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Title: Five years on. No justice for sexual violence in Darfur.
Author: Human Rights Watch
Source: New York, New York, Human Rights Watch, 2008 Apr. 44 p. (1-56432-302-1)
Abstract: Five years into the armed conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, women and girls living in displaced persons camps, towns, and rural areas remain extremely vulnerable to sexual violence. Sexual violence continues to occur throughout the region, both in the context of continuing attacks on civilians, and during periods of relative calm. Those responsible are usually men from the Sudanese security forces, militias, rebel groups, and former rebel groups, who target women and girls predominantly (but not exclusively) from Fur, Zaghawa, Masalit, Berti, Tunjur, and other non-Arab ethnicities. Survivors of sexual violence in Darfur have no meaningful access to redress. They fear the consequences of reporting their cases to the authorities and lack the resources needed to prosecute their attackers. Police are physically present only in principal towns and government outposts, and they lack the basic tools and political will for responding to sexual violence crimes and conducting investigations. Police frequently fail to register complaints or conduct proper investigations. While some police seem genuinely committed to service, many exhibit an antagonistic and dismissive attitude toward women and girls. These difficulties are exacerbated by the reluctance-and limited ability-of police to investigate crimes committed by soldiers or militia, who often gain effective immunity under laws that protect them from civilian prosecution. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
SUDAN | CRITIQUE | RECOMMENDATIONS | EVALUATION | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS | POLICE | RAPE | REFUGEE CAMPS | FEAR | LITIGATION | JURISPRUDENCE | UN | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION | Developing Countries | Africa, North | Africa | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Settlement and Resettlement | Migration | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Corrections Officers | Government | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Crime | Social Problems | Residence Characteristics | Population Distribution | Geographic Factors | Emotions | Psychological Factors | Behavior | International Agencies | Organizations
Document Number: 326745

Title: Population and HIV / AIDS 2007. [Wallchart].
Author: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division
Source: New York, New York, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2008 Mar. [2] p. (ST/ESA/SER.A/270)
Abstract: The AIDS epidemic remains one of the greatest challenges confronting the international community. In countries with a large number of people living with HIV, all population and development indicators are affected by the epidemic. Governments often cite HIV/AIDS as their most significant demographic concern. For more than two decades, the rapidly expanding HIV/AIDS epidemic has triggered a wide array of responses at the national, regional and global levels. The goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in the 2000 Millennium Declaration and through the adoption of the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS reflect widely-held concerns about the impact of the epidemic on development and human well-being. More recently, at the 2006 High Level Meeting on AIDS, Member States adopted a Political Declaration focusing on how to attain universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention programs, treatment, care and support by 2010. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | TABLES AND CHARTS | UN | PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS | HIV | AIDS | PREVALENCE | LIFE EXPECTANCY | GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS | CONDOM USE | ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY | MORTALITY | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Measurement | Research Methodology | Length of Life | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Programs | Organization and Administration | Risk Reduction Behavior | Behavior
Document Number: 326399

Title: Rural population, development and the environment 2007. [Wallchart].
Author: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division
Source: New York, New York, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2008 Mar. [2] p. (ST/ESA/SER.A/275)
Abstract: The wall chart on Rural Population, Development and the Environment 2007 displays information on various aspects of population, environment and development, including changes in rural populations and their relationship with development and the environment. The wall chart include information for 228 countries or areas as well as data at the regional and sub-regional levels. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | TABLES AND CHARTS | UN | RURAL POPULATION | RURAL POPULATION DISTRIBUTION | RURAL DEVELOPMENT | POPULATION GROWTH | ENVIRONMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT | AGRICULTURE | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Population Distribution | Geographic Factors | Economic Factors | Population Dynamics | Macroeconomic Factors
Document Number: 325833

