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SafeBirth4All Campaign - 5 Key Areas

The SafeBirth4All Campaign has at its heart, human rights, prevention and a holistic approach to the reintegration, and rehabilitation of women.

SafeBirth4All seeks to achieve its aims by promoting and advocating in five key areas.

Education

In the field of Education we call on all sectors and individuals to include education on safe birth for all. To also include the prevention of obstetric fistula as a topic in all programmes and projects for boys and girls that you support. Support is a priority in the secondary education of all girls. Midwives and nurses training to have a module on obstetric fistula.

Diplomatic

In Diplomatic circles, we ask you to raise your voice so that the voices of women and girls who are living with fistula may be heard in places that have not recognised them before now. Engagement with key stakeholders and activists in all                Inter-governmental, Government and non-government organisations, UN, the WHO, UNICEF and the EU are relevant here.

Advocacy

In Advocacy opportunities we urge everyone to ensure the rights of women and girls as a priority. Access to health, the right to a decent standard of living, rights of the disabled, right to education, the right to live free from violence and discrimination against women. and many other rights.

Health

In the domain of health, there are a myriad of actions that can be taken: the provision of basic medicines and equipment and supplies. Improved standards of training for nurses, primary health care teams, community health workers, midwives and surgeons – this is essential.

The reality is that about 50% of all deliveries in impacted countries are home deliveries attended to by traditional birth attendants, who are generally experienced elders in the community. A key part of the health training programmes must include this cohort of women. The provision of shelters/waiting houses close to obstetric care facilities for pregnant, rural women and girls.

Communications

We need to give consideration to the ways health training information is imparted at community level. Storytelling, dramas, visuals, community liaison workers, radio.

Through a variety of Mass and social media outlets and through your individual networks that are already in existence, in all organisations you can amplify the voices and reality of women and girls, who are impacted or live with or at risk of living with fistula. And the message is that this condition is preventable.

By making PREVENTION a priority, together we can make a difference.


National Actions

17th November 2021: Webinar

Obstetric fistula, the result of obstructed labour without timely medical intervention, is a devastating and debilitating preventable childbirth injury. The traumatising impact ofobstetric fistula on women and girls has long been severely neglected in human development policy, planning and implementation.

This webinar explores the experiences and challenges of obstetric fistula from a critical human rights perspective, detailing how the denial of human rights is both a cause and consequence of obstetric fistula and demonstrates the necessity for a human rights-based approach to eradicating obstetric fistula and improving the lives of women and girls.

AEFJN Webinar - 29th May, 2024 

Obstetric Fistula is a multifaceted challenge faced by many thousands of women each year. This event explores the physiological, psycho-social, economic, and cultural dimensions, underscoring the condition as a critical human rights issue.

Press the button or click on the following link to watch this webinar - AEFJN - Irish Antenna - Obstetric Fistula (google.com) 

AEFJN Webinar - 1st October, 2024 

On October 1st, 2024, Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN) - Ireland Antenna held the second of their webinars on the hidden issue of Obstetric Fistula. This particular webinar focussed on the issue of Early Childhood Marriage as a contributory factor to the increased incidence of Obstetric Fistula in Africa. You can access the recording below. We were particularly grateful to all of our speakers:  AEFJN - Irish Antenna - Obstetric Fistula -  Focus On Early Childhood Marriage(google.com) 


International Actions

22 September 2021: Oral statement at the Human Rights Council.

 Denying adaequate healthcare to women, who suffer preventable maternal death could be considered as torture. In 2020 the Committee atainst Torture mentioned this and we think, that this is worth being discussed. 

25 June 2021: Oral statement at the Human Rights Council.

UN Reports

Reports of the Secretary General

At the UN level the global campaign to end obstetric fistula began in 2003.

Obstetric Fistula was first acknowledged by the General Assembly in 2007 as a major women’s health issue, with the adoption of resolution 62/138. Since 2006 the Secretary General has been reporting on work that is ongoing for the elimination of obstetric fistula. This report is prepared by the UNFPA and is presented to the 3 rd Committee of the General Assembly every two years, usually in early December.

The 2024 report (7 th such report) has been prepared based on General Assembly resolution 77/196. Alarmingly, the reduction of global maternal mortality rates has stagnated since 2016. Every day, 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. For every maternal death, an estimated 20 to 30 women experience acute or chronic morbidities of which obstetric fistula is one of the worst.

Human Rights Council Resolutions

HRC56

June 2024 

A/HRC/RES/56/21 - Accelerating progress towards preventing adolescent girls’ pregnancy (A/HRC/56/L.24)


Expressing profound concern that adolescent pregnancy may have major mental and physical health consequences for adolescent girls and their children, including higher risks of preventable maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity, severe neonatal conditions, eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, systemic infections, and obstetric fistula.

HRC54

Sept 2023 

A/HRC/RES/54/16 - Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights



Recognizing that violations of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and those involving inadequate emergency obstetric services, obstetric violence and unsafe abortion can cause high levels of maternal morbidity, including obstetric fistula, uterine prolapse, post-partum depression and infertility, leading to ill health and death among women and girls of childbearing age in many regions of the world.

10. Further calls upon States to address the underlying determinants of health, such as gender and racial discrimination and socioeconomic factors, including poverty and malnutrition, which render certain women and girls, including adolescents, and especially those facing intersectional discrimination, more vulnerable to maternal morbidity, such as obstetric fistula, uterine prolapse, perinatal distress, post-partum depression and infertility.

This information was prepared by the office of UN Women in Geneva - UN Women | The United Nations Office at Geneva (ungeneva.org)