International Day of Action for Women’s Health

OV Digital Desk
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International Day of Action for women’s health

International Day of Action for Women’s Health is a day dedicated to women to spread awareness of their right to health. Women and health groups around the world observe this special day on May 28 every year. The International Women’s Health Day was established in 1987, and the government of South Africa officially recognized it in 1987.

As part of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health on May 28, activists from all over the world will take action, mobilize, and highlight demands for the fulfillment of women’s right to health.

Theme of International Day of Action for Women’s Health

In this year’s campaign, activists around the world encourage all of us to ‘Resist And Persist’ amid crises and uncertainty in the world, and to continue to assert that Women’s Health Matters and SRHR is essential.

In the context of the post-pandemic recovery, social activists continue to hold governments responsible for the gendered effects of the pandemic, which remain unaddressed to this day. As a result, these women and girls are faced with a number of challenges including lost livelihoods, increased risks of gender-based violence, increased unpaid care burdens, and obstacles to access to essential sexual and reproductive health care, as well as safe abortion services as post-abortion support.

Women’s health advocates and their communities have commemorated May 28th since 1987, when during the International Women’s Health Meeting in Costa Rica, Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) proposed that May 28 be celebrated annually by many as International Day of Action for Women’s Health.

As the leading regional network, LACWHN took the responsibility of promoting and coordinating regional activities, while Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) was requested to lead the global May 28 campaign. In coordinating the campaign, both networks worked closely with the core group of active members.

Since its inaugural launch in 1987, May 28th has been recognized as the International Day of Action for Women’s Health by several governments, various international agencies and multiple civil society organizations around the world.

The need to educate women across the globe about health issues, irrespective of factors such as religion and age, remains of utmost importance.

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