1. Because 30 years ago a group of bold, brilliant and motivated women's rights activists decided to address the huge challenges women and girls faced in terms of their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
And the group of activists keeps getting bigger and bigger to this day!
2. Because we are tired of the same misinformation we keep getting about women's sexual and reproductive health from people who want to control women and girls' bodies.
3. Because the Millennium Development Goals are still not enough.
Did anyone say Millennium?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight goals that UN member states and development institutions committed to in 2000, were not what women and girls needed: they omitted any mention of sexual and reproductive rights.
3. Because the new version of the MDGs (the SDGs) are currently being established by our governments at the UN and we need to make sure they are focusing on the issues that MATTER!
4. Because sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental human rights that our States must respect, protect and fulfill.
5. Because governments sometimes fail to fulfill women and girl's right to health and ensure their ability to access sexual and reproductive health services, subjecting them to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
6. Because if we push our governments to follow through on their human rights obligations and provide timely and accurate sexual and reproductive health information and services, unintended pregnancies could drop from 74 million to 22 million per year.
Via www.guttmacher.org
7. Because NO ONE should be subjected to forced or coerced sterilizations.
8. Because pregnant women SHOULD NOT be subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment anywhere, and specially not in health care facilities.
9. Because women SHOULD NOT be forced to undergo unsafe abortions, or imprisoned on suspicion on having an abortion.
10. And because these human rights violations are also forms of Violence Against Women and discrimination.
Which, unfortunately, mostly happen based on age, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, occupation, class, ethnicity, religion, disability, migrant or HIV status, among others.
via: www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women
Are you convinced that you should take action this May 28?
Don't worry! Taking action is easier than you think... You can visit our May 28 website where you can:
-Endorse the Call for Action!
-Download a template letter that you can send to your government officials!
-Join the Tweetathon! #WomensHealthMatters #May28
-Join this year's Signature Action! #FlowerPower
-Find out more about all of the May 28 events happening around the world!
It’s time for a new conversation on women’s health issues: One that embraces and includes the actual needs of women and girls, in all of their diversities!
Become a member of WGNRR and campaign with us for these and other SRHR issues!
Sources:
-May 28 Website: www.may28.org
-WGNRR Website: www.wgnrr.org
-Guttmacher Institute: www.guttmacher.org
-Millennium Development Goals: www.un.org/millenniumgoals
-Sustainable Development Goals: www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
Share This Article
