Resource Type: Press release

Global health awards recognize outstanding women in health

July 19, 2023 – Twelve women on the frontlines of health systems across the African continent including Ethiopia, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana are the winners of the 2023 Women in Global Health Heroines of Health Awards. 

Award winners have been recognized for their outstanding contribution to advance safe maternity and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the context of a global campaign to roll-back decades of progress for the rights of women and girls. 

Among them, a Ugandan community health worker advocating for sexual and reproductive health services in her district; a Kenyan feminist delivering disability-friendly medical abortion services in local health facilities; and a pioneering nursing graduate from rural Ghana, breaking social and gender norms to enable women and girls to access the health services they need. 

“Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights are central to the sustainable development of societies, and the individual autonomy and well-being of women and girls,” said Dr Roopa Dhatt, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Women in Global Health. 

“Women health workers, like the 2023 Heroines of Health are the backbone of our health systems, comprising the majority of health workers and accounting for over 90% of nurses and midwives. They play a crucial role in counseling and supporting women to access a range of modern contraceptives and make informed decisions about high-risk or unwanted pregnancies. Unfortunately, health workers face increasing challenges when carrying out this essential work. 

“From violence and harassment at safe abortion facilities to online abuse, from legal threats to defunded services, women health workers are on the frontlines. Despite the intimidation, the dangers, and the moral injury, many put themselves at daily risk to provide care and support to women and girls. We should never underestimate the courage and the determination to provide care that health workers show every day.”

“On behalf of all Women in Global Health, I congratulate our 12 Awardees,” said Dr Dhatt.

Held on the sidelines of the 2023 Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, the Heroines of Health event on July 19 is  the first time in its six year history  that the Awards ceremony has been held in Africa and puts the spotlight on traditionally unrecognized women who are leading change in global health.

As well as the Heroines of Health, attendees will hear from keynote speaker, Hon Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders, First woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The event will be moderated by Femi Oke, renowned international broadcaster and journalist, with individual awards presented by leading figures in international politics and global health.  

 ENDS

Media contact and to connect with heroines or Women in Global Health Executive Director please contact: Joan Bolger e: joan.bolger@womeningh.org / t: 00353 – 85-285-6977

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EDITOR’S NOTES

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent the majority of the workforce, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. 

Event photo gallery

Heroines of Health – 2023: Read their remarkable stories in full.

Ms. Konolbé Yvette Ouedraogo a midwife from Burkina Faso spent 17 years working for the Ministry of Health in her native country. In just four years she advanced antenatal and postal services through assisted delivery reducing home births from 80-20%. Over time, and after 26 years in the field Ms. Ouedraogo has taken on the role of an advocate, mentor, and trainer for other midwives. She is a strong advocate for sexual and reproductive health rights, given her determination to enable women to take charge of their own bodies. Today, Ms. Ouedraogo holds the position of Gender-Based Violence Regional Advisor for West and Central Africa with EngenderHealth. 

Ms. Afi Kpaba’s achievements in Togo have broken barriers in the traditionally male-dominated health sector of her country. At the age of 21 she became a community health worker and after eight years has started to advise other organizations on best practices in delivering quality health care. She has witnessed a remarkable transformation in her community since the implementation of the Integrated Primary Care Program–deaths and untreated illnesses have declined significantly.  She also advocates on behalf of other CHWs for fair compensation, comprehensive training and provision of adequate supplies.

Ms. Prossy Muyingo, from Uganda, works as a hairdresser and doubles as a community health worker. She sees her long braiding sessions as the perfect opportunity to educate her clients on vaccination, reproductive health, and disease prevention. Guided by the belief that women should have the autonomy to make informed choices about their health, she educates young women on reproductive health, including options for contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted disease. Ms. Muyingo is a strong advocate for fair pay and decent working conditions for all community health workers. “It’s time for policymakers to think about us. We need to be fairly compensated, properly equipped and continuously trained”. 

Ms. Meskerem Setegne, from Ethiopia, suffered from epistaxis as a child, a medical condition causing excessive nosebleeds and irregular menstrual bleeding. The treatment she received in government-run health centers inspired her to pursue a career in health and she now works as a midwife. “Ten years ago in Ethiopia, 30-50% of in-hospital maternal deaths were from complications of abortion.” Though that figure has now reduced to 4% given new legislation to restrict unsafe abortion, Ms Setegne is calling on policymakers to drive further change. “Changes need to happen at ministry and at district level, and managers need to be supported to apply the law. Stigma and maltreatment still exist.” 

