The right to health, dignity and the plight of pregnant women in Rural Malawi
Posted: 11 November, 2024 Filed under: Golda Chilembwe Rapozo | Tags: access to healthcare, adequate health services, core human rights, degrading treatment, International Covenant on Economic, Malawian health department, maternal health, maternal mortality, medical services, poor infrastructure, pregnant women, right to dignity, right to health, running water, Rural Malawi, Social and Cultural Rights Leave a comment
Author: Golda Chilembwe Rapozo
LLM candidate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
The right to health and dignity during childbirth
Malawi still experiences one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 5.7 deaths for every 1000 live births. Poor infrastructure and service conditions mar the maternal experience for women living in rural Malawi. The right to give birth in a dignified manner for women in Malawi is constantly violated. Women are either forced to give birth at home or on their way to health centres due to long distances and poor road infrastructure. In most cases, health centres are located 25 kilometres away, and there are few affordable transportation systems save for bicycles. If they are lucky enough to get to the hospital, they will either have to share beds or sleep on the floor with their newborn babies. In certain instances, these women are even required to bring their own sanitary kits and are subjected to facilities without electricity or running water. In addition, some rural health centres lack trained personnel to provide the necessary care to pregnant women. Not only does this treatment violate their rights, but it also violates the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Climate change and internal displacement
Posted: 14 July, 2022 Filed under: Bernice Asante, Meron Eshetu Birhanu, Zanele Christine Fengu | Tags: climate change, climate policies, climate refugees, climate-related displacement, conflict, gender-based violence, global justice, human trafficking, IDPs, internal displacement, Kampala Convention, medical services, mental health, vulnerable communities Leave a comment
Authors: Zanele Christine Fengu, Meron Eshetu Birhanu and Bernice Asante
“Internal Displacement and climate change are both highly complex phenomena. In the public debate we often hear about ‘climate-related displacement’ or even ‘climate refugees’, and very often this is done with a note of alert”.
The Global Classroom on Human Rights recently held its annual meeting, which was hosted by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria with Internal Displacement as its theme. The programme featured enlightening presentations from members across the world who reflected on legal and non-legal approaches to the matter. A key message which came from the engagement was the need to adopt a climate justice approach to climate change and how our legal frameworks could embody this principle.
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