A/HRC/41/34/Add.1 84. In 2015, the adolescent birth rate in Kyrgyzstan was 42 per 1,000 women. 31 There are, however, no programmes that target the reproductive health needs of adolescents and young people owing to the sensitivity of the issues in terms of socioeconomic, cultural and religious backgrounds. It is also a common practice for primary care providers to report the pregnancy of any unmarried adolescent girl to the police, which is a violation of the girl’s rights. All adolescents must have guaranteed access to confidential, age-sensitive and nondiscriminatory sexual and reproductive health information, services and goods, including family planning, modern forms of contraception and counselling (A/HRC/32/32, para. 90). These measures will, inter alia, help to reduce reliance on abortion as the primary method of birth control. Although statistics are often unreliable owing to underreporting or a lack of availability, according to the Republican Medical Information Centre 7.5 per cent of all abortions recorded in 2017 were carried out on adolescents.32 85. Access to safe abortion for adolescents is a key element in the realization of the right to health, but it should not replace the need for access to modern contraceptive methods or to information on sexual and reproductive health at schools and health-care facilities at the community, local and national levels. Measures should be taken to raise adolescents’ awareness of their rights to sexual and reproductive health and to the relevant services and goods. Furthermore, age-appropriate, comprehensive and inclusive education on sexuality, based on scientific evidence and human rights, should be part of the mandatory school curriculum. Special attention should be paid to relationships, sexuality, gender equality and identity and sex characteristics, including non-conforming gender identities, responsible parenthood and sexual behaviour, and preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. 86. Adolescent girls in Kyrgyzstan are less aware about HIV than women belonging to older age groups. While 90 per cent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 know where to get tested for HIV, only 43 per cent of girls between 15 and 19 years old know where to go. Similarly, 22 per cent of older women have comprehensive knowledge of HIV, compared to 17 per cent of adolescent girls. Approximately 65 per cent of older women have comprehensive knowledge of mother-to-child transmission, compared to 50 per cent of teenagers.33 The lack of knowledge of HIV among adolescents is compounded by the high rate of adolescent pregnancy, as these two factors combined increase the risk of transmitting HIV from mother to child. 87. During his visit to public school No. 85 near Bishkek, the Special Rapporteur observed that sex education was still a sensitive issue in Kyrgyzstan, linked to misconceptions, a prevailing patriarchal system and conservative societal attitudes, which are yet to be overcome. He welcomes the introduction of sex education as part of the “healthy lifestyle” curriculum, optional in school programmes and mandatory in the vocational education system. This, however, is not enough, and he encourages stakeholders to make more effort and find the political will to implement the curriculum effectively. During his visit to the school, the Special Rapporteur noted the effective implementation of traditional measures to promote physical health and healthy food. More is needed, however, to promote a broader approach and to address new challenges, such as sex education, the integration of children with disabilities and bullying. 88. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the President’s endorsement of the law on reproductive rights in July 2015. The law includes relevant provisions on sexual and reproductive health rights. Article 13 provides for access to sexual and reproductive health information and services without the consent of a legal guardian for all persons above 16 years of age and access to any medical intervention during pregnancy following the written consent of the pregnant woman. The Special Rapporteur stresses the need for regular 31 32 33 16 See www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/SWOP-2016.xlsx. The Republican Medical Information Center reported that 6.4 per cent of abortions were carried out on adolescents in 2015. See Kyrgyzstan, National Statistics Committee, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in the Kyrgyz Republic 2014, pp. 195–196, 199 and 203–204.