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Voices for change - speak out for MDG 5

by Michael Tirrell | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Thursday, 3 March 2011 22:05 GMT

* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

 

Michael Tirrell is communications manager, Marie Stopes International, which is leading the Make Women Matter campaign. The opinions expressed are the author's own. Thomson Reuters is hosting a live blog to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8, 2011.

This year, more than 350,000 women and girls will die unnecessarily as a result of pregnancy and childbirth; many more will suffer illness, injury and disability.

The target of Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG 5), is to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive healthcare, but it’s still the MDG - one of eight measurable goals set by the United Nations in 2000 to be met by 2015 in an effort to improve the standard of living of the world's poor - furthest from being met.

To give people a starting point for action, the Make Women Matter campaign launched last year. Led by Marie Stopes International, the campaign centres around five inspiring films offering a unique insight into the life and death challenges faced by girls and women in the developing world.

On March 8, 2011, to mark International Women’s Day, the Make Women Matter campaign will launch five new films featuring the perspectives of people from across the NGO sector, speaking out and encouraging others to do the same. “Everybody has a part to play,” Brigid McConville from the White Ribbon Alliance explains.

“Young people are vital in making this change happen, their voices are really important. If you express your opinion, let your politicians know, let your newspaper, radio stations and friends know that this is a hidden scandal that girls and women around the world are dying almost needlessly.”

Unless we speak out and talk about the issues at hand, nothing will change. The often-overlooked second target of MDG 5 is the right of everyone to have access to sexual and reproductive health information, education, services and commodities. However, sexual and reproductive health and rights touch on sensitive subjects that are often considered private or stigmatised in many countries and cultures.

If girls and women don’t know that having ten children will dramatically increase their risk of dying in childbirth, they won’t understand the importance of family planning. If safe abortion services are funded by donor governments and openly available, women and girls will not risk their lives at the hands of illegal practitioners.

Talking is the first important step in creating a movement for change. With the advent of social media it has never been easier to share our opinions, gather support and directly influence the actions of those in power. This International Women’s Day is a perfect time to speak out for maternal mortality; around the dinner table, over a cup of tea, with your colleagues or classmates.

However you do it, express your opinion and start a movement for change. Using a film to reflect and spark a discussion with a friend can be the first step towards creating the movement for change that is needed to meet MDG 5.

We have a wealth of inspiring examples that show how small actions can lead to great victories. Barack Obama’s election campaign in many ways acts a blueprint for turning talk into action – we saw how a hundred passionate followers used the power of social media to unlock support in thousands of others.

Many more campaigns replicated this success; the Ghurkha Justice Campaign, the Save the Forests Campaign. These examples show that passionate people talking can bring a change through speaking out.

Tell us; what’s your stand out campaign? Can we achieve MDG 5 by speaking out?

Watch a Make Women Matter film.

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