KASUNOD ng 68th annual meeting ng United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, nais ni Budget Secretary Amenah “Mina” Pangandaman, head ng Philippine delegation, ng whole-of-government approach sa pagtugon sa mga isyu ng kababaihan, kasama na ang period poverty.
“Period poverty is something that we need to address urgently, even as we address other issues such as financial literacy and financial inclusion of women,” pahayag ni Pangandaman.
Ang period poverty ay ang kakulangan ng access sa menstrual products, hygiene facilities, at reproductive education na nakaaapekto sa mga kababaihan sa buong mundo, at nagdudulot ng mga hamong pisikal, mental at emosyonal.
“This is something that we don’t really address in the Philippines because it’s almost taboo to even talk about it,” paliwanag ni Pangandaman. “But it’s a real problem—in fact, it’s a global community health dilemma—that affects women and girls.”
Sinabi ni Pangandaman na sisimulan niya ang isang pag-aaral upang matukoy ang mga sanhi at maunawaan ang bigat ng isyu sa Pilipinas.”With a population of almost 120 million that is almost 50 percent female, we need to understand the social, cultural, economic and even political barriers to menstrual products, education and sanitation, as well as its impact on health issues ranging from urinary tract infections to depression.”
“It can even be a barrier to accessing quality education and staying in school,” dagdag ni Pangandaman. “Not having menstrual care products and reproductive education can have serious consequences on both physical and emotional health.”
Dineliver ni Pangandaman ang Philippine Statement para sa unang Ministerial Round Table ng 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) noong Martes, ika-12 ng Marso, sa United Nations (UN) headquarters sa New York City, kung saan kanyang ipinahayag: “The Philippines remains a committed partner in contributing to poverty eradication, acceleration of gender equality, and empowerment of all women and girls, as reflected in our Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Plan 2019 to 2025.”
Ang CSW ay ang pinakamalaking taunang event sa gender equality at women’s empowerment, na nagbubunsod ng mahahalagang pag-uusap sa pagitan ng mga gobyerno, civil society organizations, eksperto, at activists sa buong mundo.
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