According to the LACWHN, there must be a global confrontation of new social, political, economic and cultural challenges in the current world scenario, and this must also draw attention to the impact of these factors on women's comprehensive health.

Hence, WGNRR has published the 2007 Call for Action as: 'Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Repoliticizing our Perspective, Repoliticizing our Demands.'

Highlights of 'Call For Action' for 2007 include:

* Repoliticizing the approach to women's sexual and reproductive health and rights in the context of the current global and regional conditions.

* Encouraging the women of member groups to take political action to defend their sexual and reproductive health and rights from a perspective of gender equity and human rights.

Issues concerned with the 'Call For Action' include:

* The persistence of high rates of maternal death in recent decades, which often are related to a general worsening of women's health status, to gender discrimination, to higher levels of poverty affecting women and to crises in health systems.

* The criminalization of abortion, the imprisonment of women who have had abortions and the strengthening of fundamentalist discourses against freedom of reproductive choice.

* Restricted access to essential sexual and reproductive health services due to a decrease in donor funding as a result of ideological pressure.

* The lack of public policies sensitive to gender equity in health and establishment of barriers that hinder the formulation of such policies by fundamentalist sectors.

* The absence of laws within countries that legally recognize sexual and reproductive rights and guarantee that all individuals may exercise these rights free from discrimination.

Modus operandi of the 'Call For Action' entail the following:

* Informing and raising public awareness through acts, marches, street events, etc.

* Actions of denunciation (press conference, actions with the media, petitions)

* Research (production of knowledge)- Exchange of knowledge and skills through workshops, training sessions, etc., targeted towards health professionals, police officers, teachers, students, other women's NGOs, community leaders, etc.

* Lobbying of public decision-makers and lawmakers.

It has also been decided that member groups who take part in this three-year campaign (2007-2009) will monitor the public impact of their initiatives. They will also follow up on the results obtained and undertake ongoing actions related to their campaign topic.

It is with these steps that women health activists around the world, hope that the International Day of Action for Women's Health which was created to give a fresh look at women's unique health needs, will do just that.

Source-Medindia
MED/V