Acknowledgement
|
|  Yüklə 161 Kb.
|
Gender InequalitiesG
ender inequality is one of the social determinants at the heart of inequity in health. Inequality along gender lines and roles means that women do not have the same levels of information, choices, rights and powers to take and act on decisions concerning their sexual and reproductive health. This is demonstrated by the high prevalence of young girls in sexual relationships with much older men, high fertility as a result of the number of years in sexual relationships and girls’ limited ability to negotiate for safe sex. Sexual rights are further compromised through cultural values and practices that limit women’s understanding of their sexuality and thus reduce their ability to make informed decisions. Examples of such practices include female genital mutilation and early marriages resulting in high maternal morbidity and mortality. Gender-based violence, armed conflict and other related harmful traditional practices remain high in some countries in Africa, and also negatively affect the health of women and girls. Whereas Africa has 11 per cent of the world’s population, it experiences 49% of the world’s burden of maternal deaths, 67% of AIDS cases and 26% of underweight children (UNAIDS, 2007; UNICEF, www.childinfor.org).
Other Factors Affecting Maternal Health and SRHROther factors that aggravate maternal ill-health and mortality in Africa include HIV and AIDS, malaria, other infectious diseases, under-nutrition, malnutrition and anaemia, which affect a large percentage of women and children in Africa. Underlying these diseases and conditions are the same factors detailed above, including inequality, lack of respect for people’s rights, poverty, and a lack of social protection that limits access to health and other social services. Conclusions from the Literature ReviewIn view of the foregoing, AU Member States and Africa as a continent have formidable challenges to overcome if the MDG targets are to be attained by 2015. These include the same issues that this progress review sought to address:
Review MethodologyA total of 43 of the 53 AU member countries responded to the PAT – a commendable 81 per cent. The Progress Assessment Tool (PAT) that formed the basis of this review was designed by a Team of Experts during a meeting held in Kampala, Uganda, on 11–12 July 2009 (AUC, 2009b). The team included experts from Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD-ARO), UNFPA, WHO-AFRO, IPPF-AFRO, Marie Stopes International and the AUC. Thirty-seven (37) key indicators were selected from the more than 100 required for AU reporting. The tool was also intended to collect information on challenges, lessons learnt during the implementation process and recommendations for further action. (Refer to Annex B for a sample of the PAT.) The PAT was sent to all AU Member States through their respective embassies in Ethiopia, and electronically to the Ministries of Health. It was also posted on the AU website. Country reports were, in turn, forwarded to the AU Commission through the embassies, by email, and through UNFPA and PPD-ARO. The tool gathered both qualitative and quantitative data for analysis. For qualitative analysis, a thematic technique was used to extract key messages and a content technique to extract the commonly mentioned themes. For quantitative data, the Epi Info 3.5.1 programme with a univariate analysis of variables to generate data frequencies was used. Additional information to enrich the report was taken from progress reports on the assessment of the implementation of the Maputo Plan of Action undertaken by relevant partners. LimitationsAmong the limitations to the analysis and discussion of the report are the following:
|