Too little food, too much violence and AIDS sustain maternal death rates here and abroad. Three major health organizations launch a campaign to improve maternal health, including the reduction of violence against pregnant women.
The global crisis in women’s health arises from poverty, malnutrition, HIV-AIDS, wars, domestic violence and lack of reproductive rights. A conference urges everyone to respond as if the lives of their own child, sister or mother were at stake.
Ending gender discrimination must become an urgent human rights and development priority worldwide, because the pathologies of gender bias not only harm individual women, men and children, but also prevent human and economic progress.
The most recent tremor was in New York, where the United Nations special session committed to paper many important goals to assist women. Now, Congressional action is required to realize those gains.
UPDATE: Support of abortion rights remained weak in the final document agreed to by U.N. delegates. Women activists made important gains in the area of domestic violence and sex trafficking, but gay rights initiatives failed.
Some women who attended the U.N. Special Session came from nations devastated by genocidal wars. They went home carrying new determination that they be included in peace talks.
The intense debate continues over the language of the final document produced by this special session of the U.N. Meanwhile, women’s non-governmental agencies from many nations are struggling to obtain basic civil rights.
Women leaders issue statement calling for the U.N. to stand by its prior commitment to women’s rights. Advocates worry that conservative governments will sway delegates to approve a document that will roll back women’s reproductive rights.
Human rights advocates criticize some nations with cultural practices that violate women’s human rights, including domestic violence and the trafficking in women.
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