This material came to my attention cutesy of Victoria Webster a women's right campaigner. I felt it necessary to add my little voice to the unacceptable statistic across the globe on women's health issues.
I always have the view that, men are the causes of many problems affecting women. If the male gender is aware of its role in the protection and support necessary for the betterment of our sisters, the world will be a much better place.
please read the findings of Victoria. thanks
The unacceptable facts: women health matters
· The leading cause of death of girls and young women (15-19 years old) globally is pregnancy and childbirth[1]
· There are 60 million child brides world-wide, increasing to 100 million within ten years[2]
· Each day, some 500,000 young people, mostly young women, are infected with a Sexually Transmitted Infection (excluding HIV)[3]
Young people (15-24 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide [4]
Only 17 per cent of sexually active young people use contraceptives[5]
· Two million girls are genitally mutilated every year[6]
· Today, more than 200 million women do not have access to the modern contraceptives they desire[7]
Governments across the globe have failed to deliver the promises they made fifteen years ago to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people, putting the lives and wellbeing of millions at risk. Shocked by the lack of progress made, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) today launches the 15andCounting campaign (02 June), urging young people around the world to call their governments to task and demand action.
2009 is the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) where 179 governments agreed on a 20-year Programme of Action to improve the sexual and reproductive health of everyone – forming a critical part of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. With only five years remaining to meet their commitments, many governments are failing to make progress against these goals, particularly in meeting the needs of young people.
Dr. Gill Greer, Director General of IPPF said “Those born in 1994, when governments all over the world made their commitment, are now 15 years old and have needs, desires and expectations that the world seems unprepared to address.
“It is completely unacceptable that the health and wellbeing of more than 1.5 billion young people is being jeopardized for want of political and financial commitment. Governments have failed to prioritize the sexual health services, education and information young people need to lead healthy, safe and empowered lives; it is critical they review the promises they made and to accelerate programmes to meet the needs of all young people.”
The 15 and Counting campaign is asking people all over the world to sign the “Count Me In: Sexual Rights for All” petition to demand better access to sexual health services and education for everyone, which will be presented to the United Nations in October.
The 15 and Counting campaign is being delivered on the ground in 176 countries world wide by IPPF’s Member Associations. As well as spreading the message on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, the campaign will include the instant messaging application of MXit to encourage petition signatures via mobile for young people without internet access.
To sign the petition and find out more about the campaign visit www.15andcounting.org
Quotations from Youth Activists
Shaai, Youth Peer Educator, Uganda
“A problem I have as a peer educator is talking with young girls in my village. They often come to me looking for condoms and their main worry is always about unwanted pregnancy, not STIs or HIV. You see, pregnancy is visible and abortion in Uganda is still illegal. If the girls get pregnant they are aware of the problems they will face.”
Ghaith, Youth Volunteer , Syria
“Sexual rights and reproductive health are so important in our society, young people need to know more about these things. Young people have a lot of problems, because they don’t have any kind of information about STIs and HIV/AIDS. So they make a lot of mistakes. They don’t have any idea about how STIs and HIV/AIDS are being transmitted. We tell them which method of contraception would suit them best and how to use it properly. We tell them about sex and relationships education which equips young people with the skills and knowledge they need. We have a lot of young people here who don’t know anything about their rights, about sexual issues and reproductive health.”
Johanna, 15, Sex Worker, Bolivia
“It is not good living in the streets but I would rather be here then at a government institution, where I wouldn’t get to see my friends. I know all about STIs and HIV - Tina (a nurse from CIES, IPPF’s Bolivian affiliate) talks a lot about it. I don’t have a boyfriend but if I did I would try to make him use a condom but that’s not an easy thing to do. I don’t always use a condom with my clients because they don’t want to use one – they pay less if they are made to use one and my boss doesn’t let me either. My friends were taken to an institution last night but I escaped – the police came and put them in a van and took them away – they target us because we are younger and are very strict with us. They do not understand us.”
For images, case studies and interviews with spokespeople please contact
IN THE UK :
Victoria Webster, Aby Farsoun or Grant Richmond-Coggan on
020 7025 7500 or email alltukippf@trimediauk.com
IN SOUTH AFRICA (For MXit’s involvement in the campaign):
Issued by and for more information:
Sandra Sampayo / 079 167 6863 / 021487 9000 / sandra.sampayo@fd.com
Jean Dennis / 083 500 5302 / 021487 9000 /jean.dennis@fd.com
Notes to Editors:
The IPPF
The International Planned Parenthood Federation is a federation of non-governmental organizations working in 176 countries worldwide and is a global leader in providing and advocating for the right to improved sexual and reproductive health. IPPF has a strategic focus on working with and delivering for young people. www.ippf.org
The ICPD (International Conference on Population and Development)
The ICPD Programme of Action aims to make family planning, sexual and reproductive health and information universally available by 2015 as part of a broadened approach to individual health and rights.
Millennium Development Goals and timeline
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a series of eight targets with a deadline of 2015 for their achievement. The targets range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education.
One critical failure of the MDGs was the exclusion, for political reasons, of sexual and reproductive health and rights. This was partially addressed in 2006 when ‘universal access to reproductive health care, including family planning, assisted childbirth and prevention of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS’ was finally included under MDG 5. There is still no MDG dealing specifically with the needs and welfare of young people.
About MXit
MXit is a free instant messaging program for both mobile phones and PCs. It allows members to chat to other MXit users anywhere in the world. It also allows users to send text messages to and from mobile phones and PCs using GPRS or 3G instead of using standard SMS technology, which is expensive.
The social networking element of the business is the cornerstone of its growth. MXit is a new generation company that boasts over 13 million members globally and is growing by 18 000 users per day. It is in constant evolution to match the needs of its users and is set on becoming one of the biggest instant messaging mobile networks in the world and the preferred mobile social network for communicating with young people in South East Asia, Africa and globally.
The company introduced mobile instant messaging to South Africa . It started as a mobile game developer and evolved into a mobile instant messaging company, allowing its users to send messages at a fraction of the cost of traditional SMS.
To download MXit: Open your mobile browser, type in www.mxit.com/wap and simply follow the prompts.
________________________________________________________
Victoria Webster
Consultant
Trimedia UK
29 - 35 Lexington Street, London, W1F 9AH
Switch: +44 (0)20 7025 7500
Direct: +44 (0)20 7025 7569
Mobile : +44 (0)7947 922 100
Email: victoria.webster@trimediauk.com
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