7.
Title: United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development, New York, 21-23 January 2008.
Author: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division
Source: New York, New York, United Nations, 2008 Mar. 364 p. (ESA/P/WP.206)
Abstract: In 2008, the world is reaching an important milestone: for the first time in history, half of the world population will be living in urban areas. Urbanization has significant social and economic implications: Historically, it has been an integral part of the process of economic development and an important determinant of the decline in fertility and mortality rates. Many important economic, social and demographic transformations have taken place in cities. The urban expansion, due in part to migration from rural to urban areas, varies significantly across regions and countries. The distribution and morphology of cities, the dynamics of urban growth, the linkages between urban and rural areas and the living conditions of the rural and urban population also vary quite substantially across countries and over time. In general, urbanization represents a positive development, but it also poses challenges. The scale of such challenges is particularly significant in less developed regions, where most of the urban growth will take place in the coming decades. To discuss trends in population distribution and urbanization and their implications, the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat organized an Expert Group Meeting on Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development. The meeting, which took place from 21 to 23 January at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, brought together experts from different regions of the world to present and discuss recent research on urbanization, the policy dimensions of urban growth and internal migration, the linkages and disparities between urban and rural development, aspects of urban infrastructure and urban planning, and the challenges of climate change for the spatial distribution of the population. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | UNITED KINGDOM | CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSES | EVALUATION | MIGRANTS | URBAN POPULATION | URBANIZATION | INTERNAL MIGRATION | RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION | POPULATION DISTRIBUTION | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | UN | GROUP MEETING | SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | LABOR MIGRATION | Developed Countries | Europe, Western | Europe | Migration | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Population Characteristics | Urban Population Distribution | Geographic Factors | Economic Factors | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Communication
Document Number: 325697

Title: Urban population, development and the environment 2007 [Wallchart].
Author: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division
Source: New York, New York, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2008 Mar. [2] p. (ST/ESA/SER.A/274)
Abstract: The wall chart on Urban Population, Development and the Environment 2007 displays information on various aspects of population, environment and development, including changes in urban populations and their relationship with development and the environment. The wall chart include information for 228 countries or areas as well as data at the regional and sub-regional levels. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | TABLES AND CHARTS | UN | URBAN POPULATION | URBAN POPULATION DISTRIBUTION | URBANIZATION | POPULATION GROWTH | ENVIRONMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT | ENERGY SUPPLY | GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Population Distribution | Geographic Factors | Population Dynamics | Natural Resources | Production | Macroeconomic Factors | Economic Factors
Document Number: 325831

Title: World fertility patterns 2007. [Wallchart].
Author: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division
Source: New York, New York, United Nations, 2008 Jan. [2] p. (ST/ESA/SER.A/269)
Abstract: The last decades of the twentieth century witnessed a major transformation in world fertility: total fertility fell from an average of 4.5 children per woman in 1970-1975 to 2.6 children per woman in 2000-2005. This change was driven mostly by developing countries whose fertility dropped by nearly half (from 5.4 to 2.9 children per woman) with the decline being less marked among the least developed countries where fertility remains high (their average fertility declined from 6.6 children per woman in 1970-1975 to 5.0 in 2000-2005). This chart presents some of the data available to assess the change in fertility taking place in the countries of the world. For each of the 195 countries or areas with at least 100,000 inhabitants in 2007, it displays available unadjusted data on total fertility, age-specific fertility and the mean age at childbearing for two points in time: the first as close as possible to 1970 and the second as close as possible to 2005. Data on total fertility for the world as a whole, the development groups and major areas are estimates referring to 1970-1975 and 2000-2005 derived from the 2006 Revision of World Population Prospects. The chart thus presents regional estimates of fertility change and part of the basic data underlying those estimates. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | DEVELOPED COUNTRIES | TABLES AND CHARTS | FERTILITY CHANGES | AGE SPECIFIC FERTILITY RATE | UN | Fertility | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Fertility Rate | Birth Rate | Fertility Measurements | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors
Document Number: 326616

10.

Title: Eliminating female genital mutilation: an interagency statement. OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO.
Author: United Nations. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR]; Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / AIDS [UNAIDS]; United Nations Development Programme [UNDP]; United Nations. Economic Commission for Africa; UNESCO
Source: Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization [WHO], 2008. 41 p.
Abstract: The term 'female genital mutilation' (also called 'female genital cutting' and 'female genital mutilation/cutting') refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Between 100 and 140 million girls and women in the world are estimated to have undergone such procedures, and 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of undergoing the procedures every year. Female genital mutilation has been reported to occur in all parts of the world, but it is most prevalent in: the western, eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa, some countries in Asia and the Middle East and among certain immigrant communities in North America and Europe. Female genital mutilation has no known health benefits. On the contrary, it is known to be harmful to girls and women in many ways. First and foremost, it is painful and traumatic. The removal of or damage to healthy, normal genital tissue interferes with the natural functioning of the body and causes several immediate and long-term health consequences. For example, babies born to women who have undergone female genital mutilation suffer a higher rate of neonatal death compared with babies born to women who have not undergone the procedure. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | RECOMMENDATIONS | CLASSIFICATION | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING | PREVENTION AND CONTROL | UN | WHO | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | COMPLICATIONS | SOCIAL POLICY | HEALTH POLICY | Research Methodology | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Harmful Traditional Practices | Traditional Health Practices | Culture | Sociocultural Factors | Diseases | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Human Rights | Policy
Document Number: 325496

11.

