Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:46:1
Siddique Islam - AHN South Asia Correspondent
New York, NY (AHN) - Afghanistan, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children as part of overall efforts to boost conditions in the war-ravaged country, the head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in Kabul on Monday.
"I would like to make a strong call for greater investment in the health and well-being of Afghanistan's women and their families," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.
In Afghanistan, UNFPA is supporting a national census while seeking to promote gender equity and women's empowerment and foster maternal health, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Obaid also said work in these areas will benefit Afghanistan as a whole. "We all know from many studies that women contribute greatly to their families and communities and that when women participate in the community and the family, that the country becomes much stronger."
A central concern is addressing the problem of violence against women, in law enforcement and through public awareness. "But most importantly violence against women will not stop if the men themselves do not participate in stopping the violence," she added.
On average, one Afghan mother dies for every 60 births, but maternal death rates in some provinces are several times higher, according to UNFPA, which is working with the authorities to train female health personnel to deal with the problem.
"We want to ensure that we can offer a comprehensive package of life-saving health services, including family planning, skilled attendance at birth and access to emergency obstetric care," she noted.
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