By: Ms. Joy Asasira

As we celebrate yet another women’s day, that is commemorated every year on March 8th. At CEHURD, we continue to #PressforProgress in our fight to address preventable maternal mortality in Uganda. The standards have been set, Goal 3 sets a target to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births, Abuja Declaration obliges governments to allocate at least 15% of the total national budget to the health sector. Whereas Uganda has made progress, but we still have along way to go, the maternal mortality ratio still stands at 336/100,000 live births. For very maternal death in Uganda, six (6) women suffer severe morbidities- anemia, infertility, pelvic pain, incontinence, and obstetric fistulas.

At CEHURD we have continued to highlight the plight of our women who die needlessly due to pregnancy related causes. The positive judgment from the High Court against the Nakaseke District Local Administration ( Civil Suit No.111 of 2012 )that recognized that Nanteza Irene’s maternal health rights were violated, when she was neglected for eight (8) hours in in the hospital without proposer care while she experienced hemorrhage and a raptured uterus.

The task ahead is still a daunting one, the maiden maternal health case that was filed by CEHURD and the families of Jenifer Anguko (Arua) and Sylvia Namubiru (Mityana) in constitutional Petition No. 16 of 2011 where CEHURD sought a court’s pronouncement that the non-provision of basic indispensible health maternal commodities in government health facilities and rampant maternal mortality is also caused by the government’s non-provision of basic minima maternal health care packages, which constitutes a violation of their right to health. This case is yet t be heard on its merits since its filing in 2011, but we shall not relent, and we also implore the Constitutional Court of Uganda to hear this case, because justice delayed is justice denied!

As we celebrate women, there is no doubt that the unique reproductive health needs and roles of women, put them at risk of negative health outcomes without access to appropriate services. Many of these are preventable with adequate resource allocation, availability of health services and women’s empowerment.

At CEHURD, we celebrate the women, we recognize their role and contribution to a strong and flourishing society. It is with this that we continue to #PressforProgress to ensure that the women of Uganda do not die or suffer due to preventable maternal mortality causes. As Professor Muhmoud F. Fathalla, who is unarguably the greatest Women’s health Rights champion stated, “Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat, they are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.”

#maternalhealthug

#petition16

By Ms. Noor Nakibuuka

Today, Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Women’s day. As a woman, mother and an advocate for women’s rights, it can’t go without saying that this day brings memories to me but also the institution I work for.

For years, the Center for Health, Human rights and Development has stood out as an institution that among others, advocates for women’s rights. Today we celebrate the women we have empowered, advocated for, and those that have benefited from our services as an institution.

At CEHURD’s inception in about 2009, the maternal health rate for example stood at about 438/100,000 live births in Uganda. As we #pressforprogress, we celebrate 336/100,000 live births today. Our contribution as an institution cannot go without notice. We have litigated, sensitized communities, held talk shows, and engaged various line ministries, local governments among others to ensure that women’s rights are upheld and respected. These successes wouldn’t have been, but with women, the mothers of this nation.

On such a day, one usually wants to recall the country’s progress towards women. Allow me commend the state for its efforts towards ensuring that women access health care, that the legislation protects their rights, land rights are not violated, and violence is restricted in homes among others. This is not to say, that these have ceased being challenges but it’s important to give credit for the progress we have achieved this far. Indeed the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda accords women special treatment with specific provisions that uphold their unique status and natural maternal functional role they play in society. The Domestic violence legislation, penal code Act, HIV prevention and Control Act, Land acquisition Act among others in one way or another protect women and we cannot fail to highlight this as progress in realizing women’s rights

While I commend the state for this progress, I want to give special attention to women at various levels that have worked so hard to ensure that the legislations and all strategies targeting women are indeed put into practice. Women ministers, women members of parliament, women in various positions within various institutions including civil society organizations, academia, agricultural sectors, local government levels, health institutions, media, stay home women, market vendor women, etc we celebrate you, we are proud of you, for you the nation was born.

I want to thank you for being women, for enduring all that it takes to see the nation smile, for being great mothers, advisors, counselors, teachers, service providers, musicians, for being the voice of the voiceless. We celebrate you

Happy women’s day

By: Ms. Lilian Aguti

A woman is worth celebrating, without her the world would be extinct.

What wouldn’t a woman do? House chores; treatment; hustles with in-laws; educates her children; once married, she loses her name among others.

My experience as a mother speaks volumes. Going through pregnancy for nine months came with challenges. I ceased to eat what I loved, but craved for. My dress code changed, body shape changed, got mood swings, struggled with nausea, etc. This is not different from any expectant mother. Explaining these challenges to a man may sound obvious but what does it yield? The level of care has since ceased being their responsibility although some do.

