WUNRN
LINKING POVERTY, FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
& SECURITY, & SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & RIGHTS - WOMEN
Direct Link to Full 36-Page 2014
Publication:
Sexual and reproductive health and
rights (SRHR) for all remains unattainable when people are deprived of their
most basic rights, such as the right to food and nutrition for all. Sustainable
development would only be possible if people's rights to food and nutrition,
development, women's rights, and SRHR are addressed holistically.Hunger,
poverty, and SRHR remain key development challenges in Asia-Pacific, as the
ARROW publication notes. Despite progress, Asia still has the world's biggest
share of the world's hungry people, comprising 526 million out of 805 million
chronically undernourished globally. 1 The region still has the
majority of the global poor, who are more affected by rising food prices, since
they spend up to 60% to 70% of their income on food. 2 Moreover,
women and girls are disproportionately affected by poverty and hunger – they
comprise majority of the poor and 60% of the world's hungry and undernourished.
3
In Asia, adult men and boys eat first
and girls and women eat last, leaving them very little food in poor households.
Poverty and hunger, compounded by gender discrimination, results in
micronutrient deficiency, directly affecting mental/cognitive growth and
functioning; under-nutrition also results in anaemia, wasting and stunting.
This has long-term effects on overall well-being and health of women and girls.
It is estimated that half of all pregnant women worldwide suffer from
nutritional deficiency anaemia, which is made worse by repeated pregnancies,
which can result from lack of information on and access to sexuality education,
contraception and safe abortion services, as well as women's lack of
decision-making power over their bodies. Anaemia can increase risks of
complications during pregnancy and childbirth, including increased blood loss;
post-partum haemorrhage is the most common cause of maternal death in
developing countries. At the same time, poverty and food and nutrition
insecurity limits girls from fully realising their potential and impacts
educational, health, social attainments. Responding to one issue in isolation
would not be feasible because of the many ways that issues are interwoven. The
issues of poverty, hunger, malnutrition, gender inequality, human rights, and
SRHR are closely linked, and these interlinkages should be recognised in
developing global, regional and national frameworks, policies, and programmes
that affect people's lives.
___________________________________________________________________________