Paragraphs 106(r)-(t) of the Beijing Platform for Action. Chapter IV. C. Women and Health
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/11/01
Strategic objective C.1.
Increase women’s access throughout life cycle to appropriate, affordable and quality health care, information and related services
Actions to be taken
106. By Governments, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and employers’ and workers’ organizations and with the support of international institutions:
r. Promote public information on the benefits of breast-feeding; examine ways and means of implementing fully the WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and enable mothers to breast-feed their infants by providing legal, economic, practical and emotional support;
s. Establish mechanisms to support and involve non-governmental organizations, particularly women’s organizations, professional groups and other bodies working to improve the health of girls and women, in government policy-making, programme design, as appropriate, and implementation within the health sector and related sectors at all levels;
t. Support non-governmental organizations working on women’s health and help develop networks aimed at improving coordination and collaboration between all sectors that affect health;
Beijing Declaration (1995)
The health and wellbeing of women throughout their entire lives should be a core focus in the international community for several reasons. One of the main ones being that women comprise approximately half of the world’s population.
In addition, women bear the burden of gestation, the risks of birth, and the unpaid labour and workload of childcare and homecare. Men simply continue to expect these. We see these in the resentment movements of some young men, not big but, no doubt, a minor concern among the social problems; however, these men seem a small concern and near the lower-middle of the list of concerns.
The benefits for breastfeeding are numerous, especially in the crucial early periods of brain development for a child. It is in these circumstances that we need to gather proper evidence, package it appropriately and sensitively, and deliver to women in order for them to make informed choices about breastfeeding their child.
Furthermore, we can look at the various health organizations and support services to help with giving sufficient “legal, economic, practical and emotional support” networks for women, even in the cultural domain of having breastfeeding as a normal and healthy process of life in the major legislatures of the world as has happened in some select instances.
All these levels working in coordination are important for the construction of protective mechanisms for the support of women, women’s rights, and provision for women’s health. It is crucial to get this right, as the cultural norms can get stuck and even regress to less than salubrious circumstances.
It requires a massive collaborative educational campaign to ensure the most women as possible as accurate and reliable information about their circumstances, their rights, their options, and therefore, the best possible opportunity to achieve equality of the sexes and have their fundamental human rights implemented.
–One can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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