The International Day of Action for Women’s Health, also referred to as International Women’s Health Day, is observed worldwide each year on May 28.
- This day focuses on raising awareness about women’s health issues and emphasizes the urgent need to secure women’s right to comprehensive health care and well-being.
Theme:
i.The theme of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2025 is “In Solidarity We Resist: Our Fight, Our Right!”
ii.The 2025 theme calls for collective action against anti-rights movements that are attempting to roll back Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights(SRHR) globally.
Background:
i.The International Day of Action for Women’s Health was established in 1987 during the International Women’s Health Meeting in Costa Rica, spearheaded by the Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN).
ii.The initiative aimed to address systemic inequities in women’s healthcare, particularly focusing on SRHR.
iii.The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) later joined as a global coordinator, expanding the campaign’s reach beyond Latin America.
What is SRHR?
SRHR encompasses rights and services related to sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health, and reproductive rights. It ensures that everyone, including children and adolescents, has access to these rights as part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
- SRHR promotes not only the absence of disease but also physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being.
Key Components :
- Access to Information: Individuals have the right to receive accurate sexuality-related information.
- Sexuality Education: Essential, age-appropriate education on sexual health.
- Choice of Partner: Freedom to choose one’s partner without coercion.
- Sexual Autonomy: Right to decide whether to engage in sexual activity.
- Contraception: Access to modern contraceptive methods.
- Maternity Care: Availability of quality maternity care services.
- Safe Abortion: Access to safe and effective abortion and post-abortion care.
Global Initiatives:
The World Health Organization (WHO), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), based in New York, United States of America(USA), jointly established the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Universal Health Coverage Learning by Sharing Portal (SRHR-UHC LSP).
- This initiative promotes knowledge-sharing to strengthen SRHR integration into universal health coverage.
About Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR):
Executive Director(ED) – Debanjana Choudhuri
Headquarters – Manila,Philippines
Established – 1984
