OneWorld.net (U.S.)

New Delhi: Women NGOs from across India have organized the largest-every international conference in India that will focus on issues that impact women’s health. More than 800 participants – that includes activists, researchers as well as academicians - are attending the meet from all over the world, including remote regions.

The international meet looks at the status of women in an era of globalization. Therefore the themes focus on – health sector reforms and gender, reproductive and sexual health rights, the politics and the resurgence of population policies women’s rights and medical technologies and the violence against women.

Manisha Gupte who heads MASUM, a Pune-based NGO, that works on health, micro credit and gender equality in the drought prone areas of Maharashtra, said: “Many countries are pulling out of development sectors like health and education and we want to focus on these issues. Privatisation of health care is a frightening concept as we want the right to health for all people. The right to life, as provided by the constitution, is not complete unless the right to health also is implemented.”

© IFRC / Ian WoolvertonActivists say that most women have to take permission from their families to visit a hospital. And the introduction of fee or charges in government hospitals in India will deter the poor, particularly women, from accessing health care services. The movement for privatisation of health has been ushered in through many ways – introduction of health insurance, user fee and pressure on governments to privatize its hospitals. Health reforms would hit women the most.

The conference is not merely a meet. It includes film festivals, media interactions, cultural events, workshops and exhibitions all of which focus on the linkages between women and health. Only those films are being screened which have been made by women. Issues as diverse as disability, mental health, development policies, women workers in shrimp factories and in mines will be discussed.

Sabala is another activist who heads the Mumbai-based Forum Against Oppression of Women. She says: “The development that the government has launched discriminates against a lot of people. This is development which is anti-poor, which destroys a lot and bulldozes the livelihoods of women. Our grassroots’ meetings in India found that rural women are worried as they do not have access to environment and natural resources which used to sustain them earlier.”

The women stress that they are an independent body and are autonomous from parties, foundations, organisations and ideologies. Renu Khanna from SAHAJ, which is a Gujarat based organization, says: “We are not an NGO. The International Women and Health Meeting is a movement that works not only on women’s health but also focuses on improving their lives.”

Talking about the contradictions and complexities brought in by technology in women’s health, Gupte says: “Nearly 40 per cent of the births in urban areas are due to caesarean surgeries, while it is only 0.1 per cent in rural areas. Why this difference? Is technology catering only to those with purchasing power.”

Increasing militarization of countries and regions has been found to be another area that remains under-researched. Therefore the meet will also discuss how conflicts have affected children, teenagers and women. Women have taken a big hit in conflict areas as there has been a rise in prostitution and the risk of AIDS/HIV also has gone up considerably.