Dr. Gwladys Kouakou, a highly skilled public health professional specializing in community health in Côte d’Ivoire has held various positions leading projects to promote women’s health and reproductive rights. Throughout her career, she has trained a wide range of health professionals, managed innovative projects spanning nutrition, mental health, and reproductive health, and successfully led care delivery teams. Dr. Kouakou has a clear demand for decision makers from local to global levels. “Enable women through education, particularly in rural and urban areas. Decision-makers must help women to have better access to opportunities, as they are often overlooked in leadership roles.” 

Senegal midwife, Joséphine Djiboune, has made a major contribution to the numbers of prenatal and postnatal consultations in her district, and to increasing the number of deliveries in facilities with the assistance of qualified health workers. Thanks to her work in strengthening access to healthcare and her commitment to combating gender-based violence, she was promoted to Reproductive Health Coordinator in the Médina Yoro Foulah district by the State of Senegal in 2016 and named an Amref “Champion” in 2022.  Ms. Djiboune is committed to raising awareness in the community, utilizing public radio broadcasts as a platform to bring health services closer to the people. 

Dr. Elizabeth Igaga, Ugandan anesthesiologist, was part of the team that advocated for the use of intrathecal morphine during labor and oral medication after delivery to enable patients to manage their pain. Her advocacy resulted in changes to anesthesia and pain relief approaches during labor in maternity wards nationwide. Dr. Igaga started out as one of the only 40 anesthesiologists in her country. Uganda now has over 80 anesthesiologists, and nearly half of them are women. This is no accident; she serves as a mentor to many aspiring young women doctors across the country.

Professor Hadiza Shehu Galadanci is the first woman consultant, gynecologist, and Professor of Medicine in the Kano region of Nigeria. She has dedicated her life to reducing  maternal and child mortality rates, worked to combat gender disparities in health and has played a pivotal role in shaping policies relating to critical maternal health challenges worldwide. Professor Galadanci has authored over 100 publications in peer reviewed journals and played a leading role in numerous global health studies. She has trained and mentored over 2000 national and regional health students enabling them to take on leadership roles across Nigeria and the African region. 

Ms. Worknesh Kereta, nicknamed “Mother of Youth” by her peers, is a nurse and public health professional who has dedicated her career to revolutionizing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for adolescents and youth in Ethiopia.  After joining Pathfinder and getting learnings and insights from a Pathfinder-led model program in Mozambique, she piloted a Youth Friendly Services (YFS) program integrating youth-friendly health services in public health facilities. The service has since been scaled up in 668 public health facilities nationwide. Today, the government of Ethiopia is a proactive partner in developing, funding, and implementing this national program for adolescents and youth. 

Ms. Rukaya Mumuni is the first girl in her family and one of the few women in her village in Ghana to receive a graduate degree. As a nurse, Rukaya has delivered care while representing the voices of women and girls in her community. She has advocated for improved treatment and service delivery for pregnant women and children, bringing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions to the forefront of her work. By institutionalizing screening initiatives for cervical cancer and breast cancer among hospital staff and community members, she has addressed one of the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age. Ms. Mumuni is also an advocate for expanding access to family planning services, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) education, and cervical cancer prevention across her district. 

Ms. Mary William Brown is a respected community health worker and leader in her local area of Malawi.  Since 2004, after being selected by members of her community, she has worked to improve access to contraception for women and adolescent girls and is improving health outcomes of expecting mothers in the Neno district where she works. With the support of the CHWs she supervises, her team conducts health screenings, provides education, and accompanies pregnant women and new mothers to healthcare facilities. Since 2010, the community she supports has not had any maternal deaths and up to 80% of the postnatal women in her district attend postnatal care. “Family planning gives women the opportunity to give birth by choice and not by chance,” she says.

Phylis Mbeke Ndolo, from Kenya, is an activist and feminist with impaired vision who has been working with grassroots organizations in her native country for over a decade. She focuses on integrating disability rights into the reproductive justice movement and emphasizes the importance of a community lens in driving policy change. As the Founder and Executive Director of Women Spaces Africa, Ms Ndolo is committed to creating inclusive and sustainable development spaces for women and girls with disabilities. Women Spaces Africa promotes safer abortion methods, improves physical access to safe abortion services, and raises awareness among health service providers about the specific needs of women and girls with disabilities. So far, the project has improved disability-friendly medical abortion services in 39 healthcare facilities gaining national and international recognition. 

May 23, 2023 – Close to a third of national delegations to this year’s World Health Assembly are led by women, a significant improvement in a key gender equity measure that for years has been stuck at less than a quarter of delegations led by women.

