Women – Page 3 – Centre for Family Health Initiative

SPEAK WEDNESDAY

WHO, Women, Women in Leadership, Women's Rights / cfhinitiative

WOMEN’S SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS

Women’s Sexual and reproductive health right means the right for women, regardless of age, ethnicity, HIV status or other aspects of identity, to make informed choices regarding their own sexuality and reproduction. It includes the right to make informed choices about when to give birth, the right to access the full range of affordable and informed family planning services, the right to accurate information and services to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV and AIDS, and sexual health information and education.

According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), good sexual and reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. To maintain one’s sexual and reproductive health, people need have access to accurate information and the safe, effective, affordable, and acceptable contraception method of their choice. Women and girls around the world, especially those living in poverty are restricted or have no access to information and services about their reproductive health and rights. Some of the barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) include discrimination, stigma, restrictive laws and policies, societal expectations, and ingrained traditions.

Research shows that the global status of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights is disturbing: 214 million women worldwide want, but lack access to, contraception and more than 800 women die daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Studies also stipulate that one in three women globally will face violence in their lifetime and violence against women and girls (VAWG) is integrally linked to the denial of access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR). This means many women do not have control over their bodies and their fertility.

Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is a basic human right. It helps eliminate preventable maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, sexually transmitted infections (STI), cervical cancer and violence against women and girls.

Governments, multi‑lateral institutions and civil societies can promote or make accessible SRHR services to women by supporting an enabling environment so that SRHR becomes a reality through prioritizing the inclusion of SRHR within global agendas within the context of both health and gender equality. Also, prioritizing SRHR to tackle harmful gender norms and engaging men and boys as partners and change agents in SRHR. Over the years, Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) has used its social media platforms to advocate for the SRHRs of women and has partnered with different organizations including Marie Stopes to provide free family planning to women during the commemoration of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Weeks (MNCHWs)

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative to stop the cycle of domestic violence by breaking the silence around gender-based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media handles for more episodes.

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40 Comments / Gender, Speak Wednesday, Uncategorized, Women / cfhinitiative

WOMEN DEALING WITH EMOTIONAL ABUSE

According to Tracy, N. (2012, July 29), emotional abuse is one of the most common forms of abuse that occurs in close relationships. It is also known as psychological abuse. Emotional abuse Is when something is consistently said, implied or done intentionally to hurt someone’s feelings over an extended period of time. It is about one person maintaining power or control over another person which usually takes place between intimate partners.

Emotional abuse can include verbal assault, dominance, privacy invasion, economic subordination, control, isolation, gas lighting, ridicule, or the use of intimate knowledge for degradation. It targets the emotional and psychological well-being of the victim, and it is often a precursor to physical abuse. Studies show that women are at a disadvantaged point and have a higher chance of being abused emotionally due to the deep-rooted patriarchal nature of the society and of men controlling ‘their’ women.

Emotional abuse may be less obvious than physical abuse, but can still have devastating effects on the mental health and wellbeing of the victim. Effects of emotional abuse on women could be short or long-term. According to different reports, psychological or emotional abuse in women can be linked to poor relationship satisfaction, anxiety, depression, insomnia, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, increased physical health problems (such as migraine, indigestion, stomach ulcers, chronic pain and chronic disease), among others. Emotional abuse may be contributing factors to the development and/or severity of illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Victims of emotional abuse often times feel embarrassed to report or open up about issues of emotional abuse especially those with no physical evidence. However, it is necessary to seek help or counselling either from a friend, a doctor or a relationship or family counsellor to avoid the adverse effects it may have on your general well-being.

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Health, WHO, Women / cfhinitiative

WOMEN DEALING WITH SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Sexual violence is one of the most pervasive violation of human rights that occurs worldwide. According to the World Health Organizations (WHO), sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic or otherwise directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work. It is also estimated by WHO that 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner (not including sexual harassment) at some point in their lives. Also, some national studies show that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. Evidence shows that women who have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence report higher rates of depression, having an abortion and acquiring Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), compared to women who have not.

