Bulletin 15
August 2006

Welcome to the ARHA e-newsletter, providing updates on ARHA news and activities, as well as the latest news on population & development and sexual & reproductive health.


           Inside This Issue:
           ARHA Update | Upcoming Events | International News | Domestic News
       New Resources | Support ARHA

ARHA UPDATE

ARHA is continuing to work closely with interested parties on the current bill before the Australian Parliament on pregnancy counselling and will provide an update once the final report from the Senate Committee is handed down in August.

ARHA has also been coordinating upcoming events which include a Common Ground photographic exhibition, a seminar in Parliament House on 'women and migration,' preparations for the launch on the UNFPA's State of the World Population Report and providing support for the Parliamentary Group on Population and Development's roundtable discussions on sexual and reproductive health in the aid program.

A Photographic Exhibition

Common Ground:Vision Shared is a thought provoking series of photographs from Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea which aims to raise awareness of health and development issues related to the MDGs in each country.

The show has been jointly organised by ARHA with Sexual Health & Family Planning Australia through the Common Ground project.

All photos will be available to purchase and proceeds will go to the Eda Mauri primary school fee assistance fund run by Dame Carol Kidu MP in PNG and the Alola Foundation's maternal and child health program in Timor-Leste.

The exhibition will be opened by Senator Lyn Allison with presentations by The Hon Duncan Kerr SC, MP and the photographer Steven Nowakowski, and will run all week from the 14-18 August.

When: Monday 14th- Friday 18th August
Time: 9am-5pm
Where: ACT Legislative Assembly, Canberra
Please direct all enquiries to Gillian on (02) 62305255. or info@commonground.org.au

Common Ground is an awareness raising & advocacy project which promotes the links between population, environment and development issues. Common Ground is jointly managed by ARHA, Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia and the Cairns & Far North Environment Centre.


Launch of the UNFPA's State of the World Population Report 2006 — ‘A Passage to Hope: Women and International Migration’

The launch of this year's State of the World Population Report will be hosted by the Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (PGPD) at Parliament House, Canberra. The launch which will be hosted by The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP with Mr Ian Howie, UNFPA Country representative, Vietnam launching the report. The keynote speaker is Dr Siew-Ean Khoo from the ANU who will be speaking on ‘Gender and Migration in the Pacific region.’

ARHA is also organising, through the PGPD, a seminar on 'women and migration' which will be held in Parliament House, Canberra on Wednesday 6th September to mark the launch of the State of the World Population 2006 Report.

People with an interest in migration, particularly in aspects of migrant women’s health, are warmly invited to attend.  Reservations are essential.
Speakers will address migrant women’s experiences in Vietnam, China, Thailand and Australia. The Minister for Immigration, the Hon Amanda Vanstone, has been invited to participate. Policy makers from AusAID and the Department of Immigration as well as NGO representatives will attend.

When: 6th September
Time: 1.45pm– 4.30pm
Where: Parliament House, Canberra
To RSVP please phone Jenny Goldie on 02 6282 8922 or email jenny@arha.org.au.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Nepal: UNFPA to Launch Mobile Reproductive Health Camps — Reuters August 3
Concerns are growing about the poor level of maternity care for Nepalese women...
The Ministry of Health said just 13 per cent of deliveries were attended by skilled birth attendants in rural areas and there was a severe lack of emergency obstetric care. Around 6,000 women in the impoverished Himalayan kingdom die every year due to pregnancy-related complications, according to the United Nations Fund for Population Agency (UNFPA)... "Reproductive health is not just the Nepalese women's concern but is a major development issue," said Safieh Anderson, UNFPA's deputy representative. >>>more

Marriage an AIDS Risk in Developing World - Toronto Sun, August 2
Knowing the ABCs of AIDS prevention isn’t enough to stop the spread of the disease, according to a new Foster Parents Plan.
Called 'Circle of Hope', the report found the realities of youth, particularly girls, in the developing world — from marriage in their early teens to selling sex for food — mean they can’t follow the rules: abstinence, be faithful and condom use (ABC).
“Lack of knowledge is rarely the main reason,” said Sarah Hendriks, Plan’s HIV/AIDS program manager, which works in 46 developing countries.
The report, released Tuesday, found “being married is one of the greatest risk factors for HIV” for teenage brides in developing countries whose husbands are often older, sexually experienced and unfaithful, Hendriks said. >>>more

