Australian Women's Health Network

Last updated

Australian Women's Health Alliance
Founded1986
Focus Women's health, women's rights, human rights, gender equity, feminism, intersectionality,reproductive rights, health equity, gender,
Location
Area served
Australia
Key people
Bonney Corbin (Chairperson)
Dr Romy Listo (Public Officer) Denele Crozier AM (Treasurer)
Megan Elias (Secretary)
Website www.australianwomenshealth.org

The Australian Women's Health Alliance formerly "Network" is the peak organisation [1] for women's health in Australia. The organisation was formed by women who attended the inaugural Community Health Association Conference in September 1986. [2] It was incorporated on 3 March 1994. [3] It is a non-profit network run primarily by volunteers. Australian Women's Health Alliance is an umbrella organization for State and Territory Women's Health services, and other national organizations which embrace its objectives and philosophy. The National Management Committee is made up of representatives from every state and territory in Australia. They especially aim to be universally trustworthy and to help women that are at a particularly higher risk when dealing with poor health. The organization prides itself on its accountability, transparency, integrity, and respect. [4] They are willing to hold themselves accountable for their decisions and actions, having an open arms policy to gain the trust of the people, being able to maintain that trust, and treating each individual as an equal, not prioritizing anyone's self-worth over another. It also acts as a haven and aims to be overcome society's boundaries through inclusiveness in hopes of equity and equality. Actively participates in feminist movements, stressing the necessity and paramount of women's health. The organization outreaches to media to further shed light on the issue of women's health.

Contents

Vision and purpose

The vision for Australia's Women Health Alliance came from the Women's Health Charter which has a goal of making sure every woman in Australia is safe. The charter hopes to ensure that women are free from violence and discrimination, and among all else, have equal opportunity and freedom from discrimination. This charter is the basis for the beliefs embedded within the Australian Women's Health Alliance and works collectively to create better opportunities for women in Australia, offering a hub of organizations and services. Their goals also work towards implicit events that may affect women's health such as social, cultural and environmental determinants of health. [5] The Australian Women's Health Network defines their role as being “The national voice for women’s health”. [6]

Activity

The Australian Women's Health Alliance is a pro-choice organization. [7] The 1st Australian Women's Health Conference occurred in October 1987 at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne and was funded by the Department of Health. [2] The 7th conference was held in Sydney from May 2013. Speakers at the conference included Kimberly Dark. [8]

In 2009, the Alliance received approximately $100,000 in funding from the Department of Health and Ageing. [9]

The Australian Women's Health Alliance has been funded in various ways since 1986, with a combination of government contracts and philanthropy. In 2022, Alliance had funding renewed as the Women's Health peak body through the Australian Government Department of Health, Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Program. [10]

Not only do they advocate for women's health, they branch out to other intersecting topics such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights and climate change. [11] They believe that the economy and natural disasters are connected, believing that women will be at most risk because of gender inequities.

States and Territories

The Australian Women's Health Network has many organizations across that country that includes: The Australian Capital Territory Women's Health Services, North Territory Women's Health Services, New South Wales Women's Health Services, South Australia Women's Health Services, Queensland Women's Health Services, Tasmania Women's Health Services, Victoria Women's Health Services, and Western Australia Women's Health Services. [12]

Why Women's Health

From childhood to old age, women and gender diverse people experience health, illness, and healthcare differently to men. [13] These differences begin from birth and progress into gendered childhoods, gendered work lives, sexism and violence, sexual and reproductive health, economic insecurity, and the disproportionate demands of women including care giving and motherhood. Women have higher levels of chronic disease, poorer mental health linked to sexism, violence and chronically poor incomes. Women experience gender discrimination in healthcare which can result in delayed access to care, misdiagnosis, and neglect. Women comprise half of Australia's population, but their burden of poor health is disproportionate. Transparency allows for better reliable sources to be found by women who seek health information rather than finding information that could be "inaccurate or misleading. [14] Utilizing the United Nations' Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Australian Women's Health Alliance advocate for investment in women's health and wellbeing as a method of anti-discrimination, violence prevention and move towards population wide health equity. [15]

