It's Beneficial to Invest In Zimbabwe Women

Zimbabwean women pray for peace throughout the country. The Southern African state is preparing for national elections under a new constitution., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

It’s beneficial to invest in women

Friday, 08 March 2013 00:00
Jill Sheffield and Fred Sai
Zimbabwe Herald

This International Women’s Day, we have much to celebrate. In the past year alone, we have made tremendous strides in women’s health and equality: the United Nations adopted a historic resolution to end female genital mutilation; global leaders convened at the London Summit on Family Planning to make US$2.6 billion in new financial pledges and a series of unparalleled policy commitments to family planning; and together, we celebrated the first-ever International Day of the Girl Child.

Individual countries have also made headway towards improving women’s health and equality.

At the London summit, Zimbabwe’s Health and Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera announced the country’s commitment to doubling the family planning budget and supporting the integration of family planning into reproductive health, HIV and maternal health programmes.

This is a great example of how governments can and should be making girls’ and women’s health a part of their national health programmes.

International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to applaud these achievements, while also remembering the challenges that remain.

Global maternal deaths have dropped by nearly 50 percent since 1990, but 287 000 mothers-to-be still die every year, that is 800 women every day.

More than 200 million women want but do not have access to the tools they need to plan their families.

This year’s theme, “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women” is befitting if cases of violence against women are anything to go by as many women experience violence during pregnancy.

The link between violence against women and reproductive health is simple because when girls and women face discrimination and violence, their family planning choices are often compromised.

While there is not much data, there is enough to suggest that in some cases, pregnancy actually increases the likelihood that a woman will endure violence.

It is important to recognise that violence against women data is extremely limited and only represents a fraction of what is actually occurring.

Countless girls are also held home from school; violence against women is all-too-common; and girls and women continue to face barriers at nearly every stage of the economic, social and political ladders.

With the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target date rapidly approaching and discussions taking place at the highest levels about the post-MDG development framework, the time to act is now.

Stronger political will and financial commitments are urgently needed at the national, regional and global levels and we must advocate to ensure girls’ and women’s health and rights remain priorities.

On May 28-30, global advocacy organisation Women Deliver is convening a landmark conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that will bring more than 5 000 voices together to do just that.

This meeting aims to generate the political will, financial commitments and grassroots action needed to bring about real, meaningful change for girls and women around the world.

Several African leaders are participating in the conference and leading this charge, including African Women’s Development Fund CEO Theo Sowa; UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin; Global Fund for Women President and CEO Musimbi Kanyoro; and Ministers of Health and Finance from ten African countries.

The issues being discussed at this global meeting are not “women’s issues;” they are everyone’s issues.

We know for a fact that prioritising girls and women is not only the right thing to do — it is also the smart thing to do.

When women do well, families flourish, communities thrive and nations grow.

The math is simple — investing in women pays dividends.

This International Women’s Day, we should celebrate the remarkable successes of the past year, but also recognize that our work is far from finished.

It is up to all of us to ensure that the global leaders — from Washington, D.C. to Harare — deliver on the promises they have made to girls and women.

We cannot stop fighting.

We cannot stop working until every girl and woman, no matter where she lives, has access to the education she deserves; the contraceptives she wants; the maternal health care she needs; and, ultimately, the opportunity to achieve her dreams.

Our calls to action are being recognised and our voices are being heard.

We can — and we will — work together to accelerate progress for girls and women in Zimbabwe, across Africa and around the world.

Jill Sheffield is the President and Founder of global advocacy organization Women Deliver. Fred Sai is the Former Advisor to the Ghanaian Government on Reproductive Health and HIV/Aids.