Indonesia: Activists say Migrant Workers Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS — Jakarta Post, July 26.
Many have been raped, abused and neglected. But there is another factor that is rarely raised in discussions about the chronic struggles of Indonesian migrant workers: their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS...
Many were women, reflecting the fact that more than 80 percent of Indonesian migrant workers are female.
Thaufiek Zulbahary of Women's Solidarity for Human Rights (Solidaritas Perempuan), who presented the data, said workers in other countries were believed to be as vulnerable. >>>more

Family Planning, AIDS Care Should go Hand in Hand The Baltimore Sun, July 26
Twenty-five years into the AIDS epidemic and halfway through the initial phase of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, there is increasing international consensus about the need to target women and girls...
One area where the U.S. could make a real difference in women's lives has until recently been largely overlooked: integrating HIV/AIDS and reproductive health services...
The International AIDS conference Aug. 13-18 in Toronto is an opportune moment for the U.S. and its partners to make this integration a higher priority. >>>more

PNG: Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS Set —
The National, July 25.
PNG’s workforce could be reduced by as much as 37.5% by 2020 and its GDP could decline by up to 7.5% if the present 40 to 60% prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is not reduced in the coming years.
This disturbing statistics has prompted the National Government to develop a HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy to deal with the epidemic within the workforce.
The policy was launched by Chief Secretary Joshua Kalinoe in Port Moresby last Friday.
According to the World Bank Report of June 2004, there could be as many as 50,000 to 70,000 people infected with HIV in PNG. >>>more

Microbicides Could Give Women the Power to Protect Against AIDS — EarthTimes.org, July 25.
Microbicide – a topical gel that offers hope in the fight against AIDS, has the potential to be a female controlled product, enabling women at risk of HIV to use it for protection without partner consent, thus saving millions of lives worldwide...
Since microbicides are female controlled, unlike condoms which require the consent of a male partner, and also taking into account the unwillingness of men in developing countries to use condoms, women could someday shield themselves by applying such topical microbicides.>>>more

>>>More International News

DOMESTIC NEWS 

Pregnancy counselling privacy concerns —
SMH, August 2
THE Government's planned pregnancy counselling package may breach women's privacy, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) says.
The Government in March announced a $50 million package designed to cut Australia's termination rate that includes a 24-hour advice hotline for pregnant women and a Medicare rebate for pregnancy-related counselling.
The package came after parliament voted to lift an effective ban on abortion drug RU486 by stripping Health Minister Tony Abbott of his veto powers over the drug.
The AMA, Australia's peak doctors' group, today said a Medicare item number designated to the counselling service would be specific to counselling for women uncertain about whether to continue with their pregnancy. >>>more

Abortion may split Amnesty — The Age, July 23.
THE Australian branch of Amnesty International faces an exodus of members, with the group set to decide whether to declare abortion a human right.
Religious groups warn that Amnesty, which has always been neutral on whether women have the right to terminate a pregnancy, faces an exodus of its Christian members.
Amnesty's British arm recently decided to adopt a pro-abortion stance, forcing other sections of the human rights organisation, including the 68,000-strong Australian branch, to declare their positions. >>>more

Drug company applies to distribute abortion pill
ABC News Online, July 18.
The Cairns obstetrician at the head of a push for the abortion drug RU486 to be made available in Australia, says a pharmaceutical company is seeking approval to distribute the drug.
Professor Caroline De Costa, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at James Cook University, became the first doctor to be registered to prescribe the drug in April.
She says she is unwilling to name the company at this stage.>>>more


 

KEY UPCOMING EVENTS


Roundtable Discussions on Sexual & Reproductive Health in the Australian Aid Program

The Parliamentary Group on Population & Development is holding a roundtable discussion on ‘Sexual and reproductive health and the MDGs in the Australian Aid program – the way forward.'

The purpose of the roundtable is to raise awareness within the Australian Parliament about how improved sexual and reproductive health (SRH) underpins all of the MDGs.  It will also provide an opportunity to discuss with parliamentarians key aspects of current thinking on SRH especially in the Asia Pacific region.

Monday 14 August & Monday 11 September
8:30am - 12:30pm
Parliament House, Canberra

All are welcome to attend. However, reservations are essential as we need to issue you with a pass. To RSVP please contact the PGPD Secretariat at: secretariat@pgpd.asn.au or phone Regan Field on (02) 6282 8922.


International AIDS Conference 2006

The International AIDS Conference 2006 will be held in Toronto Canada from the 13-18 August.

