cfhinitiative

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

 

The phrase, “women’s rights are human rights” was used by the first lady of the United States, Hilary Rodham Clinton on September 5, 1995. This proves that the fight for the right of women from time immemorial is a global issue.

The right of women to live free from violence and discrimination; to be educated; to earn equal pay; to occupy political positions, the right to sexual and reproductive health, etc are not only women’s rights but human rights which are fundamental.

In Nigeria today, women still struggle in our patriarchal society infested with discriminatory practices and customs that devalues women. This is despite the fact that the Nigerian Government is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), an international treaty protecting the rights of women.

According to United Nations, half of the world’s population and potential are represented by women and girls. Therefore, gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but essential to achieving peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development.

We can achieve a society free of discrimination if we all respect women’s rights. Thus, gender inequality is everyone’s problem.

Women are humans too.

Women’s rights are human rights

Human rights are women’s rights.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #Women’sRights #HumanRights #GenderStereotype #GenderBias #GenderInequality

 

 

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST ON PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING IN CHILDREN

                                               

                                               

The impact of breast feeding on the growth of a child cannot be overstated. Breastfeeding is responsible for intimacy and bonding between mother and child. This intimacy and bond created during breastfeeding, can provide long lasting physical and psychological benefits. Research has shown that there is a connection between the breastfeeding experience of a child and the cognitive development later in life.

An assessment carried out by Bernard et al (2013), on the cognitive and motor development in 2 and 3 year old children showed that improved problem solving abilities in children were associated with prolonged duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Another study showed that there was a reduced risk of cognitive impairment among children when breastfed immediately after birth (Diepeveen et al., 2017).

According to WebMD, breastfeeding has a deep and lasting effect on the behaviour, mental health, thought and understanding in children. For instance, babies who are breastfed are likely to have stronger critical thinking and reasoning skills, better memory, early language ability, and enhanced motor skills.

Breastfeeding is encouraged to be practiced by every mother as its benefits extend to almost every area of a child’s growth, that is, physical, emotional, social and psychological growth.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

#Breastfeeding #UNFPA #WHO #ChildHealth #PsychologicalBenefitsofBreastfeeding #MondayHealthBurst

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WOMEN IN HUMANITARIAN LEADERSHIP

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 40% of half a million humanitarian workers who provide frontline care during emergencies, wars, and disasters, are women. That is an estimated figure of 250,000 aid workers.

Despite this significant figure, there is still gender inequality between men and women in the humanitarian leadership sector, with the implication that women are still underrepresented in humanitarian leadership roles (Stiffman 2015, cited in Hill et al. 2016).

The demonstrated commitment and contribution of women in the humanitarian sector confirms that it is vital that government and stakeholders enable an inclusive environment for women to become leaders for the transformation of the humanitarian system and society at large.

Leadership equality, however, is not about only having the same number of men and women in top positions or in the top of the organizational structure, it is also about making sure that there is equal opportunity for both women and men to get there.

The lack of women in leadership has a great impact across sectors and countries. It impedes productivity and performance of workplaces and has individual and national health, socioeconomic, education, and political impacts. Therefore, it is expedient that more support and regard are given to women who labor on the front lines in the most conflicted and unsafe places in the world.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #WorldHumanitarianDay #WomenInHumanitarianSector #WomenLeaders #GenderStereotype #GenderBias #GenderInequality

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST ON BREASTFEEDING:A PROTECTIVE FACTOR FOR BREAST CANCER

                                                                  

Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer, especially if a woman breastfeeds for more than one year.

According to Amy Van Deusen, a large-scale analysis of nearly 150,000 women published in ‘The Lancelot’ in 2002 discovered that among women who breastfed, for every 12 months of breastfeeding (either with one child or spread over multiple children), the risk of breast cancer decreased by 4.3 percent compared to women who didn’t breastfeed at all.

Then a study published in 2014 by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that women of African ancestry have a high risk of developing the aggressive and hard – to- treat forms of breast cancer called estrogen receptor-negative and triple-negative, and the risk actually goes up when a woman gives birth, but breastfeeding negates this risk.

There are several reasons why breastfeeding protects health;

*Producing milk 24/7 limits breast cells ability to malfunction.

*Most women have fewer menstrual cycles when they are breastfeeding (added to the 9 missed periods during pregnancy) resulting in lower estrogen levels.

*Many women tend to eat more nutritious foods and follow healthier lifestyles (limit smoking and alcohol use) while breastfeeding.

Women are therefore encouraged to breastfeed their children for up to 1 year at least especially if the family has a record of breast cancer.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

 

#Breastfeeding

#AprotectiveFactorforBreastCancer

#who #unfpa #MondayHealthBurst

 

                                                                             

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GENDER DIGITAL DIVIDE IMAGE

GENDER DIGITAL DIVIDE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Digital divide according to Investopedia, encompasses the technical and financial ability to utilize available technology, along with access (or a lack of access) to the internet.

As observed in education and other areas of life, women and girls face a wide divide in the digital space which is significantly taking over the universe and economic opportunities with the world adjusting to the change. This indicates that gender disparity has also found its undeserving place in the digital world.

This wide gender gap in digital access, literacy and skills is caused by the social norms, gender roles and expectations of women in the household. This includes the negative stereotyping of women and girls in their career paths and the assumptions that boys and men do better in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields than girls.

The digital divide against women and girls will worsen gender discrimination and promote unequal access to employment opportunities for girls, which can lead to financial lack and poverty.

