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Women and Health
Health encompasses the physical, mental and
social well being of an individual.
Why is women's health declining in Botswana?
- Poverty and economic
dependence increase the poor health of women and children
- Violence against women
- Negative attitudes towards
girls and women
- Adequate Nutrition
- Inadequate access to safe
water and lack of sanitation facilities
- Lack of reproductive rights
for women
- HIV/AIDS infection and
sexually transmitted diseases
- Sexual abuse and prostitution
as well as premature sexual relations
- Unsafe abortions
- Early marriage and early
childbearing
- Lack of education for boys to
respect women's self-determination
- Limited research on women's
health and gender biased research
- Poor quality and inappropriate
information and services
Recommendations
- Pay full attention to
promoting equitable gender relations
- Meet educational services and
needs of adolescents
- Improve access to adequate
health care services
- Provide safe and effective
family planning methods
- Provide women with the right
information on safe pregnancy and effective family planning methods and safe
abortions.
- Encourage shared
responsibility between women and men in matters related to sexual
reproductive health behavior
Progress for Women in Botswana
Women's Health
Women's health in Botswana has improved over the
past decades alongside gains in the overall health status of the population.
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Life expectancy at
birth for women improved from 58.6% in 1971 to 67.1% in 1999. |
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95% of all
pregnant women in Botswana attend antenatal clinics at least once during
their pregnancy. |
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Contraceptive
prevalance rate among all women has increased from 32% (1988) to 41.7%
(1996). |
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Health services in
Botswana have expanded greatly in terms of infrastructure through the
different phases of the National Development Plans. |
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Unfortunately HIV
has increased significantly for pregnant women, from 14.9% in 1992 to 40%
in 1997. Botswana has accepted the challenge of HIV/AIDS and has responded
by strengthing the home base care programme, introduced prevention mother
to child transmission. NGOs and CBOs are taking major responsibilities for
advocacy, social mobilisation and community home based care
programmes. |
Who is addressing this area?
Nurses
Association of Botswana
Society of Women
Against AIDS in Botswana
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