The annual count by Women in Global Health (WGH), an organization which campaigns for gender equal leadership and gender equity in global health, revealed an increase of 9% in the number of women occupying Chief Delegate positions at the World Health Assembly (WHA76), bringing their overall representation in decision-making to 32%. 

“While we commend those national governments who put women in charge and acknowledge this significant improvement in progress towards gender equal leadership, the basic reality is women are around 70 percent of the overall health workforce and are up to 90 percent of frontline health workers,” said Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director of Women in Global Health. 

“For every woman working in health, there are still three men making top-down decisions about health priorities and the design and delivery of health programs.” 

“We must recognize the invaluable expertise that women bring to the table and acknowledge that as the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates its 75th anniversary, we cannot afford to wait another 75 years to achieve gender parity in global health decision-making. When women’s voices are sidelined, we all suffer from the loss of their expertise in delivering health.

“The WHO has a responsibility to address the historic underrepresentation of women in WHA delegations,” states Dr. Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director and Co-Founder of WGH. 

WGH and its 49 chapters worldwide call for a significant increase in women-led delegations for the 2024 World Health Assembly, aiming for a target of 50% representation. Governments, as the decision-makers for their delegations, must be held accountable for the marginalization of women’s voices in leadership, especially in a sector where women are the face of healthcare.

“The World Health Assembly serves as the highest standard-setting body in global health. Decisions made at the WHA shape global health priorities, making them crucial in life and death situations for women and girls,” Dr. Dhatt states.

“When men dominate decision-making roles, health systems often favor male perspectives, resulting in systems and services set up to prioritize men’s needs and better-paid positions and promotions going to men, despite them being the minority in the sector. This systemic bias holds women back in their careers and undermines the quality of health systems by disregarding their professional expertise and knowledge.

Women in Global Health’s recent report, “The State of Women and Leadership in Global Health,” delves into gender inequality in leadership and its impact on health system functionality and efficiency. It emphasizes that limited leadership prospects for women contribute to the current Great Resignation phenomenon, which is undermining healthcare systems worldwide.

Dr. Dhatt concludes, “Enhancing opportunities for women in leadership, closing the gender pay gap, and improving working conditions through paid maternity leave and family-friendly policies are essential steps in addressing systemic health issues.”

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

Joan Bolger

Communications Manager

joan.bolger@womeningh.org

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Countries with women Chief Delegates: Albania, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Comoros, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Guyana, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, South Sudan, Sweden, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Vietnam, Zambia.

About Women in Global Health

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent 70% of the health workforce and 90% of frontline health workers worldwide, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Now with supporters in more than 43 countries and 47 official chapters predominantly in low-income countries, Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; protection and safe and decent work; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These are the essential foundations for strong health systems, Universal Health Coverage and global health security.

Our events calling attention to problems with relevant data, recommendations and proposed solutions about emerging issues and health policy architecture frequently attract Ministers, Ambassadors, Heads of multilateral organizations, health, development and gender leaders, and professionals, representatives of youth movements and NGOs from all over the world.

Just 25% of senior health leadership positions held by women despite being 90% of the frontline health workforce

March 14, 2023  – Women who are 90% of frontline health workers and 70% of the overall global health workforce – remain just as overlooked for senior leadership roles as they were five years ago, according to a new report from Women in Global Health.

The State of Women and Leadership in Global Health documents a XX Paradox in global health, where women hold just 25% of senior leadership roles in a sector they largely deliver. The report highlights the impacts of continuing systemic bias against women in leadership and lacklustre implementation of policy initiatives to advance greater gender equity.

“It is more and more evident that locking women out of senior leadership positions is severely impacting global health delivery and global health security,” said Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director of Women in Global Health.

“Current leadership structures are failing to address issues of low or no pay, procedures and protective equipment are tailored to male measurements and sexual abuse and harassment is too common in the workplace, with the result that women are increasingly leaving the health workforce.

“The pandemic brought surging workloads and increased risks to women health workers but no improvement in an unequal playing field characterized by a lack of respect, recognition and reward.”

The continued segregation of women into health jobs accorded lower status and lower pay is not only a violation of women’s basic human rights, but also a clear manifestation of the widespread discrimination in the health sector, the report states.  Findings include:

As well as reviewing evidence at global level, researchers also examined country case studies in Nigeria, India and Kenya. They found that women face barriers to leadership from cultural gender norms, discrimination and ineffectual policies that are not working fast enough to redress historic inequalities. The lack of a clear path from national to global leadership roles perpetuates the male-dominated status quo, representing a “broken pipeline” for women since national health systems feed leadership roles in global health.

