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In the WHO South-East Asia Region and beyond, more than half the population—women—face what is often egregious discrimination. Discrimination in education and the opportunity to learn to read and write. Discrimination in access to nutrition and the chance to grow healthy and strong. And discrimination in the workplace, where women can be subjected to unwanted advances or have their work undervalued or unpaid.

Gender-based discrimination in these and countless other forms is a persistent problem across the South-East Asia Region and throughout women’s lives. But as much as gender-based prejudice and inequality violates human rights, stymies social and economic development, and crushes the hopes and dreams of millions of young girls and women, it also has a grave impact on public health and wellbeing. 

Examples abound.

The Region-wide practice of early marriage and pregnancy, for instance, is a direct threat to the health of young women and their children, especially in rural areas. Around six million girls aged 15-19 years give birth in our Region every year, while in four of the Region’s countries the adolescent birth rate is more than 50 per 1000 women aged 15-19 years. This provides immense dangers to the health of young women—dangers that can be avoided via rapid social empowerment (including access to contraception) and the implementation of laws against early marriage.  

Gender-based inequities likewise impede women’s access to essential health services, causing a range of adverse outcomes. Start with childbirth: Many deliveries still occur in the home, often in the presence of a birth attendant who is unskilled. This occurs partly as a result of women’s inadequate access to health-related knowledge and a lack of decision-making power, and partly due to ongoing service gaps. Though during the Millennium Development Goal era the Region made world-beating progress in reducing maternal and child mortality, further gains are needed to bring the maternal mortality rate to below 70 per 100 000 births, as per the Sustainable Development Goal target.

Still, there is room for optimism: The Region-wide struggle to end gender-based discrimination and advance women’s empowerment—particularly for rural women and girls—has never been stronger. WHO South-East Asia is proud to champion this cause, reflecting as it does our core values and commitment to human rights, as well as our evidence-based conviction that empowered women create healthier, happier communities that produce transformative change, both locally and globally.

Until full equality is achieved, however, WHO will continue to work with our Member countries to promote and support the health of women and girls. That means continuing to train skilled birth attendants able to provide life-saving services when childbirth becomes complicated. It means continuing to advocate for increased access to contraceptives and the provision of adolescent sexual and reproductive health services. And it means continuing to actively campaign against gender-based violence and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation that can cause life-threatening injuries to young girls and adolescents. 

This International Women’s Day, let us acknowledge that gender-based discrimination exists and is a daily occurrence in each of the South-East Asia Region’s countries. Let us understand that it needn’t be this way, and that gender equality can be rapidly achieved with sincere, society-wide resolve. And let us take full stock of the fact that women’s empowerment is more than a tool to advance social or economic ends—that it is a public health imperative, and one that demands our most strident pursuit.   

By World Health Organization

Darchula: India has construct­ed four wooden bridges over the Mahakali River without the consent of Nepal. The Mahakali River forms the westernmost international border between Nepal and India. India had sent a letter to the District Adminis­tration Office, Darchula a cou­ple months ago seeking Nepal’s agreement for that connection. It started building the four bridges before Nepal gave its consent. The Indian side has constructed the wooden bridg­es at Najangkhola, Lakhanpur, Dopakhe and Kauthala, which are all close to the tri-junction border area of Nepal, India and China. RSS

TOYANATH BHATTARAI | ILAM

The number of heart, kidney and cancer patients in Ilam district of eastern Nepal has shot up due to the regular consumption of food grown by using excessive pesticides. According to the District Public Health Office, excessive use of car­cinogenic pesticides has turned Ilam into a district with a disproportion­ately high number of cancer patients relative to its population.

In the fiscal 2015-16, 73 cancer patients had sought government help for treatment. In the last fiscal year, 152 cancer patients were rec­ommended for government help. Similarly, in the same year, 89 heart patients, 29 kidney patients and two patients with spinal injury had been the beneficiaries of govern­ment assistance.

This year, with still a few more months to go before the fiscal ends, 134 cancer patients have already been recommended, according to Jeevan Kumar Malla, head of the District Public Health Office, Ilam. He adds that these figures only include those who request the Rs 100,000 government aid for cancer treatment, and that the number of people who don’t seek government help is also high.

Malla has no doubts that the pes­ticides are to be blamed. The prev­alence of cancer, as well as of other diseases, is particularly high in four local units: Suryodaya municipality, Ilam municipality, Mai municipality and Chulachuli rural municipality. These are areas that engage in exten­sive commercial vegetable farming.

Suryodaya is a pocket area for vegetable cultivation where most pesticides consumed in the district goes, while pesticide use is also high in Mai and Chulachuli.

Kathmandu: The Second South Asian Yoga Sports Competition is being organized in Pokhara. The various Yoga Sports Associations from around Asia, including one in Nepal, are jointly organizing the competition in May 2018.

Yoga Sports Association Nepal’s treasurer and coordinator of the publicity committee, Maniraj Kun­war ‘Yogi Shantidoot’ informed that the competition was being orga­nized to create public awareness of yoga as a sport.

The competition will see repre­sentation from Nepal, India, Bangla­desh and Pakistan.

At the meet, various yoga rules would be explained and put into practice. The organizing committee has further said that as the yoga is recognized by the World Health Organization and the UN, its pro­motion as a healthy life choice is important in Nepal as well.

It is believed that the principles of yoga were propounded by Lord Shiva and gradually transferred to the hermits and sages and, finally, to the common folks. RSS