Using Human Rights to Change Tradition: Traditional Practices Harmful to Women's Reproductive Health in sub-Saharan Africa (13) (Human Rights Research Series) - Softcover

Packer, Corinne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9050952267 ISBN 13: 9789050952262

Publisher: Intersentia, 2002

Synopsis

Traditional practices (such as female circumcision, various birthing methods and early pregnancy) expected of, and maintained by, women in sub-Saharan African continue relatively unabated. So, too, does the harm these pose to women, including increased risks of maternal mortality, reproductive ill-health and transmission of HIV/AIDS. Human rights standards and discourses have been used as a means towards their end. This study seeks to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the human rights approach within the specific context of sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on women as a group and their reproductive health.

About this title

About the Author

Corinne Packer is Senior Researcher at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Population Health, working on global health equity matters, and Senior Manager of the Population Health Improvement Research Network funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. Her principal areas of research include reproductive health and rights, harmful traditional practices, women’s rights and, more recently, the international migration of health professionals. She has authored and co-edited books, and contributed to numerous scholarly compilations, journals, conferences and training programs. Corinne has previously worked as a consultant for, inter alia: The Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (evaluating the Technical Cooperation Branch of the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights); the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (notably on the matter of reproductive health in refugee situations); the Council of Europe (on women‘s reproductive health equality and on Romani women‘s reproductive health in general); and for The Netherlands’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs (with regard to the successful Dutch campaign for membership on the UN Security Council) and of Social Affairs and Employment (regarding Dutch policy on the human rights of women). In 2003-2004, she was a Research Fellow at the Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Since 2004, she has assisted on projects at HRI and was its Executive Director from 2007 to 2009, after which she joined HRI’s Board of Directors.

Edition details

• Publisher: Intersentia
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9050952267
• ISBN 13: 9789050952262
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262