Government and stakeholders can work towards the inclusion of girls and women in the digital ecosystem and close the gap by ensuring that girls are educated and have access to ICT, improve gender-responsive systems and programs, and the like.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #Genderbias #GenderDigitalDivide

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Monday Health Burst on Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding

 

                                                                          

 In the past week, we discussed breastfeeding to a larger extent. We highlighted its physical, mental and health benefits to both mother and child.

Today, we will be sharing the economic benefits of breastfeeding as it affects individual, the community, and a Nation.

The economic benefits of breastfeeding include; lower net food cost to households, reduced expenditure on publicly subsidized formula and health care, and lower overall health care costs.

According to John Weimer, Economic Research Service(U.S. Department of Agriculture), in the US alone, an estimated minimum of $3.6 billion would be saved if breastfeeding were increased from current levels (64 percent in-hospital, 29 percent at 6 months) to those recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General (75 and 50 percent, respectively). Likely, this figure is an underestimation of the total savings because it represents cost savings from the treatment of only three childhood illnesses: Otitis media, Gastroenteritis, and Necrotizing enterocolitis.

The benefits of breastfeeding even on a large scale cannot be overly emphasized.

Therefore, exclusive breastfeeding should be encouraged by all.

#Breastfeeding #who #unfpa #unicef
#EducateandSupport
#BuildingBackBetter
#MondayHealthBurst

 

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SOCIAL INEQUALITIES AGAINST NURSING MOTHERS, CHALLENGES AND REMEDIES

Despite the heightened awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding, there is still a low rate of breastfeeding practices in Nigeria. This is because of the social inequalities against nursing mothers who struggle to live above these challenges.

According to epidemiologists, breastfeeding has become a social justice and health equity issue, and is no longer for rocking chairs.

Studies have shown that cultural and societal attitudes, poor family and social support, embarrassment about feeding in public, lactation problems including ignorance, and other psychological influences exacerbate the marginalization of nursing mothers. Such inequalities range from access to healthcare, education, employment, leadership roles, etc.

To address the social inequities and injustices in the opportunities and resources affecting the patterns of resourceful breastfeeding mothers, education and support from family and society are paramount. Also, the implementation of maternal legal rights will protect working nursing mothers from every form of social injustice and discrimination.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #WorldBreastfeedingWeek #Breastfeedingchallenges #GenderBias #breastfeeding #inequality #GBV #UNFPA #UNICEF #WHO

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Monday Health Burst on Benefits of Exclusive Breastfeeding to Babies

 

                                               

Breastfeeding is the act of feeding an infant breast milk from the breast. Exclusive and continued breastfeeding could help prevent 13% of death globally among children under five years old.

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and encourages continuing breastfeeding even after solid foods are introduced until the age of two. It is also recommended, that Children initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth.

The benefits of exclusive breastfeeding cannot be understated as it includes;

Brain development: A US study showed that toddlers and preschoolers who had been exclusively breastfeed for at least three months had brains with twenty to thirty percent more white matter which connects different regions of the brain and transmits signals between them than those who had no breast milk. Therefore, Infants who are breastfed exclusively are more likely to have higher intelligence quotient (IQ) than formula fed babies.

Life long benefits: Children who were breastfed are less likely to suffer from diseases such as leukaemia and lymphoma and tend to have better eyesight, and straighter teeth than those who had formula milk.
Breastfeeding also helps to lower baby’s risk of becoming obese or developing type 1 or type 2 diabetes as adult.

Exclusive breastfeeding is known to considerably decrease infant mortality on account of common childhood illness. It is one of the ways to minimize the chances of a baby getting diarrhoea, allergies, pneumonia and suffering from malnutrition.

Sadly, three in five babies are not breastfed in the first hour of life and two out of three infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended six months.

More awareness should be created on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
Support from family members and friends is vital in encouraging mothers to breastfeed their infants exclusively.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

#Breastfeeding #who #unfpa #unicef
#EducateandSupport
#BuildingBackBetter
# MondayHealthBurst

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SPEAK WEDNESDAY ON BREASTFEEDING AT THE WORKPLACE;WHAT THE LAW SAYS

                         

 

Breastfeeding is a process by which breast milk is fed to a child. According to World Health Organization, it is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival, although nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months. This is very common among female workers who are breadwinners and also nursing mothers.
Breastfeeding at the workplace poses a serious challenge to female workers in our society today.

Ordinarily, as Africans, nursing mothers feel nervous about breastfeeding in the public to avoid indecent exposure. Also, nursing mothers are treated unfavourably by some employers. Therefore, to preserve their job, most nursing mothers discontinue breastfeeding their children at an early stage.

What did the law say about the protection of nursing mothers?
In recognition of the recommended exclusive breastfeeding by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, the Nigerian law provided in Section 54 of the Labour Act (Cap L1 LFN 2004) thus;
(1)In any public or private industrial or commercial undertaking or any branch thereof, or any agricultural undertaking or any branch thereof, a woman-

(d) Shall, in any case, if she is nursing her child, be allowed half an hour twice a day during her working hours for that purpose?

The implementation of this law will support employers to provide lactation rooms with standardized facilities at the workplace. More importantly, it will help promote the exclusive breastfeeding rate and lactation practice among female workers and protect working mothers from discrimination from their employers and colleagues.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues around gender-based violence and gender bias.

#SpeakWednesday #WorldBreastfeedingWeek #BreastfeedingFemaleWorkers #GenderBias

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WBW 2022

It’s World Breastfeeding Week!

Globally, 3 in 5 babies are not breastfed in the first hour of life – WHO. Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses.

 

#WBW2022 #WABA #worldbreastfeedweek2022 #SDGs

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