The Asia-Pacific Alliance will be hosting a satellite session on "The Intimate Link: Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights and HIV" which aims to provide the AIDS community with evidence of how these linkages can save on costs, improve services for the two communities.

The Kaiser Network is also providing Special Coverage of XVI International AIDS Conference with daily news, webcasts and transcripts.

High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development

The UN General Assembly's high-level dialogue will take place on 14 and 15 September 2006 in New York.

The purpose is to discuss international migration and development and identify appropriate ways and means to maximise the development benefits and minimise the negative impacts.

The report from the Secretary-General on International Migration & Development produced for this meeting stated that: "The scale of migration’s potential for good is huge. To take just the most tangible example, the funds that migrants send back to developing countries —at least $167 billion in 2005 alone— now dwarf all forms of international aid combined." >>>more

For further background information on the upcoming meeting see:

International Youth Day: 12 August 2006
Tackling Poverty Together: Young People and the Eradication of Poverty

At the center of youth poverty is the need to address widespread youth unemployment. Young people aged between 15 and 24 are a quarter of the world’s working population but they make up half its unemployed.
This is especially true in the Pacific region where there are large cohorts of youth and little prospect for their employment. For example in the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste around 41% of the population is under the age of 15 with the median age of the population around 19 years, compared with the Australian median age of 36.6 years.
It is clear, given such age demographics, that if the specific needs of young people are not identified and addressed, the MDGs will not be met.
Interventions in the areas of education, health and employment can break the poverty cycle; without such interventions, poverty tends to deepen with age and over successive generations. >>>more

NEW RESOURCES  


Advocacy Kit for Growing Up Global: the Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries

Advocates for Youth and Population Reference Bureau published a report in 2005 called Growing Up Global: the Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries. To facilitate use of this data by adult and youth activists working on youth reproductive and sexual health issues, they have now developed this new advocacy kit.
The kit provides a series of fact sheets drawn from the publication, as well as calls to action and advocacy tips. Fact sheet topics include youth sexual and reproductive health; youth and marriage; youth and parenting; and youth and education.
An executive summary of the publication is also included in the kit. >>>more


Public Choices, Private Decisions: Sexual & Reproductive Health & the MDGs

This report was prepared by the UN Millennium Project which is an independent advisory body commissioned by the UN Secretary-General to propose the best strategies for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This report presents evidence of the relationship between Sexual and Reproductive Health and each Goal. It underscores the urgent need to increase investments in improving the access to Sexual and Reproductive Health information and services, particularly for the poor. Otherwise, the MDGs cannot be met.
The report also identifies and describes the policies
and practical investments that can improve access to SRH services and information. >>>more

A New Guide: ''Sexual and reproductive health and rights''

This key issues guide reviews current policy issues relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), examining questions of definition and exploring key debates. The guide also highlights current and future challenges for attaining greater levels of sexual and reproductive well-being, and considers the role of innovative technologies and approaches in achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. >>>more

The following issues are covered by the guide:

SUPPORT ARHA

Support choice, rights, health & freedom
Since ARHA's creation in 1995, we have been entirely funded by international grant making agencies. However, the time has come for ARHA to seek public support from within Australia and internationally.
There are several ways you can support ARHA in its work to protect and promote reproductive health.

Become an ARHA member
By becoming a member of ARHA you will be demonstrating your support for the work that we do and your commitment to reproductive rights and health.

As an ARHA member you will have the benefit of:

  • Monthly member's only e-bulletins
  • Priority invitations to our seminars & events
  • Mail outs on the latest information on reproductive health & population issues
  • An annual advance copy of the UNPFA's State of the World Population Report
  • Opportunity to contribute to our Campaigns
  • Access to our library

You can Join online or phone us for a membership application form on (02) 62828922

Donate
If you would like to donate to ARHA, it is now easier than ever, simply visit our online donation page or call us on 0262828922.

Volunteer
ARHA volunteers offer support in many different ways.

  • We have pro bono legal support and would be grateful for any other professional support that members can offer.
  • We need volunteers to assist with planning and coordination of fundraising and public relations activities.
  • We need office support for busy periods.

If you are interested in volunteering your services to ARHA then please call Naomi Lee on 02 62828922.

 

The Australian Reproductive Health Alliance (ARHA)
www.arha.org.au
Our mission is to promote public support for enhanced reproductive and sexual health in Australia and internationally, and promote the advancement of the status of women and girls.