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- Women and health: today's evidence tomorrow's agenda
(WHO, 2009)
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Despite progress, health systems and societies continue to fail women at key times of their lives
Despite considerable progress in the past decades, societies continue to fail to meet the health care needs of women at key moments of their lives, particularly in their adolescent years and in older age, says a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), Women and health: today's evidence tomorrow's agenda. The report provides the latest and most comprehensive evidence available to date on women's specific health needs and challenges over their life-course, from birth to older age.
Download or order the report here: http://www.who.int/gender/women_health_report/en/
Women provide the bulk of health care, but rarely receive the care they need - Up to 80% of all health care and 90% of care for HIV/AIDS-related illness is provided in the home - almost always by women. Yet more often than not, women go unsupported, unrecognized and unremunerated in this essential role and health care continues to fail to address their specific needs and challenges throughout their lives.
Women live longer than men but these extra years are not always healthy - HIV, pregnancy-related conditions and tuberculosis continue to be major killers of women aged 15 to 45 globally. However, as women age, noncommunicable diseases become major causes of death and disability, particularly after the age of 45 years.
Policy change and action is needed within the health sector and beyond - The report seeks to identify key areas for reform, both within and outside the health sector. These include identifying mechanisms to build strong leadership with the full participation of women's organizations, strengthening health systems to better meet women's needs throughout their lives, leveraging changes in public policy to address how social and economic determinants of health adversely impact women, and building a knowledge base that would allow a better tracking of progress.
"Women are the foundation upon which societies are built. They are care-givers, food providers, educators, peace-makers. The evidence in WHO's new report on women is compelling: take action to have healthy women, and you will be taking action to have a healthy world."
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations
- Women and Health (UN Radio)
[ http://www.unmultimedia.org/ ]
Languages:
English
The World Health Organisation says women are being denied access to health care at key moments of their lives, particularly in their adolescent years and in older age. In a new report on Women and Health, WHO says although, women provide the bulk of health care services at home and community level, in many countries, the health care system continues to fail to address their specific health needs throughout their lives. Patrick Maigua Reports from Geneva. UN Radio, 2009.
- WHO: Department of Gender and Women's Health (GWH)
[ www.who.int ]
Languages: English
- WHO: Women's Health
[ www.who.int ]
Languages: English | French | Spanish
Links to descriptions of activities, reports, news and events on this topic
- Renew - The Campaign to End Fistula
[ www.endfistula.org ]
Languages: English | French
Obstetric fistula is a devastating injury of childbearing that leaves women with agonising pain, chronic incontinence and - in most cases - a stillborn baby. The global Campaign to End Fistula currently covers more than 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Arab region. The goal is to make fistula as rare in developing countries as it is in the industrialized world. UNFPA, 2006
- WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women (September 2005)
[ www.who.int ]
Languages: English | French | Spanish
WHO study analysing data from interviews with over 24,000 women in countries representing diverse cultural, geographical and urban/rural settings - Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Peru, Namibia, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand and the United Republic of Tanzania. The study uncovers the forms and patterns of violence against women across these locations and finds that violence from intimate male partners is a major contributor to women's ill-health.
- Online Discussion: Women and Health (including Reproductive Health, AIDS and Human Rights)
[ www.un.org ]
Languages: English
From October 2004 to January 2005, WomenWatch hosted a series of online discussions on the Platform's critical areas of concern and other important issues to provide input into the review and appraisal of the Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action. All postings and background notes are available for reading as archived online discussion.
- WHO/PAHO: Gender and public health series
[ www.paho.org ]
Languages: English
Publications series
- WHO: The World Health Report
[ www.who.int ]
Languages: English | French | Spanish
World Health Report archives since 1995
- DESA/DAW: Women and Health: Mainstreaming the Gender Perspective into the Health Sector
[ www.un.org ]
Languages: English
Information on an Expert Group Meeting organized by DAW in collaboration with WHO and UNFPA, 28 September - 2 October 1998
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