Sexual and reproductive health

Although Australia has multiple laws and practices in place, the Australian Women's Health Alliance still argues that Women's health should be a priority and that the laws that are in place require further harmonisation. The organization wants the Australian government to pinpoint the exact causes for poor women's health and address the "social determinants of sexual and reproductive ill-health". [14] Another major issue that the Australian Women's Health Network wants to be tackled is for there to be strict regulations and monitoring of sterilization procedures that are being performed on girls and women living with disabilities. [14] They stress the importance of women's health yet there is an inadequate source of funding for existing programs and a lack of new programs being created to help women. In addition to new regulations being enacted, a radical change within the education system is needed. With the right take on sexuality education, it can "better prepare young people to make safe and responsible decisions about sexual activity" which prevents further spread of STIs and promote healthy lifestyles. [14] The organization proposes that there be increase access to a variety of contraceptive options that are available to all genders. Not only do they want these options widely available, but they also want it to be more affordable. [14]

Related Research Articles

Women's health differs from that of men's health in many unique ways. Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organisation as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Often treated as simply women's reproductive health, many groups argue for a broader definition pertaining to the overall health of women, better expressed as "The health of women". These differences are further exacerbated in developing countries where women, whose health includes both their risks and experiences, are further disadvantaged.

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual and reproductive health</span> State of the reproductive system without evidence of disease, disorders, or deficiencies

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, health care, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual well-being during all stages of their life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Commission on the Status of Women</span> Advisory board

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. In April 2017, ECOSOC elected 13 new members to CSW for a four-year term 2018–2022. One of the new members is Saudi Arabia, which has been criticised for its treatment of women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reproductive justice</span> Social justice movement

Reproductive justice is a critical feminist framework that was invented as a response to United States reproductive politics. The three core values of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child or children in safe and healthy environments. The framework moves women's reproductive rights past a legal and political debate to incorporate the economic, social, and health factors that impact women's reproductive choices and decision-making ability.

Various topics in medicine relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), besides HIV/AIDS, issues related to LGBT health include breast and cervical cancer, hepatitis, mental health, substance use disorders, alcohol use, tobacco use, depression, access to care for transgender persons, issues surrounding marriage and family recognition, conversion therapy, refusal clause legislation, and laws that are intended to "immunize health care professionals from liability for discriminating against persons of whom they disapprove."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Issues Network of Belize</span> Network of womens empowerment groups in Belize

The Women's Issues Network of Belize is the only network of organizations in Belize whose focus is on the empowerment of women. The network currently has 11 member agencies countrywide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee women</span>

Refugee women face gender-specific challenges in navigating daily life at every stage of their migration experience. Common challenges for all refugee women, regardless of other demographic data, are access to healthcare and physical abuse and instances of discrimination, sexual violence, and human trafficking are the most common ones. But even if women don't become victims of such actions, they often face abuse and disregard for their specific needs and experiences, which leads to complex consequences including demoralization, stigmatization, and mental and physical health decay. The lack of access to appropriate resources from international humanitarian aid organizations is compounded by the prevailing gender assumptions around the world, though recent shifts in gender mainstreaming are aiming to combat these commonalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India HIV/AIDS Alliance</span> Indian non-governmental organisation

Founded in 1999, Alliance India is a non-governmental organisation operating in partnership with civil society, government and communities to support sustained responses to HIV in India that protect rights and improve health. Complementing the Indian national programme, we build capacity, provide technical support and advocate to strengthen the delivery of effective, innovative, community-based HIV programmes to vulnerable populations: sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people, hijras, people who inject drugs (PWID), and people living with HIV.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Identified by the 2012 World Development Report as one of two key human capital endowments, health can influence an individual's ability to reach his or her full potential in society. Yet while gender equality has made the most progress in areas such as education and labor force participation, health inequality between men and women continues to harm many societies to this day.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently intertwined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersex Human Rights Australia</span> Intersex organization in Australia

Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA) is a voluntary organisation for intersex people that promotes the human rights and bodily autonomy of intersex people in Australia, and provides education and information services. Established in 2009 and incorporated as a charitable company in 2010, it was formerly known as Organisation Intersex International Australia, or OII Australia. It is recognised as a Public Benevolent Institution.

