Know your health rights

In the year 1987, May 28th was declared as International Day of Action for Women's Health or International Women's Health Day. Since then each year this day is celebrated by women’s and health groups. Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) and Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) are working together to make this campaign successful. 

The main objective of this day is to raise awareness on the issues related to women’s health and well being such as Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). It is one of the best platforms to remind everyone specially the government leaders and parliamentarians that the women’s health matters.

Improving women’s health has become central to the global health and human rights agenda, reflecting the crucial role women play in supporting their families’ social, physical and economic well-being. One of the best ways we can honour women and advance global development is to renew our commitment to providing women and girls with the new health technologies they need and deserve.

Women’s sexual and reproductive health is related to multiple human rights, including the right to life, right to be free from torture, right to health, right to privacy, right to education, and prohibition of discrimination.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) have both clearly indicated that women’s right to health includes their sexual and reproductive health.

This means that States have obligations to respect, protect and fulfil rights related to women’s sexual and reproductive health.  Women are entitled to reproductive health care services, goods and facilities that are available in adequate numbers; accessible physically and economically; accessible without discrimination; and of good quality Violations of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights are often deeply engrained in societal values pertaining to women’s sexuality.

Patriarchal concepts of women’s roles within the family mean that women are often valued based on their ability to reproduce. Early marriage and pregnancy, or repeated pregnancies spaced too closely together, often as the result of efforts to produce male offspring because of the preference for sons, has a devastating impact on women’s health with sometimes fatal consequences. Women are also often blamed for infertility, suffering ostracism and being subjected various human rights violations as a result.

By D Shreya Veronica