Title: Resolution 1820 (2008). Adopted by the Security Council at its 5916th meeting, on 19 June 2008.
Author: United Nations. Security Council
Source: [New York, New York], United Nations, Security Council, 2008 Jun 19. 5 p. (S/RES/1820 (2008))
Abstract: United Nations Security Council resolution on women, peace and security, demanding halt to acts of sexual violence during armed conflict.
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | LEGISLATION | UN | GOALS | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | SEXUAL ABUSE | WAR | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | International Agencies | Organizations | Planning | Organization and Administration | Domestic Violence | Crime | Social Problems
Document Number: 327631

12.

Title: ICPD to MDGs: Missing links and common grounds.
Author: Abrejo FG; Shaikh BT; Saleem S
Source: Reproductive Health. 2008;5:4.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The ICPD agenda of reproductive health was declared as the most comprehensive one, which had actually broadened the spectrum of reproductive health and drove the states to embark upon initiatives to improve reproductive health status of their populations. However, like all other countries, Pakistan also seems to have shifted focus of its policies and programs towards achieving MDGs. As a result, concepts highlighted in the ICPD got dropped eventually. In spite of specific goals on maternal and child mortalities in MDGs and all the investment and policy shift, Pakistan has still one of the highest maternal mortality ratios among developing countries. Lack of synchronized efforts, sector wide approaches, inter-sectoral collaboration, and moreover, the unmet need for family planning, unsafe abortions, low literacy rate and dearth of women empowerment are the main reasons. Being a signatory of both of the international agendas (ICPD and MDGs), Pakistan needed to articulate its policies to keep the balance between the two agendas. There are, however, certainly some common grounds which have been experimented by various countries and we can learn lessons from those best practices. An inter-sectoral cooperation and sector wide approaches would be required to achieve such ambitious goals set out in ICPD-Program of Action while working towards MDGs. There is a need of increasing resource allocation, strengthening primary health care services and emergency obstetric care and motivating the human resource employed in health sector by good governance. These endeavors should lead to formulate evidence based national policies, reproductive health services which are affordable, accessible and culturally acceptable and finally a responsive health system.
Language: English
Keywords:
PAKISTAN | PROGRESS REPORT | EVALUATION | POLICYMAKERS | REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH | HEALTH POLICY | GOALS | UN | MATERNAL-CHILD HEALTH SERVICES | CHILD SURVIVAL | MATERNAL MORTALITY | MORTALITY DECLINE | FAMILY PLANNING POLICY | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | COORDINATION | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Administrative Personnel | Organization and Administration | Health | Policy | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Planning | International Agencies | Organizations | Primary Health Care | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Survivorship | Length of Life | Mortality | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Family Planning | Population Policy | Social Policy | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors
Document Number: 328036

13.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Emergency obstetric care in Punjab, Pakistan: Improvement needed.
Author: Ali M; Ahmed KM; Kuroiwa C
Source: European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 2008 Jun;13(2):201-207.
Abstract: This paper describes an approach to maternal mortality reduction in Pakistan that uses UN emergency obstetric care (EmOC) process indicators to examine if public health care centres in Pakistan's Punjab province comply with minimum recommendations for basic and comprehensive services. In a cross sectional study in September 2003, through random sampling at area and health-facility levels from 30% of districts in Punjab province (n = 11/34 districts), all public health facilities providing EmOC were included (n = 120). Facility data were used for analysis. No district in Punjab met the minimum standards laid down by the UN for providing EmOC services. The number of facilities providing basic and comprehensive EmOC services fell far short of recommended levels. Only 4.7% of women with complications attended hospitals. Caesarean section was carried out in only 0.4% of births. The case fatality rate was hard to accurately calculate due to poor record keeping and data quality. The study may be taken asa baseline for developing and improving the standards of services in Punjab province. It is vital to upgrade existing basic EmOC facilities and to ensure that staff skills be improved, facilities be better equipped in critical areas, and record keeping be improved. Hence to reduce maternal mortality, facilities for EmOC must exist, be accessible, offer quality services, and be utilized by patients with complications. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
PAKISTAN | RESEARCH REPORT | SAMPLING STUDIES | CROSS SECTIONAL ANALYSIS | OBSTETRICS | EMERGENCY SERVICES | HOSPITALS | PUBLIC SECTOR | MATERNAL HEALTH | UN | STANDARDS | QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Studies | Research Methodology | Medicine | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Health Facilities | Macroeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Health Services Evaluation | Program Evaluation | Programs | Organization and Administration
Document Number: 326599

14.

