The day acts
as a reminder to the governments of all countries, their health ministries,
international agencies and other government and private institutions of their
commitment to women's health and rights.
LACWHN, being
the leading regional network took up the responsibility of the May 28 campaign
at the regional level. Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR),
on the other hand, is the network that leads the campaign on the global level. Both
the networks, with their core active members have been coordinating the
campaigns.
Established
in 1984 in the Netherlands, WGNRR has been campaigning for women's sexual and
reproductive health and rights for more than 30 years now. With its
headquarters currently in Manila, WGNRR also consults for the United Nations (UN).
WGNRR
has around 450 organizational members around the globe and presence in about
105 countries.
WGNRR aims to
realize the full sexual and reproductive health and rights of all people, with
a focus on the marginalized. All the activities of the WGNRR are carried out
within the rights, justice and feminist frameworks.
WGNRR was
also responsible for re-launching the May 28 campaign in 2014, highlighting the
30 years of activism and issues that remained unaddressed. WGNRR has also developed
a website as a platform for its campaign partners and
participants to share their thoughts in the forms of blogs and articles.
Sexual
and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of Women
Violence and
discrimination, and violation of sexual and reproductive rights of women in both
domestic and institutional settings continue to remain unaddressed despite
several campaigns.
Safe and legal abortions, sterilizations, pre-and post-natal care, safe
birthing and access to contraceptives are areas seriously lacking attention. Alabama's
recent near-total abortion ban is an apt example. On the occasion of the International
Day of Action for Women's Health, networks like WGNRR urge women and other
major stakeholders to demand the basic rights to be recognized.
With the
'#MeToo'
movement and likes garnering attention, it is time for women to speak out,
seek support and join hands to spread the message.
Campaigns
So Far
So far the campaigns have been Calls for Action, an annual a collaborative effort of the
LACWHN and WGNRR. The following are a few topics that have been addressed so
far:
- Access to Quality
Health Care
- Feminization of Poverty
- Access to Safe
and Legal Abortion
- Government
Accountability in Prioritizing Health Markets
- Health Sector
Reform and Women's Health
- Women and HIV/AIDS
- International
Trade Agreements and Women's Access to Health
- VAW as a Global
Health Emergency
- Young People's
SRHR
- Access to Contraceptives
Social
Media for Campaigning
Social media
platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram could be used to mobilize
support and spread the message effectively by using the communication toolkit
available.
'#May28, #WomensHealthMatters, #OurHealthOurRights' are the hashtags
that could be used. Posters and cover photos with impactful messages have
been designed for use in social media.
This
International Day of Action for Women's Health, it is time for women to speak up and
fight for their choices and needs to be recognized and realized.
References :- International Day of Action for Women's Health - (http://www.may28.org/)
- Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights WGNRR - (http://wgnrr.org/ )
Source: Medindia
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