—
Strategic objective C.2.
Strengthen preventive programmes that promote women’s health
Actions to be taken
107. By Governments, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, the mass media, the private sector and relevant international organizations, including United Nations bodies, as appropriate:
o. Create awareness among women, health professionals, policy makers and the general public about the serious but preventable health hazards stemming from tobacco consumption and the need for regulatory and education measures to reduce smoking as important health promotion and disease prevention activities;
p. Ensure that medical school curricula and other health-care training include gender-sensitive, comprehensive and mandatory courses on women’s health;
q. Adopt specific preventive measures to protect women, youth and children from any abuse – sexual abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence, for example – including the formulation and enforcement of laws, and provide legal protection and medical and other assistance.
Beijing Declaration (1995)
Here we are, once again, on this long journey, dear reader: with some examination into the needed solutions on the question of women, one of the first lines of defense against regression and, in fact, offense in the long battle for the implementation of women’s rights is the knowledge of girls and women about their fundamental human rights as women.
Indeed, we can see direct attempts to keep women uninformed about a) their rights and b) their recourse to the violation of their fundamental human rights. It is an issue to deal with the basic problem of the health and wellbeing of some women.
The awareness can come from a variety of places. Not limited to the general populace themselves but also coming the legitimate health authorities, the drawing of a line between what is proper health information within the best medical science to date and what is simply junk medical ‘science.’
One of easiest means by which women can be empowered is through the knowledge of preventable health hazards, as listed. But there should be a robust educational system and public health campaigns to combat this public health hazard.
There is also the need for the medical and health professionals, starting from the training institutes and postsecondary education curricula, to have a gender sensitivity to the problems of the women.
The gendered lens is important as women’s health needs are different, especially as regards reproductive health rights implementation.
Then, as per the SIG Human Rights calles we need to focus on the protection of women and the young from forms of abuse including “sexual abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence” because these are incredibly degrading and traumatizing acts against other human beings.
Our fundamental human rights come with respect and dignity inherent to being human beings are part of the basic documents in international human rights documents
The prevention of these crimes and punishment of them when happening, and then the treatment of those who have gone through them amount to a comprehensive package for the respect of the human rights of women and others more often subject to these violations.
—
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
Got Writer’s Block?
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash