Pregnant Women in Remote Afghanistan Face Higher Death Risk
New Age Islam News
Bureau
09 February 2024
·
Pregnant
Women In Remote Afghanistan Face Higher Death Risk
·
Indian
Women Officers Participate In Saudi Defence Show Being Held in Riyadh
·
Women
Journalists Face Growing Challenges In Media Work In Afghanistan
·
Working
Group Demands Women's Rights Be Priority at Doha Meeting
·
Forced Out
Of Hospitals, Pregnant Women In Gaza Risk Their Lives To Give Birth
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pregnant-afghanistan-death/d/131687
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Pregnant Women
In Remote Afghanistan Face Higher Death Risk
Photo: Khaama
Press
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Fidel
Rahmati
February
8, 2024
The
United Nations Population Fund said in its report on Thursday that in faraway
places in Afghanistan, many women often die while giving birth.
According
to the agency, many women in remote villages do not have access to healthcare
services.
The
United Nations Population Fund also announced that it is building health
facilities in remote areas to assist women in ensuring safe pregnancy and
childbirth.
According
to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization, for every 100,000
births in Afghanistan, 638 women lose their lives.
Furthermore,
according to statistics provided by non-governmental organizations in the field
of reproductive health in Afghanistan, about 40% of Afghan women give birth at
home, but in remote areas, this figure rises to 80%.
On the
other hand, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is addressing
Afghanistan’s staggering maternal mortality rates by training nearly ten
thousand midwives and health workers in maternal and infant health. This
initiative comes as Afghanistan holds the highest maternal mortality rates in
Asia.
In a
recent statement on its social media platform X, UNICEF highlighted the
prevalence of iron and folic acid deficiencies among mothers in Afghanistan.
Despite challenges, UNICEF provided health and nutrition services to over 7.3
million people in 2023, underscoring its commitment to maternal and infant
health in the country.
Semeen
Alami, a midwife at a health centre, sheds light on the shortage of female
staff in Afghanistan’s health sector, attributing it to the increasing number
of visitors. Alami emphasizes the lack of proper nutrition among women visiting
health centres, which contributes to health complications, including iron
deficiency.
Amid
concerns over rising maternal mortality rates, Nahid Seddeqi, a midwife in
Kabul, stresses the critical role of education for midwives and nurses. Seddeqi
underscores factors contributing to maternal mortality, including improper
nutrition and lack of pregnancy spacing, advocating for increased attention to
maternal nutrition for healthier outcomes.
Source:
khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/pregnant-women-in-remote-afghanistan-face-higher-death-risk/
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Indian
Women Officers Participate In Saudi Defence Show Being Held in Riyadh
The trio was
scheduled to deliver a talk about their remarkable journey.
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Feb 8, 2024
NEW
DELHI: The World Defence Show (WDS) 2024, currently being held in Riyadh,
witnessed tri-service women's representation, a testament to the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi-led government's vision of leveraging Nari Shakti across domains,
said an official statement from the Ministry of Defence on Thursday.
Squadron
Leader Bhawana Kanth, Colonel Ponung Doming and Lieutenant Commander Annu
Prakash represented the Armed Forces in the various seminars of the WDS 2024,
especially in the International Women in Defence-themed events.
On
February 7, Squadron Leader Kanth, a fighter pilot from the Indian Air Force,
took centre stage as a panellist at the seminar titled 'International Women in
Defence: Investing in an Inclusive Future', hosted by Saudi Ambassador to the
United States Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud.
"The
Squadron Leader shared her inspiring journey of breaking barriers and soaring
through the skies, thus becoming a part of the revered fighter pilot club in
India. Her insights on leadership, resilience and the evolving role of women in
modern warfare resonated with the diverse audience, who were impressed to know
about her journey. She is the first female fighter pilot to take part in the
Republic Day Parade (2021). She also participated in the Republic Day 2024
Flypast," the defence statement added.
Colonel
Ponung Doming from the Indian Army is the first woman officer to command the
world's highest border task force located above 15,000 feet in the northern
sector, with multiple firsts to her credit in over 20 years of service. She has
been at the forefront of many challenging assignments as an engineering
officer, it added.
Lieutenant
Commander Annu Prakash of the Indian Navy brought her expertise in maritime
security and operations to the forefront. Her participation underscored the crucial
role women play in safeguarding India's vast coastline and ensuring regional
stability. Her presence at the event helped foster stronger ties and
collaboration between India and other nations in the maritime domain, the
release said.
The
defence department further added, "The participation of these three
exceptional women officers at the WDS 2024 served as a testament to the growing
role of Indian women in the defence landscape. The trio will deliver an
inspirational talk about their remarkable journey at International Indian
School, Riyadh, on February 8, to about 600 schoolchildren from various
schools. The event will serve as a platform for showcasing the diverse talents
and leadership skills of Indian women in uniform, inspiring future generations
to follow their dreams and cover new ground."
The WDS
2024, which commenced on February 4, 20 will culminate on February 8. The Union
Minister of State for Defence visited Riyadh as head of the Indian delegation
for the show.
Source:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indian-women-officers-participate-in-saudi-defense-show/articleshowprint/107534304.cms
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Women
journalists face growing challenges in Media work in Afghanistan
Fidel
Rahmati
February
8, 2024
In the past
two years, journalists – especially women journalists – have faced numerous
challenges in various media outlets. Reduction and delayed payment of wages and
benefits, internal and external censorship, imposition of work restrictions,
and lack of personal and job security have been among the most significant
challenges faced by journalists and media workers, particularly women.
This
report attempts to speak with women journalists. The interviewees are women
journalists or media workers who narrate the challenges faced by them due to
imposed restrictions.
Sharifa,
a journalist at one of the visual media outlets, speaks about the challenges of
women journalists in the media: “The problems of women journalists in the media
are more significant. When we go to the media to fulfil our duties, priority is
given to men, and there are many restrictions imposed by media authorities in
all areas. Our wages are not paid on time, and we cannot choose our report
subjects freely.”
Following
political developments in the country, a considerable number of women
journalists have been removed from the media, as described by some as a mass
dismissal. Others, despite gender discrimination, continue their activities in
the media.
Zainab, a
journalist at a radio station in Kabul, says: “News directors do not treat
women journalists well; our workplaces are separate, and our movements are
restricted.”
According
to Zainab, some media outlets hire journalists as interns without payment and
then neglect to employ them as official employees after completing their
internship due to economic challenges.
Benazir
Baktash, the deputy and program manager of a television channel, says that the
closure and cessation of activities by many media outlets and their economic
challenges have led to neglect of the gender issue in the media.
He says:
“Unfortunately, in more than two years, conditions have not only not improved
but have become more serious day by day, and the gap between the clouds of
crisis has widened.”
Mr.
Baktash adds about the difference in the salary of women journalists compared
to other media workers: “Another challenge in the media is the injustice and
lack of balance in the wages and benefits of female and male employees so that
a man’s salary is equivalent to the salary of five ladies.”
On the
other hand, a female journalist who refrains from being named in this report
says: “I am an intern; they don’t pay even my meagre salary on time. Sometimes
they pay two months later, sometimes three months later.”
Internal
and external censorship, lack of access to information, and harassment outside
are other challenges for women journalists.
Tamana,
one of the new journalists, says: “Women are facing problems in all situations
because when I had just finished university, wherever I went in the media, I
faced insult and humiliation. They said to me, ‘You have no experience, and we
can’t give duties to those who have no experience.’ Well, if our media outlets
don’t hire us, how can we gain experience?”
According
to statistics provided by the Office Nai or Supporter of Afghan Free Media, in
the past two years, over 90% of women journalists and media workers have lost
their jobs.
Zarif
Karimi, the official of Nai or Supporter of Afghan Free Media, says: “We had
nearly 4,000 women journalists and media workers in Afghanistan, among whom
currently less than 1,000 women journalists and media workers are actively
working in Afghanistan.”
Nevertheless,
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban, claims that the
government supports journalists and media in the country.
He said:
“Media are free in their activities, and we strive to keep the media active and
address their problems. In the economic sector, we encourage traders and
industrialists to cooperate and give advertisements.”
This is
while the Universal Media Law, the Access to Information Law, and relevant
regulations in the media sector by the Taliban have not been finalized and
enforced, leading to increasing challenges for media outlets and journalists.
Source:
khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/women-journalists-face-growing-challenges-in-media-work-in-afghanistan/
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Working
Group Demands Women's Rights Be Priority at Doha Meeting
February
08, 2024
The
Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, in a letter to Antonio Guterres,
the UN Secretary-General, urged that women’s rights must be a priority, and
Afghan women must be at the table, at the Doha meeting.
According
to the letter, the upcoming meeting in Doha offers an important opportunity for
the UN, the Security Council and the international community to “reaffirm that
the rights of Afghan women are not negotiable.”
“We write
to you ahead of the UN-convened meeting of Special Envoys and Special
Representatives on Afghanistan on 18-19 February in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the
path forward on the independent assessment on Afghanistan mandated by
Resolution 2679 (2023),” the letter reads.