In 2015, UNICEF reported that one in four girls and one in ten boys in Nigeria had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. Sexual violence can have psychological, emotional, and physical effects on a survivor which could be immediate, short-term or long-term. Although these effects and repercussion of rape affects victims differently, individuals tend to suffer from similar issues found within the above categories.

In Nigeria, this act of violence against women is often overlooked especially those perpetrated by the spouse. Women and girls living below the poverty line or with fewer resources are at even greater risk of violence. They have no voices in the legal system because they cannot afford the fee unlawfully requested by the police so, many offenders go without prosecution. Also, women who get abused by a relation almost never seek justice because the family involved would rather choose to save the “family name” at the expense of the victim.

According to National Sexual Violence Resource Centre, the acts of sexual violence are under-reported and this may be as a result of inadequate support systems, shame, fear or risk of retaliation, fear or risk of being blamed, fear or risk of not being believed, fear of being socially ostracized, among others. Sexual violence and indeed every other form of violence against women is a major threat to social and economic development because it is inadvertently linked to poverty, lack of education, gender inequality, and maternal ill health. It also impedes national productivity since it occurs among persons in the reproductive age group who have to deal with the adverse physical and psychological consequences of the vice.

As much as the reform of the criminal justice system is an approach to stopping or reducing the occurrence of sexual violence, other approaches may include continuous review of the existing policies and laws on sexual violence in other to accommodate best practices of sexual violence strategies. Building the knowledge base and raising awareness about sexual violence is also essential in curbing this menace.

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Gender, Speak Wednesday, Suicide Prevention, WHO, Women / cfhinitiative

WOMEN DEALING WITH SUICIDE

Wikipedia defines suicide as the act of intentionally causing one’s own death. Suicide is a public health problem, and it is seen as a public health priority by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to WHO, Suicide is the result of an act deliberately initiated and performed by a person in the full knowledge or expectation of its fatal outcome. Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year and it is considered the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year old.

Studies show that women make more suicide attempts than men, but men are more likely to die in the attempts than women. In Nigeria, most people do not believe depression is an illness, neither do they know the extent to which it affects the mind. Yet, between January and June 2019 alone, there were 42 reported cases of suicide that occurred in different parts of the country. An example is the story of Hikmat Gbadamosi, a 100-level student of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She was alleged to have consumed two bottles of insecticide (Sniper) after showing signs of depression and had opted to live away from her colleagues in the school.

According to Centre for suicide prevention, identified risk factor for suicide attempts and other suicidal behaviours in women include postpartum depression (PPD) affects around 15% of women and is experienced after giving birth and for up to one year after, prenatal period (The time during pregnancy and the first year after the birth of a child)- most women who die during this period have an affective or anxiety-related disorder, domestic violence (women experience partner violence nine times more than men according to different research) which in turn leads to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and childhood sexual abuse. Other risk factors may include family history of suicide, family conflict, broken homes, anti-social behaviour, and poor peer relationships.

Suicide prevention begins with recognizing the warning signs and taking steps to make sure it does not happen. Though most people contemplating suicide often believe they are helpless, it is necessary to ask for external assistance, mostly a physician who can help find the medication or therapy that is suitable for the person. It is also important to take away harmful tools from their reach and make sure they are never left alone.

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Community Development, Gender, Health, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, International Day of Rural Women, Speak Wednesday, WHO, Women, World Food Day / cfhinitiative

WOMEN DEALING WITH POVERTY IN RURAL AREAS

It is true that a concise and universally accepted definition of poverty has proven elusive because it affects many aspects of human condition. However, different criteria have been used to conceptualize the term “poverty”. Most analysts regard poverty as a function of income levels insufficient for securing basic goods and services.

The 2019 Nigerian Living Standards Survey (NLSS) carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) highlights that 40 percent of the total population, or almost 83 million people, live below the country’s poverty line of 137,430 naira ($381.75) per year. The report also shows that 52.1% of rural dwellers in Nigeria are poor, while only 18.04% of urban dwellers are classified as poor. Also, according to data released by NBS, women ranked the highest when it comes to unemployment. The report shows that unemployment hits 12.2 million females as against 9.5 million men.

The fate of Nigerian women living in rural areas is highly appalling considering the patriarchal nature of the Nigerian society and how women are being marginalized in the labor force. The societal disadvantage and inequality they face because they are women shapes their experience of poverty differently from that of men, it increases their vulnerability, and makes it more challenging for them to climb out of poverty. Indeed, more than half of these rural women live below the nationally defined poverty line, lacking access to basic education, decent nutrition, adequate health and social services. They perform complex multiple roles as mothers, workers and managers of households, taking care of their husbands, children and members of their extended families. They perform the majority of the work in food processing and dominate the rural and urban informal sector activities. Yet an abysmal number of these women own their own farm lands, they have limited access than men to inputs, services, rural organization, agricultural credits, productive infrastructure and technologies to enhance their productivity and incomes.

Women in poor households bear a disproportionate share of the work and responsibility of feeding and caring for family members through unpaid household work. They bear an unequal burden of unpaid, unrecognized, unvalued domestic responsibilities and are overrepresented in informal and risky jobs. Women in poor rural households will often sacrifice their own health and nutrition, or the education of their daughters, by recruiting them to take care of siblings or share in other household tasks.

This lack of investment in the human capital of women propagates a brutal, intergenerational cycle of poverty and hardship that is partly responsible for the persistent nature of poverty. Policies and programs to alleviate poverty must, therefore, take account of gender inequality and gender differences to effectively address the needs and constraints of women. According to the United Nations Women, Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality, boosting productivity, increasing economic diversification, and income equality in addition to other positive development outcomes. This economic empowerment could include paid care work (child care, home care, seniors/disabled/palliative care), non-exclusion from inheritance and property ownership, girl child education and scholarships, adult education and scholarships for mothers, continued education during teenage pregnancy, provision of grants, and many more.

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DISRUPTING PATRIARCHY, Gender, Health, Health Communication, Mental Health, Speak Wednesday, WHO, Women, Women in Leadership / cfhinitiative

DISRUPTING PATRIARCHY

According to Wikipedia, Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the males only.

Patriarchy influences different areas of the society including culture, family, school, the workplace and relationships. Its presence can translate to inequality and gender-based violence. The idea of patriarchy is not peculiar to a specific group of people, but one that extends and supersedes all borders, socioeconomic class, race, and more.

In Nigeria, it is observed by different researchers including European Scientific Institute that . Hence, there is the commonality of general belief system that the best place for women is in the ‘Kitchen’. This trend has brought about tremendous misrepresentation of women right at the level of the family down to the circular society. Women are therefore discriminated upon from, in most cases, acquiring formal education, accessing proper health care, receiving equal pay, among others.

In so many parts of the world, women are forbidden to own landed properties or inherit any. In cases where the diseased did not have male children, his properties are distributed amongst his male relatives, excluding his widow and daughters who are left to fend for themselves. In these societies, women who are financially stable have to buy properties in the name of their fathers or other male relatives. All these expose women to violence before they are born until they are aged.

Zig Ziglar once said, the first step to finding a solution is to recognize there is a problem. Because of how ingrained patriarchy is in the society, it may be difficult to identify. However, if patriarchy can be learnt, it can be unlearnt. Together we can achieve a society with equal opportunities for all human irrespective of the gender differences.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative to stop the cycle of domestic violence by breaking the silence around gender based violence and gender bias. Join us every Wednesday on all our social media handles for more episodes.

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MONDAY HEALTH BURST

COVID-19, Health, Mental Health, WHO, Women / cfhinitiative

MONDAY HEALTH BURST – MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health according to Oxford Dictionary refers to “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.” Wikipedia also defines mental health as “The level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness”.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), one in four Nigerians (about 50 million people) are suffering from some sort of mental illness, and as the seventh largest country in the world, Nigeria has Africa’s highest caseload of depression, and ranks 15th in the world in the frequency of suicide. Also, WHO stated in December 2016 that less than 10% of mentally ill Nigerians have access to psychiatrists or health workers.

