(Geneva) Racism, sexism, politicization… the bodies of women and girls have become a “battlefield”, jeopardizing 30 years of progress in sexual and reproductive health, the UN worries on Wednesday.
34% decline in the maternal mortality rate between 2000 and 2020, drop of nearly 20% in the rate of unwanted pregnancies since the beginning of the 1990s… the progress made in the field of sexual and reproductive rights is significant, but is slowing down or stagnating, reveals a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Thirty years ago, during a conference in Cairo, 179 countries committed to placing reproductive health at the heart of sustainable development, “paving the way for decades of progress”, underlines Natalia Kanem, the executive director of UNFPA, in this report on the state of the world’s population.
Since then, the number of women using contraceptives has doubled, and today at least 162 countries have passed laws against domestic violence.
But millions of women and girls have been deprived of these advances due to considerations linked to their identity or origin, with UNFPA highlighting the role played by “racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination “.
In addition to the question of “human rights”, “part of the current problem also lies in the desire to politicize women’s bodies and make them a battlefield”, whether for example on questions linked to fertility and to abortion, explained Mme Kanem, at a press conference.
In short, she lamented, “human reproduction is politicized.”
His observation is bitter: “Progress is slowing down and, in many respects, it is even completely blocked” and could even be reversed.
According to the report, there has been no reduction in maternal mortality since 2016 and, in an alarming number of countries, rates are increasing, while gender-based violence remains widespread.
Furthermore, almost half of women are still unable to make decisions about their own bodies or exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights.
Abortion and political pressure
Asked about the issue of the right to abortion which is at the heart of the electoral campaign in the United States this year, Ms.me Kanem stressed that the UN does not take a position on state policies.
But it is clear in his eyes that “abortions carried out in poor conditions (…) are a major cause of high levels of maternal deaths in the world”.
“Efforts to protect the lives and well-being of women and girls should not be subject to political pressure or stopped depending on the government of the day,” she also ruled.
Another concern shared by Mme Kanem, female genital mutilation, up 15% since 2016 worldwide. The latest example is the Gambia, where the National Assembly began examining a bill lifting their ban at the beginning of March.
The report also shows that inequalities within societies and health systems are widening: women and girls who are poor, belonging to minority ethnic and indigenous groups, suffering from disabilities, caught in the grip of conflict or belonging to the LGBT+ community face increased sexual and reproductive health risks.
Thus, an African woman suffering from complications during pregnancy or childbirth is approximately 130 times more likely to die than a European or North American woman.
Pockets of inequality persist within countries or regions.
On the American continent, African-American women are more likely to die while giving birth than white women and, in the United States, they have a maternal mortality rate three times higher than the national average.
And in Madagascar, the richest women are five times more likely than the poorest to receive assistance from skilled personnel during childbirth.
reference: www.lapresse.ca