Violence an obstacle to a healthy nation

THE increase in maternal mortality, rising HIV-AIDS deaths and growing violence against women were singled out as challenges for Namibia in the wake of a dismal global picture for attaining a healthy world population.

Launching the 2005 United Nations State of the World Population report in Windhoek yesterday, the country representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nuzhat Ehsan, said with increasing deaths due to HIV-AIDS and the lack of parental care and family support, the number of young girls likely to come vulnerable to violence would increase. Titled ‘The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals’, this year’s report calls on world leaders to fulfil promises they made to the world’s women and young people in order to meet poverty reduction targets, universal access to reproductive health services and gender equality as part of the Millennium Development Goals to be attained by 2015.”Women all over the world are tired of promises.The time has come for action,” said Ehsan.”Investing in political, economic and education opportunities for women and girls yields quick wins and high pay-offs that lead to improved economic prospects, smaller families, healthier and more literate children, lower HIV prevalence rates and reduced incidence of harmful traditional practices”.In Namibia, growing violence against women was highlighted in particular as an obstacle to achieving a healthy nation.Polytechnic students demonstrated their commitment to eradicate gender-based violence at the occasion, while Prime Minister Nahas Angula said a law was needed on violence against women.By 2050, Namibia is projected to have a population of 3,1 million, while the world population will be around 9,1 billion.Predictions are made on whether men and women will have the means to decide when and how often to have children.Namibia’s population is currently estimated at 2 million, while the world population is 6,5 billion.Ehsan said studies had shown that when women were in charge of the family’s purse strings, they were more likely than men to invest more in family needs that would yield long-term benefits.”Investing in women and young people – who constitute the majority of the world’s population – will accelerate long-term development.Failure to do so may entrench poverty for generations to come,” warned Ehsan.Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Petrina Haingura pledged Government’s commitment to reproductive health measures in view of Namibia’s maternal mortality rate having increased from 225 per 100 000 live births in 1992 to 271 per 100 000 live births in 2000.Around the world, HIV-AIDS constitutes the leading cause of death and illness among women between the ages of 15 and 44.Haingura said she was cognisant of the fact that violence in Namibia affected the country’s reproductive health status.”To our menfolk, please leave us alone because we are the beauty of this nation,” said Haingura.A chapter in the UN report titled ‘Gender-Based Violence: A price too high’ notes that violence against women compromises reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes, leading to more unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal mortality, miscarriage and stillbirths.”Abused women also face higher risks of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.The fact that violent men tend to have more partners outside of marriage adds to the risks,” says the report.The United Nations agencies in Namibia in partnership with Government will start a new five-year programme next year to help the country attain the MDG goals by 2015.Ehsan said the UN planned to beef up support to NGOs and civil society working towards the goals of poverty reduction, gender equality and improving human rights.The World Population Report is launched annually to promote awareness on population and development issues as well as to mobilise much-needed resources for reproductive health, gender and population.Titled ‘The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals’, this year’s report calls on world leaders to fulfil promises they made to the world’s women and young people in order to meet poverty reduction targets, universal access to reproductive health services and gender equality as part of the Millennium Development Goals to be attained by 2015.”Women all over the world are tired of promises.The time has come for action,” said Ehsan.”Investing in political, economic and education opportunities for women and girls yields quick wins and high pay-offs that lead to improved economic prospects, smaller families, healthier and more literate children, lower HIV prevalence rates and reduced incidence of harmful traditional practices”.In Namibia, growing violence against women was highlighted in particular as an obstacle to achieving a healthy nation.Polytechnic students demonstrated their commitment to eradicate gender-based violence at the occasion, while Prime Minister Nahas Angula said a law was needed on violence against women.By 2050, Namibia is projected to have a population of 3,1 million, while the world population will be around 9,1 billion.Predictions are made on whether men and women will have the means to decide when and how often to have children.Namibia’s population is currently estimated at 2 million, while the world population is 6,5 billion.Ehsan said studies had shown that when women were in charge of the family’s purse strings, they were more likely than men to invest more in family needs that would yield long-term benefits.”Investing in women and young people – who constitute the majority of the world’s population – will accelerate long-term development.Failure to do so may entrench poverty for generations to come,” warned Ehsan.Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Petrina Haingura pledged Government’s commitment to reproductive health measures in view of Namibia’s maternal mortality rate having increased from 225 per 100 000 live births in 1992 to 271 per 100 000 live births in 2000.Around the world, HIV-AIDS constitutes the leading cause of death and illness among women between the ages of 15 and 44.Haingura said she was cognisant of the fact that violence in Namibia affected the country’s reproductive health status.”To our menfolk, please leave us alone because we are the beauty of this nation,” said Haingura.A chapter in the UN report titled ‘Gender-Based Violence: A price too high’ notes that violence against women compromises reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes, leading to more unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal mortality, miscarriage and stillbirths.”Abused women also face higher risks of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.The fact that violent men tend to have more partners outside of marriage adds to the risks,” says the report.The United Nations agencies in Namibia in partnership with Government will start a new five-year programme next year to help the country attain the MDG goals by 2015.Ehsan said the UN planned to beef up support to NGOs and civil society working towards the goals of poverty reduction, gender equality and improving human rights.The World Population Report is launched annually to promote awareness on population and development issues as well as to mobilise much-needed resources for reproductive health, gender and population.