Title: Scaling up prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Author: Attawell K
Source: Teddington, United Kingdom, Tearfund, 2008 Jul. 44 p.
Abstract: This report provides an overview of PMTCT and is an attempt to explore what is working, and why, in scaling up access. The report captures innovative examples of successful programming and partnerships, while identifying challenges and bottlenecks that must be overcome if these countries are to meet their nationally set universal access targets by 2010. The research methodology used for this report was based on a desk review, interviews with key global informants (see Acknowledgements) and country case studies in Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia in early 2008. The in-country study included semi-structured interviews with representatives of government and nongovernmental organisations as well as focus group discussions with community representatives, participatory and observational methodologies. The main objectives of the research were to: 1) identify and conduct interviews with the key international and national stakeholders and explore the structure, components, implementation, co-ordination, financing, policies, and guidelines and monitoring system of the PMTCT programmes; 2) determine what was working well and why; and 3) identify specific bottlenecks, challenges and recommendations for progress. This report provides an overview of the perceptions of key experts and communities on PMTCT interventions and approaches, current global action and country progress.
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | PROGRESS REPORT | EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS | POLICYMAKERS | PREVENTION OF MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION | HIV PREVENTION | GOALS | ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY | HIV TESTING | PREVALENCE | HEALTH POLICY | CAPACITY BUILDING | UN | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION | GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS | Research Methodology | Administrative Personnel | Organization and Administration | Disease Transmission Control | Prevention and Control | Diseases | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Planning | HIV | Laboratory Examinations and Diagnoses | Examinations and Diagnoses | Medical Procedures | Medicine | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Measurement | Policy | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Program Sustainability | Programs | International Agencies | Organizations
Document Number: 329086

15.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Many countries may not meet maternal and child health goals by 2015.
Author: Ball H
Source: International Family Planning Perspectives. 2008 Jun;34(2):101-102.
Abstract: At the midpoint of the 15-year timetable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the majority of countries with high levels of maternal and child mortality are not on track to meet the targets for reductions in these outcomes by 2015, according to a recent analysis.1 Among the 68 countries that account for the vast majority of maternal and child deaths, only 16 are on track to reduce mortality among children younger than five to one-third of its 1990 level (Goal 4). Progress toward reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters (Goal 5) has been slow as well: In all 41 Sub-Saharan African countries included in the analysis, at least 300 maternal deaths occur per 100,000 live births. The research was conducted by Countdown to 2015, a collaboration of researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders that has been tracking progress toward the Millennium Development Goals in the 68 countries in which 97% of deaths among women of childbearing age and children younger than five occur. Researchers focused on determining coverage rates (the proportion of individuals in each country who need a service and are able to obtain it) for interventions that have been proven to avert maternal, newborn and child deaths, that can be widely implemented in resource-poor countries, and whose levels can be reliably estimated across countries and over time; these interventions include provision of contraceptive and STI services, skilled care during childbirth, and pre- and postnatal care. Most of the data were obtained through nationally representative household surveys. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | RESEARCH REPORT | EVALUATION INDEXES | CHILDREN | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | PREGNANT WOMEN | UN | GOALS | MATERNAL-CHILD HEALTH SERVICES | MATERNAL HEALTH | CHILD HEALTH | HEALTH STATUS INDEXES | CHILD SURVIVAL | MATERNAL MORTALITY | Quantitative Evaluation | Evaluation | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Economic Development | Economic Factors | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Planning | Organization and Administration | Primary Health Care | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Survivorship | Length of Life | Mortality | Population Dynamics
Document Number: 327767

16.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Wealth and child survival: India and Bangladesh [letter]
Author: Billal DS; Hotomi M; Yamanaka N
Source: Lancet. 2008 Oct 25;372(9648):1459.
Abstract: Your Aug 16 Editorial1 emphasises that India is far from its target of reaching Millennium Development Goal 4 on child survival, despite its impressive rate of economic growth compared with the other south Asian nations. You state that India is spending only 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health, which is less than the other countries in the Asia-Pacific region; however, India has actually been spending only 09% of its GDP on heath for the past two decades.2 2-3% of GDP is the predicted level of spending by the Indian Government by 2010.2 Although the link between poverty and child mortality is very strong, some countries are better at translating their economic growth into pre venting child deaths. For example, India's gross national income (GNI) per head has in creased by a staggering 82% from US$450 in 2000 to $820 in 2006, yet its child mortality rate only declined by 19% from 94 per 1000 births to 76 per 1000. Over the same period, Bangladesh saw a much smaller 23% in crease in GNI per capita-from $390 in 2000 to $480 in 2006-but its child mortality dropped by 25% from 92 to 69 per 1000 births.3,4 The maternal mortality rate also declined from 440 per 10 000 births in 1997 to 315 in 2001 in Bangladesh.5 All countries, even the poorest, can reduce child mortality if they pursue the right policies and prioritise their poorest families. Good government choices save children's lives but bad ones are a death sentence. (full-text)
Language: English
Keywords:
INDIA | CRITIQUE | EVALUATION | CHILDREN | CHILD SURVIVAL | GOALS | UN | DEVELOPMENT POLICY | SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS | INCOME | HEALTH POLICY | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Survivorship | Length of Life | Mortality | Population Dynamics | Planning | Organization and Administration | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Policy | Economic Factors
Document Number: 329062

