Nicole Bidegain, Uruguay

Photo by Maihyet Burton

"Sexual and reproductive rights are part of citizenship, because if you can't decide for your own body, you can't decide for the destiny of your country, for the UN, for anything. You have to take ownership of your body and your rights—all your rights, but especially your sexual and reproductive rights. Some people think that if you participate in public life, you are a citizen, but if you can't participate and negotiate a condom, you are not a citizen. It's very important to make this clear, because a lot of people may have very progressive public views, but in their personal lives, they are putting up with all kinds of inequalities. Citizenship is not about being 18 years old and gaining the right to vote, it's a process that is in construction all the time. It's more than participating—it's taking the destiny of your life and of the country in your own hands, it's accepting that you have a code of responsibility, that you have things to do and things to tell people. You can be a citizen at 5 years old, or 8, or 9, or 19, or 90."

About Nicole

A youth activist born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Nicole Bidegain has been involved in political and social organizing since she was 14 years old. In 2001 she joined REDLAC (The Latin America and Caribbean youth network for sexual and reproductive rights), and since 2003 she has represented Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay on the network's coordinating committee. In 2001 she also founded DESYR, a Uruguayan youth network that conducts peer-to-peer education and advocates for sexual and reproductive rights in partnership with feminist groups and other youth-led organizations. Beyond her work with DESYR and REDLAC, Nicole has participated in a number of regional and international meetings. In 2002, she attended the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, and in 2004, she read the youth statement at the Regional Meeting of the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which reviewed the progress on the Cairo Programme of Action. Nicole recently produced the first Uruguayan radio program designed to encourage young people to discuss their rights and interests. In February 2004, Nicole participated in "A Dialogue with Young Leaders: Building Capacity and Fostering Participation," a meeting of 15 young advocates for sexual and reproductive rights from around the world, organized by IWHC in partnership with the Youth Coalition. She is currently working toward a degree in sociology.

>>More profiles