World YWCA Let s talk about sex.pdf

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CC 12 Take Action Evidence shows violence against women damages not only the individual women but the whole society. HIV and AIDS spreads when women do not have the education or freedom to make informed choices about sexuality or are coerced sexually. And when men are perpetrating or allowing violence against women, knowingly or unknowingly, neither men nor women are living as they are created to be—in wholeness and mutuality. The church and Christians are called to speak out against all forms of violence against women, even and especially when we find it in our own communities, proclaiming through our actions that violence is unequivocably unacceptable and that the God of lovingkindness is in our midst ready to heal and restore. • References: 1 Genesis 1 2 Matthew 9:19-21; Luke 10/John 11; John 8 3 Luke 24/Mark 16 By Christine Housel, World Student Christian Federation Christine Housel received her Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School (01) and is a member of the Episcopal Church. She currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland where she works as Global Project Manager for the World Student Christian Federation. One area of passion for Christine is working together with girls and women to find their full potential as women and to discover how to stand against all forms of violence, in partnership with likeminded men. The World Student Christian Federation has been a long-time partner with the World YWCA in empowering women and working for gender justice. For more information on the Tamara Campaign contact the Ujamaa Centre: labanc@ukzn.ac.za For more information on the World Student Christian Federation visit: www.wscfglobal.org Pregnancy Matters Maternal mortality and the human rights of women By holding government’s accountable to the Programme of Action and MDG 5 and supporting women with services that contribute to preventing unnecessary deaths, YWCAs can play a crucial role in achieving women’s reproductive rights. In the least developed countries, only 39% of women have a skilled attendant during their childbirth. 1 UNICEF, State of the World’s Children Report 2008 Global statistics show that over 500,000 women die each year from complications during pregnancy or childbirth; 99% of these occur in developing countries. The conditions that enable these unnecessary deaths vary, but timely strategies to improve the lives of women and girls can reduce the risk of pregnancy and childbirth. The journey to a successful pregnancy for a woman in the developing world can be perilous. Assuming she is not a child forced into marriage facing her first pregnancy at fourteen, her closest maternal care clinic may be 40 kilometres away. For the fourteen year-old, unattended complications during childbirth may lead to obstetric fistula— a severe medical condition in which a hole develops between the rectum/bladder and vagina. For the woman with access to antenatal care, a mandatory HIV test may reveal that she is HIV-positive. Often with no support or counselling, she has to face her partner and family with the news. Assuming her partner does not beat or abuse her for ‘bringing HIV into the home’, she may have no access to antiretroviral medication that would ensure her baby is born HIV-negative and she has a healthy life during which she can raise and care for her child. www.worldywca.org
Take Action CC 13 And what if she was circumcised as a girl? The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that female genital mutilation increases risk of childbirth complications and newborn deaths. Upholding women’s rights The strategies to ensure women can have safe pregnancies are multi-fold: from ensuring girls stay in school and are not forced into marriage to providing adequate health care. But to be successful, these strategies must be centred on reducing poverty, eliminating inequality and eradicating harmful gender norms and traditions. By upholding a girl’s right to health from when she is born to when she is elderly, governments can ensure not only women’s wellbeing but society’s as well. The impact women’s poor health has on the community, economy and country is increasingly being recognised by governments and world leaders. At the March 2009 session of the Human Rights Council, 83 governments reaffirmed their commitment to addressing maternal mortality as a human rights issue. Governments identified specific steps the Council can take and requested that member states include women in decision-making around maternal health 1 . The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994 concluded with pledges outlined in a Programme of Action. The outcomes of the ICPD in turn informed the language of Millennium Development Goal 5 on maternal health. The ICPD Programme of Action and MDG 5 provide a clear framework for action to achieve universal access to reproductive health services by 2015. Women’s organisations like the YWCA—with its experience in 1 WomenDeliver.org news retrieved 29.04.09 providing services and history of advocating for women’s rights—are well placed to respond to the needs of women and girls. By holding government’s accountable to the Programme of Action and MDG 5 and supporting women with services that contribute to preventing unnecessary deaths, YWCAs can play a crucial role in achieving women’s reproductive rights. • MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health Target 5.A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio Indicators: 5.1 Maternal mortality ratio 5.2 Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel Target 5.B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health Indicators: 5.3 Contraceptive prevalence rate 5.4 Adolescent birth rate 5.5 Antenatal care coverage (at least one visit and at least four visits) 5.6 Unmet need for family planning www.worldywca.org
Page 1 and 2: JUNE 2009 | ISSUE 141 A PUBLICATION
Page 3 and 4: CC 3 Editorial Daily, the world is
Page 5 and 6: YwCAs Around the World CC 5 The YWC
Page 7 and 8: feature CC 7 The International Conf
Page 9 and 10: Feature CC 9 World YWCA global stra
Page 11: CC 11 Take Action Looking through t
Page 15 and 16: Young women on the move CC 15 When
Page 17 and 18: Leading Change CC 17 The YWCA of Et
Page 19 and 20: CC 19 HIV and AIDS Forced and coerc
Page 21 and 22: CC 21 Briefing From the World YWCA
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