17.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Child health and mortality.
Author: El Arifeen S
Source: Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition. 2008 Sep;26(3):273-9.
Abstract: Bangladesh is currently one of the very few countries in the world, which is on target for achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 relating to child mortality. There have been very rapid reductions in mortality, especially in recent years and among children aged over one month. However, this rate of reduction may be difficult to sustain and may impede the achievement of MDG 4. Neonatal deaths now contribute substantially (57%) to overall mortality of children aged less than five years, and reductions in neonatal mortality are difficult to achieve and have been slow in Bangladesh. There are some interesting attributes of the mortality decline in Bangladesh. Mortality has declined faster among girls than among boys, but the poorest have not benefited from the reduction in mortality. There has also been a relative absence of a decline in mortality in urban areas. The age and cause of death pattern of under-five mortality indicate certain interventions that need to be scaled up rapidly and reach high coverage to achieve MDG 4 in Bangladesh. These include skilled attendance at delivery, postnatal care for the newborn, appropriate feeding of the young infant and child, and prevention and management of childhood infections. The latest (2007) Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey shows that Bangladesh has made sustained and remarkable progress in many areas of child health. More than 80% of children are receiving all vaccines. The use of oral rehydration solution for diarrhoea is high, and the coverage of vitamin A among children aged 9-59 months has been consistently increasing. However, poor quality of care, misperceptions regarding the need for care, and other social barriers contribute to low levels of care-seeking for illnesses of the newborns and children. Improvements in the health system are essential for removing these barriers, as are effective strategies to reach families and communities with targeted messages and information. Finally, there are substantial health-system challenges relating to the design and implementation, at scale, of interventions to reduce neonatal mortality.
Language: English
Keywords:
BANGLADESH | PROGRESS REPORT | DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEYS | CHILDREN | CHILD HEALTH | CHILD MORTALITY | GOALS | UN | NEONATAL MORTALITY | SEX FACTORS | CHILD SURVIVAL | IMMUNIZATION | DIARRHEA | UTILIZATION OF HEALTH CARE | CHILD HEALTH SERVICES | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Demographic Surveys | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Health | Mortality | Planning | Organization and Administration | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Infant Mortality | Survivorship | Length of Life | Primary Health Care | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Diseases | Maternal-Child Health Services
Document Number: 328891

18.

19.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Reproductive and sexual rights: do words matter? [editorial]
Author: Gruskin S
Source: American Journal of Public Health. 2008 Oct;98(10):1737.
Abstract: The 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development helped governments, the organs and agencies of the United Nations system, and nongovernmental organizations move beyond the confines of traditional family planning approaches. This watershed event fostered and defined subsequent international and national reproductive and sexual health policies and programs as well as global efforts to realize reproductive and sexual rights. However, moving beyond history, or the "archeology of Cairo" (as a participant at a meeting I recently attended called it), are we now simply using the language of the Cairo conference with little attention to the conceptual and operational implications of its words? Has the politically charged notion of rights with its attendant government responsibility and accountability succumbed to the less controversial notion of health? As the public health community recognized even before the Cairo consensus, barriers to reproductive and sexual health operate on a number of levels-including legal, social, cultural, political, financial, attitudinal, and practical -- and interact in complex ways. What rights add to this mix is a framework for programming and for action and a legal rationale for government responsibility-not only to provide relevant services but also to alter the conditions that create, exacerbate, and perpetuate poverty, deprivation, marginalization, and discrimination as these affect reproductive and sexual health. By fixing attention on the responsibility and accountability of governments to translate their international-level commitments into national and subnational laws, policies, programs, and practices that promote and do not hinder reproductive and sexual health, the actions of governments are open to scrutiny to determine their influences-both positive and negative-on reproductive and sexual health, including barriers that affect the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of reproductive and sexual health services, structures, and goods. Despite the framework that the Cairo conference helped put into place, work falling under the rubric of reproductive and sexual rights now includes everything from the provision of abortion services to the reduction of maternal mortality -- as though simply working on these issues is equal to working on rights. Consequently, one has to ask this: Are reproductive, and even sexual, rights becoming synonymous with reproductive, and sexual, health? Those who understand their work to be in the area of reproductive and sexual rights sorely need to discuss whether their efforts are aligned with the politics that underlie the words of the Cairo conference or whether, bluntly speaking, the politics are a historical artifact and it is simply time to move on. Bringing the political back into reproductive and sexual rights would require going beyond the technical dimensions of addressing reproductive and sexual health issues to the application of the norms and standards that are engaged by a human rights discourse. This includes attention to the basics of reproductive and sexual rights: the efforts that exist to ensure the sustained participation of affected communities; how discrimination that affects both vulnerability to ill health and access and use of services is being tackled; the extent to which any legal, political, and financial constraints are being addressed; how rights considerations are brought into policy and program design, implementation, and evaluation; and the existence of mechanisms that require government as well as intergovernmental and nongovernmental institution accountability. And so yes, in a word, words do matter. And they matter for the actions they inspire. (full-text)
Language: English
Keywords:
EGYPT | CRITIQUE | FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS | GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS | HISTORICAL REVIEW | POLITICAL FACTORS | PUBLIC HEALTH | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | UN | Developing Countries | Africa, North | Africa | Family Planning | Programs | Organization and Administration | Sociocultural Factors | Health | Human Rights | International Agencies | Organizations
Document Number: 328533

