BOX 1. A BRIEF SITUATION DESCRIPTION AND KEY FIGURES (CONT.) to be free from harmful practices and the right to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence when adolescent girls become pregnant because they are forced into early marriages. Family planning, on the other hand, allows potential parents to focus on the future. When individuals and couples can plan when and whether to have children, they can focus on both their own education and that of their children. Gender-based violence is a profound abuse of human rights that also affects the enjoyment of reproductive rights. It undermines women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy and jeopardizes their physical and mental health. It increases the risks of unwanted pregnancies, STIs and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Put simply, gender equality is not possible if women are not able to exercise control over their bodies while substandard maternal and infant health services cost individuals, families and societies fortunes every year. Improvement of reproductive and sexual health goes far beyond the right to life and the right to health of women and girls. It directly affects equitable and sustainable development, the attainment of various Millennium Development Goals, including the goal of poverty reduction.14 14 Cf. Principles 4-6 and the Objective (Section 3.16) of the 1994 Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and Section 57 (g) of the 2005 World Summit Outcome. For a complete account, see UNFPA. Sexual and Reproductive Health for All, Reducing poverty, advancing development and protecting human rights 2010. 17