Women's health
Women all over the world die during pregnancy and childbirth because of poor medical care. They have insufficient access to contraceptives or cannot freely to decide whether and with whom they want to experience their sexuality.
Project funded by the Women’s World Day of Prayer of ADEMI in Guatemala: Course on women’s health. © ADEMI
Free and self-determined
For a long time, women’s health was seen as a general term for appropriate medical care for women in family planning, pregnancy and childbirth. It was only at the “International Conference on Population and Development” in Cairo (1994) that the focus switched to individual needs and the right to self-determination of women and men in addition to public health aspects:
“Reproductive health” includes a safe, satisfying sex life as well as the free decision on whether, when and how many children someone wants to have, and all of this of course free of discrimination, coercion or violence.
Furthermore, the conference in Cairo also established sexual orientation as a human right and set up a socio-political and cultural environment that recognises these rights.
Information and prevention
The Women’s World Day of Prayer works with partner organisations, who promote the sexual and reproductive self-determination of women and girls. It's not “just” about ensuring the right to personal autonomy, but the prevention of gender-based violence is also a vital part.The scope of the projects ranges from educating young people, training for traditional midwives, workshops on sexual identity and medical help for women who have experienced genital mutilation and educating parents on the physical and psychological consequences of child marriage.
All projects of the Women’s World Day of Prayer have in common the objective of strengthening women and girls so that they can make decisions about their lives and their bodies freely and independently.