“The
recommendations that we have sent to the Secretary-General include ensuring
that that there is full participation by Afghan women in all discussions
including the upcoming envoys meeting that will happen on the 18 and 19th of
February. We have also said that at that meeting the envoys should call for the
Taliban to end their abuses against women and girls including ending the
detention and abusing women and girls, ending ban on education, ban on
employment and restrictions of freedom of movement and all of the rights
violations that are happening,” Heather Barr, director of the Women's Rights
Division at Human Rights Watch, said.
However,
the Islamic Emirate said that the wishes of international organizations and
countries should be based on Islamic laws.
"We
want the Islamic Emirate to be informed when issues related to Afghanistan are
discussed. Secondly, the government is obliged to grant women in Afghanistan
the rights that are provided by Sharia law. Some women who went to the West
they want a culture that is Western, which is not acceptable for our nation,”
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate spokesperson, told TOLOnews.
The
deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, on Wednesday
at a gathering (Strengthening National unity and Islamic Government) in Kabul
said that the international community wants to explore the means for
interaction with the Islamic Emirate, at the Doha meeting.
This
comes as recently the US State Department has said that the countries of the
world should interact with the Islamic Emirate based on their actions in the
field of ensuring the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Source:
tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187336
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Forced
out of hospitals, pregnant women in Gaza risk their lives to give birth
Nagham
Mohanna
Feb 08,
2024
It was
past midnight when Ibtisam Al Kafarna's labour pains began and she was rushed
to the hospital in Gaza's Deir Al Balah area on a donkey cart.
There
were no beds available at Shohadaa Al Aqsaa so she sat for 30 minutes on a
chair after she delivered her baby boy by cesarean section.
Because
the hospital was full, she was asked to leave shortly after.
"There
were two women to a bed," she told The National. "Women after
delivery need to rest and eat well, but those are now considered
luxuries."
Ms Al
Kafarna had fled to Deir Al Balah from Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza and
wasn't expecting to deliver her baby soon.
The
doctors didn't examine her baby or provide any pain relief medication for her
surgery.
She is
now struggling to provide formula milk and diapers for her baby, and her
mother-in-law is asking around to borrow clothes for the baby and mother.
A similar
fate had befallen Rana Hamadona.
She was
forced by Israel's army to flee from the Al Sinna area in Khan Younis to Deir
Al Balah, holding her week-old baby.
Ms
Hamadona had delivered her baby girl in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, but was
asked to leave immediately afterwards.
She asked
the hospital for "anti-D" medicine, which she needs because her blood
type is different to her husband's, but it wasn't available.
"My
baby girl wasn't examined by the doctors, and now she is suffering from a
cough," she told The National from her tent in Deir Al Balah camp in
central Gaza.
She tries
to escape by sleeping, hoping it will distance her from thinking about the fate
of her sick daughter.
"Our
situation has become worse," she says.
Wissam Zaqout,
the head of the Neonatal Department at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, said that
after a large number of citizens fled from the north to the central region, the
number of patients coming to the hospital had multiplied.
This has
resulted in a shortage of equipment for newborn care, essential medical
supplies for supporting respiratory issues in premature infants, as well as
medications for congenital heart diseases in children, Mr Zaqout told The
National.
Mr Zaqout
highlighted a new problem – the birth of babies in displacement tents in harsh,
cold weather, along with extremely poor living conditions.
He
mentioned a lack of milk and diapers for newborns in the nursery section and
markets, with any available item now being sold at extremely high prices.
A packet
of diapers that used to cost about 25 Israeli shekels in the Gaza Strip is now
as much as 200 shekels.
"The
use of alternatives to diapers leads to skin problems for premature
babies," he added. "A baby should be born in suitable conditions, but
unfortunately, in the tents, no suitable conditions are available."
A newborn
loses heat quickly in such conditions, leading to various problems including
sugar burns, and eventually hypothermia.
"Sadly,
we have received many cases like these, and unfortunately, half of them lose
their lives," he continued.
Fedaa Al
Nahal fled from the north to Deir Al Balah and is now staying in a UN-run
school there.
She is
nine months pregnant and worries about delivering her baby in such adverse
conditions.
"I
heard about the difficulties that women face while delivering their baby, and I
really don't want to go through this experience in this way," Ms Al Nahal
told The National.
She is
also suffering from malnutrition, which could affect her and her baby.
"I
hope the war ends soon and I can deliver the baby in a better world," she
said.
Source:
thenationalnews.com
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2024/02/08/forced-out-of-hospitals-pregnant-women-in-gaza-risk-their-lives-to-give-birth/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pregnant-afghanistan-death/d/131687