Mental health issues include and are not limited to mood disorders, psychotic disorder, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, personality disorders and many more. Factors that affect mental health can be grouped into biological factors (genetic or heredity factors, injury to the brain, deficits of the brain cause during development in pregnancy and during birth, infection, substance abuse and poor nutrition), psychological factors (emotional and physical trauma, neglect and abandonment) and social factors (poor social interaction, verbal abuse, severe stress or being overworked). These and more are root causes of mental illness according to several reports.

There are some important signs of mental illness that can be observed like prolonged periods of grief, sadness or irritability, extreme highs or low mood swings, increased level of fear, anxiety or worry, withdrawal from society, dramatic changes in daily life habits like eating, exercising, sleeping, and more. When these signs occur, it is important to seek help from a health worker or a psychiatrist because early diagnosis and treatment are essential to speedy recovery.

Maintaining a positive mental health can also be achieved by regular exercise, eating balanced and healthy meals, opening up to people when in tough situations, taking a break when needed, reflecting on beautiful memories or something you are grateful for, and sound sleep. These can help reduce drastically the burden of mental illness in the society.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) to tackle issues of basic health concerns. Join us every Monday for more health related articles on all our social media platforms.

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Community Development, Female Roles in Nation Building, Nation Building, Speak Wednesday, Women, Women in Leadership / cfhinitiative

FEMALE ROLES IN NATION BUILDING

Nation Building encourages active participation of all citizens of a nation in order to reduce social and economic disparities, create an enabling environment for citizens to display their identities, cultures, languages and religions without any form of discrimination, maintain a politically stable environment, and enjoy the potentials of its human resource.

In Nigeria, women have made indelible contributions through active participation to advance the nation dating from the pre-colonial era. Late Queen Amina was a Hausa warrior from the city of Zazzau, present day Zaria in Nigeria. She was the first to become queen in a male-dominated society. Tales of her exploits include expanding the territory of the Hausa people of North Africa to the largest in history, creating routes for trade throughout Northern Africa, ordering the construction of fortifications called ‘Amina Walls’ and introducing the cultivation of Kola nuts within the region.

The pre-independence era featured the likes of Margret Ekpo, Janet Nwadiogo Mogelu and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti who were politicians and activists championing the cause to fight discriminatory and oppressive forms of colonialism committed against women and to protest against incessant killings of innocent citizens. Their activities set the pace for the advancement of gender equality in Nigeria.

More women are populating various professions and sectors in present times contributing greatly to the economic workforce. Through engaging in formal and informal labour, many women have improved the livelihood of their families through their incomes and have become strong contributors to the national economy. Others have introduced reform programs and enacted policies that have helped stabilize the nation’s economy, encourage government transparency, and advance progress. Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala, Late Dr. Dora Akunyili and Dr. Oby Ezekwesili are few examples of such women.

According to Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, “When we empower women, we empower communities, nations and the entire human family.” As key players in national development, nations must continue to empower women by investing in girl-child education, enacting female-friendly policies, promoting programs that support women, and ending harmful practices that abuse their rights as humans to enhance development.

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Community Development, Cultural practices in Africa, WHO, Women, Women in Leadership / cfhinitiative

FEMALE ROLES IN ERADICATING HARMFUL CULTURAL PRACTICES

Certain cultures in different parts of the world accommodate harmful practices that encourage forms of exploitation, violence, abuse, injustice, discrimination and marginalization, committed primarily against women and children. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child/forced marriage, initiation rites, infanticide, male preference, honour killings, forced begging, stoning, acid attacks, bonded labour, sexual slavery, breast ironing, and nutritional taboos are harmful practices that are detrimental to the health and wellbeing of its victims.

Significant progress has been made thus far to eradicate harmful cultural practices globally, but the economic, physical and social disruptions caused by the ongoing pandemic could deter the advancement. The new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) projections in April 2020 predict that the COVID-19 pandemic may cause about 2 million more cases of Female Genital Mutilation and about 13 million new child marriages in the next decade because of significant delays in programmes organized to tackle harmful cultural practices and economic hardships.

