Women’s Health in the WHO African Region : a call for action : Report of the Regional Director

Abstract

By virtue of their multiple roles, women constitute a key link in the chain of development actions worldwide. Women not only account for over half of the population of countries in general, but they also invest their energy in families and communities, thus contributing to the wealth of nations. 2. Women need to be in a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being to be able to carry out their numerous responsibilities. Against this background, during the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-1985) and at various international meetings on population and development,1 Member States of the United Nations agreed that women’s health and their active participation in development actions were closely linked. 3. Unfortunately, the huge majority of African women are still unaware of their fundamental rights to health, education and life as part of the fundamental rights they gained several decades ago.2 They continue to suffer from sociocultural discrimination, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), gender-based violence, food taboos, forced marriages, early and unwanted pregnancies, all of which are very harmful to their health.