Via ReliefWeb, a statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women: Women must be at the centre of the response to the Zika virus, says UN Women Executive Director. Excerpt:
Reports indicate that 52 countries have been affected so far, from French Polynesia to Cape Verde and 29 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. Two countries, Colombia and Brazil, have recorded the majority of cases of Zika virus infection. In Brazil, 65 per cent of Zika infection cases in the State of Bahia are women. In Colombia, women account for 67 per cent of the total of 37,011 people affected, the majority of whom are between the age of 20 and 34 years.
The initial indications that women are the majority of those infected with Zika virus are a stark reminder that disease epidemics tend to intensify vulnerabilities among already-marginalized and at-risk populations. It is the women who are poor, least educated with little access to services, who are most at risk.
The Ebola epidemics clearly demonstrated the need for a focus on adolescent girls and young women and underlined the further dangers for mothers and children alike of stigma, exclusion and abandonment when associated with disease and its spread.
The World Health Organization and scientific partners are tackling crucial public health uncertainties such as the cause of the upsurge in cases of microcephaly and other alterations of the neurological system, and whether Zika virus can be transmitted other than by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, such as through sexual contact.
The women of Brazil, Colombia and other Zika-affected countries need clear and factual information about how and why to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes, from infection and from unintended pregnancies. Their ability to safely control whether, and when, to become pregnant requires legal access to reproductive health services, including contraceptives and pregnancy terminations, and counselling as well as comprehensive sexuality education.
The high rates of unintended pregnancies in Latin America (over 50 per cent) reflect restricted access to contraception and high rates of sexual violence alongside constraints in access to safe and legal reproductive health and rights. There is a vital role for men to play in preventing pregnancies, supporting women’s choices and involving themselves in the care of their children.
So far, 583 cases of microcephaly have been confirmed in Brazil, with over 4,000 cases still under investigation. Families are doing their best to cope with the increased burden of care of children born with microcephaly and urgently need access to appropriate social protection and medical services for ongoing care.
It appears that women in Latin America are resorting to unsafe pregnancy terminations, raising fears for their well-being. Lifting the limitations on services at this critical time could make a substantial difference to the lives of women. Lawmakers and the judiciary have a crucial role in this and can enable flexibility in cases where women's psychological, physical and social health are at risk.
Just a few months ago, the governments of the world agreed on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with gender equality and women’s empowerment at its centre. Top-level leadership committed to “leave no one behind”.
This is the opportunity for governments and the United Nations to involve women’s machineries and women´s organizations in an effective, rights-based response, and to demonstrate the true meaning of the centrality of women to the new agenda.