20.
Title: Contraception in India: exploring met and unmet demand.
Author: Gulati SC; Chaurasia AR; Singh RM
Source: World Health and Population. 2008;10(2):25-39.
Abstract: Our study examines factors influencing demand for contraception for spacing as well as for limiting births in India. Data on socio-economic, demographic and program factors affecting demand for contraception in India are from the National Family Health Survey, 1998--99. The recent document from the National Rural Health Mission has completely ignored the use of contraception in controlling fertility in India. Empirical results of our study suggest giving priority to and focusing attention on supply-side factors such as a regular and sustained supply of quality contraceptive methods to improve accessibility and affordability. Further, strengthening the information, education and communication (IEC) component of the reproductive and child health (RCH) package would allay misapprehensions about the side effects and health risks of contraception. Focusing attention on demand-side factors such as women's empowerment through education, gainful employment and exposure to mass-media would help reduce the unmet demand for family planning. The resulting reduction in fertility would hasten the process of demographic transition and population stabilization in India.
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | RESEARCH REPORT | EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | CHILDREN | TUBERCULOSIS | UN | GOALS | HEALTH POLICY | UTILIZATION OF HEALTH CARE | CONTRACEPTION | WOMEN'S HEALTH | EMPLOYMENT | DIARRHEA | WOMEN'S STATUS | Research Methodology | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Infections | Diseases | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Planning | Organization and Administration | Policy | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Family Planning | Macroeconomic Factors | Socioeconomic Factors
Document Number: 329490

21.

Title: Investing in the health of Africa's mothers.
Author: Kimani M
Source: Africa Renewal. 2008 Jan;21(4):8-11.
Abstract: Pumwani Maternity Hospital, in Nairobi, Kenya, is the largest maternal health centre in East and Central Africa. Located close to Mathare and Korogocho, two of Nairobi's biggest slums, the hospital helps some 27,000 women give birth each year. Most are poor and young, between the ages of 14 and 18. The government-run hospital struggles to provide even the most basic services, since it lacks sufficient resources, equipment and staff. "We told patients to buy their own things because of the shortage of supplies," explains Evelyn Mutio, the former head of the hospital's nursing staff. "We told patients to come with gloves, to buy their own syringes, needles, cotton wool and maternity pads." The Pumwani Maternity Hospital exemplifies the state of the health infrastructure in Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), high service costs, lack of trained staff and supplies, poor transport and patients' insufficient knowledge mean that 60 per cent of mothers in sub-Saharan Africa do not have a health worker present during childbirth. That heightens the risks of complications, contributing to greater maternal and child death and disability. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
AFRICA, SUB SAHARAN | PROGRESS REPORT | EVALUATION | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | PREGNANT WOMEN | MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES | HOME VISITS | PROGRAM ACCESSIBILITY | MATERNAL MORTALITY | PREGNANCY OUTCOMES | GOALS | UN | MACROECONOMIC FACTORS | Developing Countries | Africa | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Maternal-Child Health Services | Primary Health Care | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Communication | Program Evaluation | Programs | Organization and Administration | Mortality | Population Dynamics | Pregnancy | Reproduction | Planning | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors
Document Number: 324428

