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 International
Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated in the United Nations system since
1977. One of the reasons to dedicate a day exclusively to the celebration of
women is to recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and
the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms requires the
active participation, equality and development of women.
Women’s health is one of the 12 areas of concern for
women’s advancement cited by the women’s conference in Beijing in 1995. WHO Director-General Dr
Margaret Chan in launching the Women’s Health Report (Women and Health,
Today’s Evidence Tomorrow’s Agenda), in November 2009, stated that widespread
and persistent gender inequities has limited the ability of girls and women
to protect their health.
It has been noted that the three most common gender
inequity gaps are education, economics and the empowerment of women. These
three gaps hinder the capability of women and girls to reach their highest
attainable status in health. A higher level of economic development does not
necessarily lead to gender equity, and the level of women’s empowerment does
not depend on a country’s level of wealth. There are other factors, such as
cultural and social context, that affect the status of women and girls,
including health inequity. Thus, promoting women’s health must consider
multidisciplinary areas using a multisectoral
approach.
In the South-East Asia Region, gender-based violence
(GBV) is becoming a major public health problem; 9 out of 11 countries have
highlighted this issue and noted it as a violation of human rights. A
majority of victims are women and the perpetrators are mostly husbands. GBV
causes physical injury and also leads to mental health issues and sometimes
the death of the victims. It interferes with children’s and the entire
family’s health.
This year, the IWD is being used to review the
process of combating GBV in the South-East Asia Region and the struggle for
gender equality, freedom from violence and the development of the health of
women and girls. The Region has been promoting primary prevention of GBV with
a multisectoral approach
in order to support women’s health since 2008. The 2010 IWD theme is “Equal rights, Equal opportunity: Progress for
all”.
In the Region, 7 out of 11 Member States have
endorsed legislation on GBV; health policy on GBV has been developed in 5
countries (Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal,
Sri Lanka and Thailand).
The law on GBV tries to protect, fulfill and respect women’s right to reach
the highest attainable standard of health, which is free from violence. Opportunities for victims to get health
services through One-Stop Crisis Centres (OSCC) has
been developed, particularly in Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka
and Thailand.
The research on GBV has pointed to the important role of communication as a
factor in reducing GBV and has accelerated efforts for prevention and
handling GBV in the SEA Region.
Primary prevention on GBV has been implemented for
schools and/or communities by seven countries: Bangladesh,
India, Indonesia, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, Thailand and
Timor-Leste. In order to achieve progress for all,
countries need to continue GBV primary prevention and implement a multisectoral approach among
health, education, social and law enforcement sectors to push forward
sustainable GBV prevention in the community and public sector. Teamwork
within the health sector in human resources, mental health, health promotion,
health information, and education in public health and nursing is important
to combat gender-based violence in the South-East Asia Region. High-level
policy dialogues among the health sector, other related sectors and community
empowerment will promote gender equality, reducing the gaps that may lead to
health inequity. It is hoped that Member States will continue through GBV
prevention programmes to
support gender equality and health equity.
We all should support women’s health, equal rights
and equal opportunity to achieve progress for all.
Dr Samlee Plianbangchang
Regional
Director
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