Yesterday was International Women’s Day – traditionally, a time to celebrate and honour women worldwide. Amnesty want to see our UK party leaders mark this day by pledging action to reduce avoidable maternal deaths. Pregnancy is not a disease, yet it kills a woman every minute. What makes this such a shocking injustice is that at least 80% of these deaths are preventable.
These statistics are shocking and Amnesty believes this is a human rights crisis. Governments are failing to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of women. That’s why they’ve joined forces with a coalition of organisations to produce a Manifesto for Motherhood.
The manifesto calls for:
Increased international aid for maternal, newborn and child health.
Maternal, newborn and child health to be at the heart of all health systems.
Sexual and reproductive rights to be made a reality for women and girls.
Government action CAN make a difference – in Nepal, maternal mortality rates have been reduced by 58% since 1996. This was because the government improved access for women to information and services.
There is hope – but not without action. So what Amnesty ask is that we encourage our leaders to lead. Please take action to stop women dying today – email Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown. Go to http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=683 for more information.
West Midlands Amnesty International UK 