22.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health: Bangladesh and MDG 5.
Author: Koblinsky M; Anwar I; Mridha MK; Chowdhury ME; Botlero R
Source: Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition. 2008 Sep;26(3):280-94.
Abstract: Bangladesh is on its way to achieving the MDG 5 target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015, but the annual rate of decline needs to triple. Although the use of skilled birth attendants has improved over the past 15 years, it remains less than 20% as of 2007 and is especially low among poor, uneducated rural women. Increasing the numbers of skilled birth attendants, deploying them in teams in facilities, and improving access to them through messages on antenatal care to women, have the potential to increase such use. The use of caesarean sections is increasing although not among poor, uneducated rural women. Strengthening appropriate quality emergency obstetric care in rural areas remains the major challenge. Strengthening other supportive services, including family planning and delayed first birth, menstrual regulation, and education of women, are also important for achieving MDG 5.
Language: English
Keywords:
BANGLADESH | RECOMMENDATIONS | EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | PREGNANT WOMEN | MIDWIVES AND MIDWIFERY | MATERNAL MORTALITY | GOALS | UN | PROGRAM ACCESSIBILITY | CHILDBIRTH | PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT | DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE | CESAREAN SECTION | EMERGENCY SERVICES | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Research Methodology | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Health Personnel | Health | Mortality | Population Dynamics | Planning | Organization and Administration | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Program Evaluation | Programs | Pregnancy Outcomes | Pregnancy | Reproduction | Management | Obstetrical Surgery | Surgery | Treatment | Medical Procedures | Medicine | Health Services
Document Number: 328890

23.

24.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Legal aspects of conflict-induced migration by women.
Author: Macklin A
Source: Reproductive Health Matters. 2008 May;16(31):22-32.
Abstract: This paper surveys the international legal frameworks, including the many guidelines, handbooks, resolutions, toolkits, conclusions and manuals produced by various United Nations bodies, that confirm an awareness of the protection issues specific to women and girls displaced by conflict. It explores the extent to which these documents address the gendered impacts of conflict-induced migration, and the role of United Nations bodies as international governmental organisations in implementing these norms. The main focus is upon internally displaced women and women refugees. In addition to problems of enforcing compliance with existing guidelines, the paper concludes that two areas - developing strategies to accommodate the realities of long-term, even permanent displacement and enhancing women's literal and legal literacy - require much greater attention on the part of governmental and non-governmental international organisations. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | REFUGEE CAMPS | CRITIQUE | INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS | REFUGEES | UN | MIGRATION | WAR | GENDER ISSUES | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | LEGISLATION | TREATIES | Residence Characteristics | Population Distribution | Geographic Factors | Population | Settlement and Resettlement | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Migrants | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights
Document Number: 327186

25.
Title: Improving maternal health to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a youth lens.
Author: Mahaini R
Source: Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2008;14 Suppl:S97-106.
Abstract: The fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) aims to improve maternal health. The 2 targets set for this goal are to "reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio" and "achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health". Six indicators have been selected to help track progress towards these targets: maternal mortality ratio; proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel; contraceptive prevalence rate; adolescent birth rate; antenatal care coverage (at least 1 visit and at least 4 visits); and unmet need for family planning. This paper briefly outlines the general situation in relation to maternal health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization (WHO) and goes on to focus on the perspective of adolescent pregnancy and reproductive health.
Language: English
Keywords:
MIDDLE EAST | PROGRESS REPORT | EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS | CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | ADOLESCENTS, FEMALE | MATERNAL HEALTH | GOALS | UN | HEALTH POLICY | ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY | SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE PREVENTION | REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH | MATERNAL MORTALITY | HEALTH STATUS INDEXES | Research Methodology | Comparative Studies | Studies | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Adolescents | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Health | Planning | Organization and Administration | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Policy | Reproductive Behavior | Fertility | Population Dynamics | Sexually Transmitted Diseases | Reproductive Tract Infections | Infections | Diseases | Mortality
Document Number: 330597

26.

27.