Women are at the forefront raising their voices against harmful cultural practices and providing interventions to support its victims even amidst the pandemic. Stephanie Linus is an award winning Nigerian actress, filmmaker and activist passionate about women and child rights. ‘Dry’ an award winning movie produced by her exposes the evils of child marriage and the physical and psychological consequences associated with it. Through her foundation ‘Extended Hands’ she has partnered with local and international organizations in building awareness on fistula prevention, maternal health, family planning and has provided various medical interventions to indigent girls and women suffering Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in Sokoto, Kebbi, Cross River, Oyo, and Kwara states in Nigeria. Her foundation has continued to provide more interventions to vulnerable women and girls, deflating the number of new victims of harmful traditional practices in the COVID-19 era. She was recently appointed as the UNFPA Regional Goodwill Ambassador for West and Central Africa.

It is important to note that women are the most qualified advocates to fight for the eradication of harmful traditional practices. This is because women are the highest fatalities who have experienced and survived the repercussions of these practices. Hence, more women should be encouraged to speak up and empowered to be self-reliant.

Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) continues to echo the call for an end to the suffering of girls and women caused by harmful traditional practices through community outreaches, policy-oriented research, and media campaigns. CFHI has through the United States Consulate Women And Youth Empowerment (WYNE) project, mitigated the rate of female genital mutilation, child marriage, violence against women, land disinheritance, gender (Son) preference, Incest, rape and harmful widowhood practices in Ngor Okpala community, Imo State, Nigeria. After having ten community dialogues with the community stakeholders, resolutions on these harmful practices were reached, leading to the development of a community charter that was signed by the paramount traditional ruler and representatives of the villages that make up the community. Operation-Know-Your-Right Campaign was thereafter organized through which over 735 women and 28 youths were sensitized with the right knowledge to stand against harmful cultural practices within and outside the community.

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Health Communication, WHO, Women, Women in Leadership / cfhinitiative

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN HEALTH COMMUNICATION

Health communication encompasses the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions for health promotion. Health communication can help raise awareness of health risks and solutions by providing the skills and motivation needed to influence social and behavioral change, and increase demand for appropriate health services.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), women make up 75% of the healthcare workforce in many countries affirming women’s indispensable contributions in health communication. Effective communication with health care providers on health matters is crucial in the delivery of high quality health care. Findings from National Library of Medicine (NIM) have proven that female health care providers are likely to use more patient-centred communication strategies by asking more questions, engaging in more information sharing, encouraging patient participation during interactions, and providing more psychosocial counselling to patients compared to the men.

The practices of health communication have contributed to health promotion and disease prevention in several areas. In early 2003 for example, WHO epidemiologists learned that a deadly disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was quickly spreading to other countries from China. WHO and other public health officials were able to place announcement in local media such as the radio and newspaper. The radio was able to quickly disseminate the information as it is easily accessed and reaches people at the grassroots level. Also, in the case of the present Pandemic, through health communication, different countries became more prepared for Corona Virus and plans were put in place to mitigate the spread.

Moji Makanjuola is a female health journalist in Nigerian who has contributed significantly to the improvement and development of health journalism. She is a Media Consultant to the United Nations Women, after working for decades in the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) where she rose to the position of head of health and gender desk. She was a pioneer member of the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC), Atlanta in USA. Presently, she is the Executive Director of International Society of Media in Public Health, and the Chief Executive Officer of Bronz and Onyx. Other examples of Nigerian women who are key players in health communication include; Princess Osita-Oleribe, the Co-Founder, Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI); Babafunke Fagbemi, Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI); Dr. Mojisola Odeku, Project Director, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI); Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director, Nigeria Health Watch, among others.

Female participation in health communication does not only enable timely information access to the family members, it also strengthens gender transformative change to improve women health and access to health care and services. For effective health communication strategies, more women should be involved in the process of disease control right from the planning stage through to implementation and evaluation.

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