“This is a crisis,” said Dr. Dhatt. “The 10 million global health worker shortage at the start of the pandemic gets worse every day as exhausted and demoralized women health workers resign from their jobs.

Why should they continue to wait? It is a tragedy for them and a tragedy for us all if we lose committed and highly skilled women health workers.  If we truly want to build health systems that serve everyone, we need to redress the inequality that has side-lined women from leadership and start listening to women.”

The report strikes a positive note by acknowledging that if recommendations and reforms are actually implemented progress towards greater equity is possible. In this scenario, if the gross inequity is corrected, the health sector, employing 234 million health and care workers globally, could then serve as an exemplar sector to generate learnings for the rest of the economy.

Collective action for gender equity emerges as the main mechanism able to disrupt the systems that perpetuate men’s leadership. Women leaders bring diverse perspectives, expertise and knowledge that enriches decision making. The report cites innovative measures from countries including Argentina, India and the UK showing that affirmative action measures such as gender quotas and all-women shortlists are succeeding in increasing women’s representation in leadership.

“Change is possible when intentional action is taken,” said Dr Dhatt. “When we get this right, the benefits of gender equity in the health workforce will drive stronger health systems, delivering better health for all.”

ENDS 

For press inquiries, contact:

Joan Bolger – Women in Global Health

e: joan.bolger@womeningh.org t: +353 85-285-6977

EDITOR’S NOTES

About Women in Global Health 

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent 70% of the workforce and about 90 percent of front-line health workers, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Now with supporters in more than 90 countries and 47 official chapters predominantly in low-income countries, Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; protection and safe and decent work; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These are the essential foundations for strong health systems, Universal Health Coverage and global health security.

The organisation campaigns to address gender inequity as a systemic health care problem with grave impacts on health care delivery around the world. Its canon of evidence, such as today’s report, works to prove that decisive measures to ensure greater representation of women in global health leadership will pay off longer term in better health outcomes.

Power imbalance major driver of human rights violations in health

November 29, 2022  – The alarming level of violence and sexual harassment faced by healthworkers is a serious human rights violation for women who make up 70 percent of the global health workforce and 90 percent of frontline staff. 

An upcoming report by Women in Global Health Her Story: Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment of Women Health Workers set to be published on December 13, exposes the sexual harassment and abuse at work experienced by significant numbers of women health workers.

The report lists several excerpts of anonymous stories submitted by 230 women in 37 countries across the world. 

In one example, in Senegal, a woman doctor describes an experience in which she was locked into a hospital room by a much older supervisor who became sexually aroused and pushed against her. The woman managed to kick her way free. When she told colleagues about the incident, she remembered, “They refused to believe me and advised me to shut up and move on.” 

In the US, a woman community health worker endured the advances of a male co-worker who made several attempts to have her removed, “He had repeated meetings with upper management and begged them to fire me. The day my job contract ended, I received a string of text messages from him asking me out on a date, telling me how pretty I was, and that he was excited my job ended because he wasn’t my boss anymore.”

In another example in Mexico, a student doctor was offered good grades by her supervisor in return for sexual favours. He said, “You know, I am offering you an easy way out. If you reject my offer, you risk failing the rotation.”

In Portugal, a student surgeon details her repeated sexual harassment at the hands of a hospital Vice Director. When she reported incidents to senior male colleagues, she was told, “He’s a great teacher. He just loses his mind a bit when it comes to girls. Ignore it.”

A major driver of the abuse, the report found, is the power imbalance favoring men in the hierarchical health profession. Men currently occupy 75 percent of all leadership roles in health, with women clustered into lower status, low-paying roles. This power dynamic, it says, has created an enabling environment for perpetrators. Women’s position in the health sector makes them more vulnerable to abuse from male colleagues, male patients and members of the community and in a weak position to report that abuse. 

“It’s a problem rooted in the abuse of power, more than by sexual attraction. If the male perpetrators knew they would be sanctioned and lose their jobs; that they would be publicly shamed, they would be unlikely to do it. They know they can get away with it,” said Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director, Women in Global Health.

The report was compiled from stories submitted by women health workers as part of the #HealthToo project–a Women in Global Health online platform and research project. In the absence of comprehensive data, Women in Global Health harnessed the power of personal testimony to bring the reality and nature of the abuse to life, as well as the conditions that enable it. The stories, excerpts of which are included in the report, were supplemented by existing research on the topic.

“Personal stories are harder to ignore. They describe the compliance of colleagues, the lack of reporting, fear of reprisal and job loss, the lack of mechanisms for receiving complaints, the absence of laws to prosecute. The testimonies present a clear view of an enabling environment for perpetrators,” said Dr Dhatt. 