28.
Peer Reviewed

Title: Appropriate infant feeding practices result in better growth of infants and young children in rural Bangladesh.
Author: Saha KK; Frongillo EA; Alam DS; Arifeen SE; Persson LA; Rasmussen KM
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008 Jun;87(6):1852-1859.
Abstract: The World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund recommend a global strategy for feeding infants and young children for proper nutrition and health. We evaluated the effects of following current infant feeding recommendations on the growth of infants and young children in rural Bangladesh. The prospective cohort study involved 1343 infants with monthly measurements on infant feeding practices (IFPs) and anthropometry at 17 occasions from birth to 24 mo of age to assess the main outcomes of weight, length, anthropometric indexes, and undernutrition. We created infant feeding scales relative to the infant feeding recommendations and modeled growth trajectories with the use of multilevel models for change. Mean (+or- SD) birth weight was 2697 +or- 401 g; 30%weighed less than 2500 g. Mean body weight at 12 and 24 mo was 7.9 +or- 1.1 kg and 9.7 +or- 1.3 kg, respectively. More appropriate IFPs were associated (P less than 0.001) with greater gain in weight andlength during infancy. Prior IFPs were also positively associated (P less than 0.005) with subsequent growth in weight during infancy. Children who were in the 75th percentile of the infant feeding scales had greater (P less than 0.05) attained weight and weight-for-age z scores and lower proportions of underweight compared with children who were in the 25th percentile of these scales. Our results provide strong evidence for the positive effects of following the current infant feeding recommendations on growth of infants and young children. Intervention programs should strive to improve conditions for enhancing current infant feeding recommendations, particularly in low-income countries. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
BANGLADESH | RESEARCH REPORT | CLINICAL RESEARCH | COHORT ANALYSIS | PROSPECTIVE STUDIES | MATHEMATICAL MODEL | INFANT | RURAL POPULATION | GROWTH | INFANT NUTRITION | MALNUTRITION | BODY WEIGHT | BODY HEIGHT | WHO | UN | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Research Methodology | Studies | Theoretical Models | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Child Development | Biology | Nutrition | Health | Nutrition Disorders | Diseases | Physiology | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors
Document Number: 308642

29.

Peer Reviewed

Title: Peace-keeping efforts in Darfur.
Source: Lancet. 2007 Aug 11;370(9586):458.
Abstract: In a speech at the UN last week, UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, described the war in Darfur as "the greatest humanitarian disaster the world faces today". Since the conflict began 4 years ago, 200 000 people are believed to have died and 2.5 million people have fled their homes to escape the violence. Now, there is renewed hope as the UN Security Council with the alleged support of the Sudanese Government has approved the largest peacekeeping mission in the world-the deployment of a 26 000-strong hybrid UN-African force to bring security to the region. But can this UN mission succeed when past missions in Darfur have failed? It is unclear who will supply the needed troops. The stipulation that the troops have to be mainly African will be a challenge; the existing 7000-African Union peace force is already overstretched. A firm strategy for the new deployment and the kind of peace these troops will be looking to monitor and implement are vague. Furthermore, deployment of 26 000 troops brings all sorts of logistical problems, including access to water and allocation of land. Additionally, training troops on gender issues to protect women and children from the continued violence needs to be ensured. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
SUDAN | CRITIQUE | EVALUATION | MILITARY PERSONNEL | POLICYMAKERS | UN | WAR | HUMAN RIGHTS | GENOCIDE | FOREIGN AID | TREATIES | Developing Countries | Africa, North | Africa | Government | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Administrative Personnel | Organization and Administration | International Agencies | Organizations | Crime | Social Problems | Financial Activities | Economic Factors
Document Number: 319443

30.

Title: Children and the Millennium Development Goals. Progress towards a world fit for children.
Author: UNICEF
Source: New York, New York, UNICEF, 2007 Dec. [97] p.
Abstract: Five years after the Special Session, more than 120 countries and territories have prepared reports on their efforts to meet the goals of 'A World Fit for Children' (WFFC). Most have developed these in parallel with reports on the Millennium Development Goals, carrying out two complementary exercises. Reports on the Millennium Development Goals highlight progress in poverty reduction and the principal social indicators, while the World Fit for Children reports go into greater detail on some of the same issues, such as education and child survival. But they also extend their coverage to child protection, which is less easy to track with numerical indicators. The purpose of this document is to assemble some of the information contained in these reports, along with the latest global data - looking at what has been done and what remains to be done. It is therefore organized around the four priority areas identified in A World Fit for Children, discussing each within the overall framework of the Millennium Development Goals. To appreciate the achievements for children over the past two decades, it is also useful to reflect briefly on how their world has changed. Children born in 1989, the year when the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted, are now on the brink of adulthood. They have lived through a remarkable period of social, political and economic transformation. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | RECOMMENDATIONS | EVALUATION | CHILDREN | GOALS | UN | DEVELOPMENT POLICY | SOCIAL POLICY | HEALTH POLICY | CHILD SURVIVAL | CHILD HEALTH | CHILD NUTRITION | SANITATION | EDUCATION | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Planning | Organization and Administration | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Policy |