Women's reproductive health in Russia refers to the set of physical, mental, and social health issues and services available to women in Russia. It includes the rights, laws, and problems experienced by women and their families regarding proper reproductive health. Women account for over half of the Russian population and are considered a vulnerable population due to political and social problems from inequalities in gender, age, socioeconomic status, and geographical location that affect access to comprehensive health care. As Russia struggles with a decreasing birthrate and increase in STIs, HIV, and poor reproductive health care, the need for government financed services and international programs is essential to successfully reach this vulnerable population. Currently, women in Russia access care through government funded free services, private insurance, and NGO programs.

The International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1984 based in New York City. It focuses on issues relating to women and girls' human rights, health and equality and represents part of the women's movement that recognizes that many challenges to gender equality lie in challenges in health issues and in raising families. The IWHC is one of the oldest currently active global feminist groups.

Foreign aid for gender equality in Jordan includes programs funded by governments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that aim to empower women, close gender based gaps in opportunity and experience, and promote equal access to education, economic empowerment, and political representation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Zambia</span> Overview of the status of women in Zambia

The status of women in Zambia has improved in recent years. Among other things, the maternal mortality rate has dropped and the National Assembly of Zambia has enacted multiple policies aimed at decreasing violence against women. However, progress is still needed. Most women have limited access to reproductive healthcare, and the total number of women infected with HIV in the country continues to rise. Moreover, violence against women in Zambia remains common. Child marriage rates in Zambia are some of the highest in the world, and women continue to experience high levels of physical and sexual violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 5</span> Global goal to achieve gender equality by 2030

Sustainable Development Goal 5 concerns gender equality and is fifth of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by United Nations in 2015. The 17 SDGs recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social policy of the Joe Biden administration</span> Overview of the social policy of the Biden administration (2021-present)

The social policy of the Joe Biden administration is intended to improve racial equity, increase access to safe and legal abortions, tighten restrictions on gun sales, among other aims. A number of policies aim to reverse the former policies of President Donald Trump, including the "Muslim" travel ban and loosened anti-discriminatory policies relating to LGBT people.

Discrimination against transgender men and transmasculine individuals, sometimes referred to as transandrophobia, anti-transmasculinity, or transmisandry, is a similar concept to transmisogyny and discrimination against non-binary people. Transmisogyny, discrimination against transgender men and discrimination against nonbinary people are types of transphobia which affect trans women, trans men and nonbinary people respectively.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Jamieson, p. 127.
  2. 1 2 Jamieson, p. 140.
  3. ↑ Jamieson, p. 141.
  4. ↑ "Home". Australian Women's Health Alliance. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Priority Issues – Women's Health Hub". Australian Women's Health Network. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Vision / Role / Values". Australian Women's Health Network. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Jamieson, p. 201.
  8. ↑ "Women's health in focus". Transforming the Nation’s Healthcare. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  9. ↑ Fredericks, Bronwyn (2011). "Setting a New Agenda: Developing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Health Strategy" (PDF). International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies. Queensland University of Technology. 4 (2): 17–28. doi:10.5204/ijcis.v4i2.61 . Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Organisations". $23.7 million boost for Australian preventive health groups. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Priority Issues: Climate Change – Women's Health Hub". Australian Women's Health Network. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Organisations". Australian Women's Health Network. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Organisations". Australian Women's Health Network. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Priority Issues: Sexual and Reproductive Health – Women's Health Hub". Australian Women's Health Network. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women". United Nations . Retrieved 28 April 2021.

Bibliography

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