatives, or others from their community, or because they are fearful of what will happen to them if they do not comply.  

Please copy and use this list freely with young girls in your community to educate them on their rights and to help prevent sexual abuse, assault, and trafficking - this is happening everywhere, not just the DR!  I can also provide you with a copy in Spanish as needed, or email you this as a Word document if you would prefer it in that form.  Thanks for teaming with us in our fight against sex trafficking! 

 Kristin and the Alianza team :)

Bill of Rights for Girls and Women:

1.    I have the right to decide who I will and will not date, be in a relationship with, or marry.  No one can force me into a relationship I do not choose to be in.

2.     I have the right to end or leave a relationship at any time, without being exposed to degrading remarks, threats, or abuse.  I am never required to remain in a relationship in where I feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

3.     I have the right to decide with whom and when I will engage in romantic or sexual activity, without being coerced, tricked, or forced.  

4.     I have the right to say no to any person who makes a request of me that I do not agree to or feel comfortable with. 

5.     I have the right to my own body and my body's privacy.  I have the right not to show/reveal any part of my body I do not choose to and no one has the right to ask me to show/reveal my body parts.

6.     I have the right to decide what line of work I choose to do.  I am not for sale and no one has the right to sell me into a line of work that I have not chosen for myself, particularly modeling, prostitution, or pornography.

7.     I have the right to personal modesty, comfort, and choice in my dress and style.  I have the right to not be pressured to dress or behave in a “sex-stereotyped” way.

8.     I have the right to accept my body the way it was made.  I have the right to be healthy and be free from pressure, coercion, or force from others to change myself in order to be thinner, or to fit their definition of beauty.

9.     I have the right to be free from any type of abuse, be it verbal, emotional, physical, and/or sexual.  I have the right to speak out and seek help if I am being abused in any way.

10.     I have the right to self-control and to not be dominated or controlled by any other person.

When I am pushed, coerced, tricked, or forced to have sexual relations beyond my will or desire, this is called rape.  Rape is a violation of my personal rights and is against the law, and I am entitled to seek out help.