The head of public health at the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that some of the serious health threats to women in developing countries are caused by traditions that are anti-woman. She called the traditions terrible and said that they must be stopped.
These traditional practices include child marriage and female genital mutilation, traditions that are widely practiced in some parts of the world, said Maria Neira in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Neira is a medical doctor and is director of the Public Health and the Environment Department at WHO. Both practices lead to high maternal mortality rates, as well as to other health problems. They also impede the ability of women to get an education.
Education gives women a voice and empowers them to speak up for their rights, said Neira. "As soon as [women] get a minimum of education, their voice is stronger," she said.
"A tradition that forces a girl to get married at 13 is a bad tradition," Neira said. Taking on these traditions, and also backing national legislation that would change them, is essential to protecting the health of women and girls, she said.
It is the role of global organizations like WHO to help women fight for their rights, Neira said. "We need to focus on women because they don't have yet the power to fight for themselves. We need to empower them."
Marrying too early means that a girl may get pregnant and give birth before her body has matured enough for her to do so safely. In developing nations, a girl may be force to deliver her baby in clinics that do not have clean water. Female genital mutilation can also cause problems with childbirth and is often done in unsanitary settings. It is also often done without the girl's consent.
According to UNICEF, nearly 16 million teen girls give birth each year. At least 70,000 girls die each year worldwide due to complications of pregnancy or childbirth.
