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The challenge of gender equity Editorial, Mabel Bianco Despite many efforts over the last decades to achieve gender equity, no significant advances have been made. In 1990, for instance, WHO denounced women's vulnerability to sexual and reproductive health problems due to biological, cultural, social and economic factors associated with gender inequity and women's subordination. In 1994 in Cairo, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), sexual and reproductive health matters were considered in the framework of human rights for the first time. Today, governments and societies are obliged to recognise and respect those rights.
Looking into the future: wil there be more gender equity for our children? Respect for sexual rights is the basis for eliminating violence against women, including genital mutilation, sexual harassment, abuse and rape, domestic battering, prostitution and trafficking in women. Acknowledging reproductive rights includes respecting a person's decision whether to engage in sexual activity, under what conditions and whether to bear children.Although the Cairo conference got attention worldwide because of its discussion on abortion, other matters such as development and poverty, equally important to gender inequity, were discussed as well. Women's empowerment and autonomy and the improvement of their political, social, economic and health status are important goals on their own and essential for sustainable development. The conference proposed measures to improve women's access to education, a better economic status and social power. Empowerment is key to women and girls exercising their human rights and achieving gender equality. Women's empowerment through full decision-making in sexual relations was promoted explicitly. This was defined to include decision-making on whether to be sexually active, being able to resist coerced sex and being able to practise safer sex. Unequal power relations impede women's attainment of healthy and fulfilling lives at many levels of society, from the most personal to the highest public ones. The ICPD Programme of Action gave particular consideration to girls: girls often face pressure to engage in sexual activity and they are more vulnerable than boys to the consequences of unprotected sex and premature sexual relations. In Cairo, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was reinforced, recognising girls' and adolescents' rights to sexual education and health services, as well as privacy and confidentiality in those programmes. All the agreements adopted in Cairo in 1994 were ratified and strengthened in Beijing in 1995, at the 4th World Conference on Women.
It was firmly avoided to condition girls' and adolescents' rights to their parents' rights. Nowadays, the family is not always a safe environment for children. Sexual abuse and violation of children occur principally in their own homes, by relatives or family friends. Sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, have a devastating effect on girls' and adolescents' health. Although abortion again caused a lot of discussion, the text approved in 1994 was respected and ratified in 1999. The following addition to the text was made: "..In circumstances where abortion is not against the law, health systems should train and equip health-service providers and should take other measures to ensure that such abortion is safe and accessible" (par.63). This reinforces the notion that abortion services should be provided within a broader reproductive health service context that offers good technical care, emotional support, and contraceptive information and options. HIV/AIDS must also be included in comprehensive reproductive health services. Women living with HIV/AIDS face special sexual and reproductive health risks, but do not always have access to care for STIs, cervical cancer and unwanted pregnancies. Adequate prenatal and delivery services are also necessary, not only to avoid HIV transmission from mother to child (MTCT), but also to improve the quality of life of both the HIV-positive mother and her child. In many countries, MTCT prevention programmes are exclusively oriented at caring for HIV-positive women during pregnancy to prevent the child's infection. After delivery, less care or no care at all is provided for the mother. Soon, these communities will have many healthy orphans. Recognising the importance of MTCT issues, the ICPD+5 process prepared special recommendations on this. Remaining challenges Reviews of progress made following the ICPD and Beijing conferences show that few advances have been made at country level, and that important challenges remain. As citizens, we need to push governments to adopt these recommendations, to achieve gender equity and to develop concrete programmes and actions in our countries. This requires strong political will: nothing will change in girls' and women's lives if the recommendations remain on paper only. Financial commitments to implement the ICPD Plan of Action adopted in Cairo in 1994 have not been fulfilled. Industrialised countries have a double responsibility, for their own countries and around the world. As citizens of developing countries we have a double mission: to make accountable both our own governments and those of industrialised countries, as well as donors and UN agencies. Future generations depend on today's decisions!Mabel Bianco, Regional Secretary LACCASO, Parana 135 Piso 3ro. Dpto. "13" (1017) Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tel: +54-11-4372.2763; Fax: +54-11-4375.5977; e-mail: laccaso@ciudad.com.ar
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