Washington, DC, March 7, 2002 (PAHO) - Although public health programs take into account the problems of the general population and thus those of women, studies have shown that women have distinctive health problems that, for historical, cultural, and legal reasons, are often not recognized by these programs. In its quest for equity, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) established the Women, Health and Development Program to address these overlooked areas.

"Women continue to live as second class citizens throughout most of the Americas," said Hilary Anderson of the Women, Health and Development Program. "The unequal (or `gendered') allocation of power and status between men and women

Added Anderson: "The social, political and legal controversy that surrounds women's reproductive rights, their sexual roles and their access to contraception impacts women's health in a variety of detrimental ways. Women are also the victims of gender-based violence, which represents a violation of their human rights and a significant impediment to their health."

Gender-based discrimination begins to manifest itself in the early stages of life. Studies by PAHO and the United Nations have shown that in many countries girls have inferior nutritional health and less access to food (including nursing) than boys, which represents a threat to their health and development.

According to a publication of the Women, Health and Development Program, in several developing countries the infant mortality rate is higher for girls, which is indicative of a problem because, when both sexes have access to medical care, the biological norm is that mortality is much higher among boys.

One of the main challenges faced by the program, explains Anderson, is the social construction of masculinity. "The legitimization of violence and control which is implicit in the construction of masculinity (or `machismo') has severely detrimental effects on women's health. The Americas continues to be one of the regions where gender-based violence is most prevalent. This will be an important determinant of women's health for years to come unless the role of men in gender-based violence is addressed, and men themselves are involved in recognizing and eliminating gender-based violence."

PAHO is working with a number of agencies to speed up the response of the health sector to eradicating violence against women as part of the campaign, "A life free of violence: It's our right," which aims to recognize violence against women as a human rights and public health issue. The work, which is being carried out through group activities and symposiums, looks at health, rights, and violence against women in the Americas, and centers on innovative programs and policies and the development of action plans and recommendations to bring about an end to this scourge.

The PAHO program has had successes in recent years. Since 1995, with the collaboration of national offices and the support of the Governments of Sweden, Norway and The Netherlands, the program has developed an integrated model to address gender-based violence in the community, sector, and policy-developing spheres.

PAHO has put the model into practice in 10 countries: seven in Central America and in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, and the Inter-American Development Bank has applied it in another six. "In these countries, the model has resulted in over 100 intersectoral community networks that support, refer, and care for women and families living in violent situations and mount education and media campaigns for prevention," said Anderson.

The invisibility of gender inequities and the extent to which these are a key element in public health was almost total until very recently, when national and international institutions, including PAHO, brought them to light. However, the need continues for new initiatives and efforts so that this awareness-raising has a practical echo in decision-making and policy development in the countries, says Anderson.

Among other activities being undertaken by the PAHO Program is the creation of GENSALUD (http://listserv.paho.org/archives/gensalud.html), an electronic discussion group that is used to disseminate relevant information to individuals or organizations that work with women's health-related topics. It distributes information on new projects and their results, lists resources, catalogs, and archives, internet resources and data bases on subjects such as health and sexual and reproductive rights, violence against women and girls, quality of care, health sector reform, and gender equity.

PAHO, which serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), was officially established in 1902 and is the oldest health organization in the world. It works with the countries of the Americas to improve health and raise standards of living.

Related Information:
PAHO BOOK: Gender, Women, and Health in the Americas