National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Regional Challenges

Senior population experts from South Asia express concern over the deteriorating situation of reproductive health in the region

By A CORRESPONDENT

Workshop on Reproductive Health : Regional approach

Mired in deteriorating economic situation and political conflicts, poor women of the region are facing one of the most difficult times in the history since they are more vulnerable to these issues.

Although women’s health and rights are critical to the well being of communities, effective programs are required to sort out the reproductive health and sexual problems faced by women and adolescent girls living in desperately poor communities trapped in conflict situations.

“When we talk of reproductive health, rights and well being, we are talking more in terms of youths, male or female equally. Let us try to find out, what percentage of these people know what are their rights, what are their responsibilities and how best they can be assured of their well being,” said Minister for Information, Communication and Health Kamal Thapa. “When people do not understand the seriousness of health problems or their rights and well being, it hardly makes any difference in their lives whatever best efforts we may make.”

Organized by Society for International Development- Nepal Chapter in association with SID-SAN and with the collaborative support of UNFPA, UNICEF and UNIFEM-New Delhi, the experts from the region as well as other parts of the world shared their ideas about the situation in the region.

“Women don’t have the reproductive rights as the choice of reproductive health lies on male. So most of the pregnancies are unwanted pregnancies in the region,” said Dr. Nafis Sadik, special guest and special envoy of the UN secretary general on HIV/AIDS in South Asia, delivering key note speech. “The growing conflict in the region not only isolates the women but it pushes the women in dark.”

Despite certain progress in the areas of reproductive health in the region, the situation is yet to improve significantly. The maternal death is still high in the region and women still have to face all kinds of difficulties in their reproductive health.

“As the level of social and political conflict continues to escalate throughout South Asia, it is not only appropriate but also timely to hold this high-level regional policy dialogue. As key players and actors in this field, the impact of poverty, political disruption, and the deterioration of security on women’s right to health and reproductive health should be discussed within the framework of the promises upheld by International Conventions and consensus,” said professor Bishwa Keshar Maskay, president of the Society for International Development Nepal Chapter.

“The South Asian Dialogue is a continuation of our previous exercise. It is a process of addressing the impact of non-health factors on women’s health within the matrix of rising conflict and declining security,” said professor Maskay.

Having societies based on traditions, the South Asia has been passing through various critical phases. Since the right of women's reproductive health have been ignored, women are facing many problems related to it.

“Violence against women in South Asia occurs throughout the lifecycle and takes all forms- domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse and trafficking, honor killings and acid throwing to name a few. No wonder that compared to demographic expectations there are an estimated 60 million missing women in South Asia,” said Washim Zaman, director United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country Technical Services Team for South and West Asia. “South Asia is known to be one of the most gender insensitive region in the world. It is the region in the world where women’s life expectancy at birth is least favorable compared to that of men.”

With the inception of insurgency, Nepalese women’s difficulties and miseries have increased by many folds. “I visited Nepalgunj, Dang and other parts of the country and I found women in different sectors lacking education and health services,” said Matthew Kahane, resident coordinator of the UN system in Nepal.