It becomes worse at the time of delivery, your health and life at that moment is at the hands of the service provider, who in most cases, is a woman. Being a woman is priceless!

Often times, if not all times, struggles with the new born are with a woman. Hardly does she sleep yet sometimes she is a caesarean mother enduring all the pain that comes with delivery. It never crosses a man’s mind that such a woman needs rest, food has to be placed on the table. It becomes worse if it is a rural woman.

Working with CEHURD has given me an opportunity to empower women and advance their rights. Listening to the stories from the women in the communities we work with gives me more urge to be their voice. Sometimes though, the impact on realization of rights may take longer especially when some violations seem personal or normal.

With its novel ideas of legal empowerment, social accountability, media engagements, sensitization on rights and responsibilities, litigation, policy advocacy etc, CEHURD has indeed advanced women’s rights. I cannot fail to attribute such success as we #Pressforprogress.

Happy women’s day.

By Abenakyo Irene

A woman’s worth lies in her own care and though she goes beyond her limit in life, a woman is so strong inside because she sacrifices that one smile and always there for people she loves. Such a woman is a true woman of substance and deserve a big salute in life.

It’s therefore important that as empowered women we should always cling on for progress because we go through quite a lot and those experiences make us stronger and give us a way forward in life. And as a counseling specialist I really find it great knowing that many women are taking responsibility for their children needs like feeding, clothing and education even when their fathers are there but decided to be out their lives.

Sometimes it’s not easy for them but somehow they struggle and make it. I have got opportunity to interact with some people who were sorely taken care of by their mothers and believe me these children hail their mothers because they know it all , I mean the entire journey with their mother.

I therefore salute the single mothers who never called it quit in taking care of their children even when their fathers neglected them, the struggle therefore continues.

Happy women’s day

By Rose Wakikona

Planned Parenthood Global (PPG) organized a regional multi-stakeholder meeting between 5th to 9th March 2018 held at Royal Tulip Hotel, Nairobi Kenya for the LSN and the Health Workers that they represent. The meeting was attended by partners from South America, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania who are implementing the LSN model. The purpose of the meeting was to generate an understanding of the PPG LSN model among the LSN implementing partners and the health workers they represent. The parties met to discuss how the LSN model has evolved in each country and how best to tweak it to suit the individual needs of each country.

CEHURD has coordinated the LSN since 2014, since its establishment the LSN has a membership of over 24 lawyers with a specially trained in Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. The goal of the LSN is to create a safe environment for health workers to provide reproductive health services to those who need them and the LSN does this by providing legal support to Health Workers caught up in the justice system for providing reproductive health services thus increasing their confidence to provide these services. This is done using a 3 pronged approach of preventative, reactionary and advocacy;

The preventative approach is the core of the model with the LSN looking to reduce the legal risk of the health workers as much as possible to ensure that they do not end up in conflict with the law in the first place, this they do by making a thorough analysis of the laws in their respective countries and informing the health workers of the dos and don’ts as prescribed by the law, they also conduct site visits to assess the compliance of the different health facilities and ensure that the health workers are working within the ambit of the law. Under this approach the LSN also develops guides for the health workers to use as a point of reference when faced with a potentially combustible situation.

The reactionary approach comes in play when the preventative does not work and someone slips through the cracks. With this the LSN comes on board to provide legal representation for health workers at police and in court when they are in conflict with the law. The advocacy approach sees the LSN work to and participate in activities that see the furtherance of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights this is done by undertaking public interest litigation to challenge archaic laws and provide legal support to organizations doing advocacy around Sexual Reproductive Health Rights.

The LSN in Uganda has used all 3 approaches and conducted compliance visits to over 60 health facilities under Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) and Family Life Education Program (FLEP), development of reference materials for the health workers, training of health workers and lawyers to build capacity in Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, installation of the toll free line and litigation of strategic cases. The network is also governed by a management committee of 5 members and guided by operational guidelines. The LSN in Kenya is the oldest having started in 2012 with 4 lawyers on board. The LSN in Tanzania is the youngest having started in 2017 with 20 lawyers on board.

During the meeting the health workers expressed excitement for the LSN and undertook to work with the lawyers. They complained of continued police harassment, stigma of service providers, banned standards and guidelines on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights leaving an information gap, fear of imprisonment, untrained health professionals, ignorance of the law, individuals accessing the LSN, referrals to friendly hospitals and lack of representation for pharmacists.

The parties agreed to engage by the LSN disseminating guides on the legal context of reproductive health rights, bringing on board new individual service providers, developing a list of friendly providers who can handle referrals, extending the scope of representation to pharmacists and developing a strategy to manage police harassment of health workers.