From global, to institutional to personal level, the report calls for establishing the legal foundations for gender equality in the workforce and for a culture change so that perpetrators of abuse are reported and sanctioned. 

“We need organizational cultures that encourage upstanders not bystanders. Leadership from the top. The need for employment legislation and employment rights to protect women is key, particularly to enable reporting, with provisions for confidentiality. Such measures would also serve as a deterrent to other would-be perpetrators,” said Ann Keeling, Senior Fellow with Women in Global Health and lead author of the report. 

Other recommendations include: equal leadership representation of women in health; addressing social norms and stereotypes on gender equality, and providing safe and decent work environments. Also recommended is the need to work collectively for change through the introduction of investigatory systems that center on and protect survivors, including ensuring that perpetrators face justice promptly.

ENDS 

For press enquiries, contact: 

Joan Bolger – Women in Global Health 

e: joan.bolger@womeningh.org t: +353 85-285-6977

EDITOR’S NOTES

About Women in Global Health 

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent 70% of the workforce and about 90 percent of front-line health workers, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Now with supporters in more than 90 countries and 41 official chapters predominantly in low-income countries, Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; protection and safe and decent work; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These are the essential foundations for strong health systems, Universal Health Coverage and global health security.

Women in Global Health now has 41 Chapters in 36 countries, and expects to have 100 by 2023.  With around 5,500 members and 70,000 supporters, we are nurses, midwives, doctors, public health professionals, health policy makers, community health workers, researchers, pharmacists and private sector health workers.

The organization campaigns to address gender inequity as a systemic health care problem with grave impacts on health care delivery around the world. Its canon of evidence, such as today’s report, works to prove that investment in the provision of safe workplaces for women will pay off longer term in better health outcomes.

Six million women are currently subsidizing health systems

July 7, 2022  – Global health security and women’s rights are being undermined by the lack of payment or gross underpayment of women health workers, according to a new report from Women in Global Health.

“Subsidizing global health” found that upwards of six million women worldwide are subsidizing health systems with their unpaid or grossly underpaid labor.

“We know that women make up 90 percent of frontline health workers globally and there is a very clear connection between the failure to adequately pay health workers, mostly women and what’s being termed The Great Resignation of health workers, putting health systems under extreme stress,” said Dr Magda Robalo, Managing Director, Women in Global Health.

 “Women would choose to be paid if they had that choice. Under paying or not paying them is not only a violation of economic justice, it is poor policy to engage a large proportion of your workforce under unacceptable working conditions. It is no wonder that so many are leaving the profession.”

The report – compiled from existing research and interviews with women health workers in Ethiopia, India, Malawi, Mexico and Zambia – found a serious absence of data about women working unpaid in health systems. At the start of the pandemic, some countries were unable to estimate their need for personal protective equipment (PPE) due to lack of data on the number of health workers delivering critical public health programs in communities.

“It seems a paradox that very poor women with heavy work commitments should agree to take on additional unpaid work in health systems,” said Ann Keeling, Senior Fellow with Women in Global Health and main author of the report.

“But opportunities for paid work for women may be limited by lack of mobility or cultural ideas of decent occupations for women – under these circumstances, even unpaid work may seem like an opportunity.”

The pandemic has exposed the magnitude of the ‘informal’ workforce in health, particularly in low income countries where female workers  are often titled ‘volunteers’ or ‘community activists’ and generally unrecorded in formal labor market statistics.

The findings in “Subsidizing global health” mirror those of the Lancet Commission on Women and Health which calculated that women’s contribution to the global economy was $3 trillion, with half of that in the form of unpaid work.

It recommends that unpaid and underpaid workers working in core health systems roles need to be counted to reflect the true figure of health workers delivering services. Creating decent jobs for all women in the formal health workforce would address the projected 18 million gap that is threatening global health security. It would also have the wider benefit of increasing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

ENDS

For press enquiries, contact:

Joan Bolger – Women in Global Health

e: joan.bolger@womeningh.org t: +353 85-285-6977

EDITOR’S NOTES

• The Global Health and Care Compact Worker Compact drafted by WHO and passed by World Health Assembly May 2022 includes a commitment to: Provide equal pay for work of equal value, an important element of closing the health sector gender pay gap and recognizing the value of unpaid health and care work, including addressing provision of inadequate compensation for care workers, including community health workers.
• In May 2022, the US Government announced a new White House Global Health Worker Initiative with $1billion allocated for 2023
• Women in Global Health have launched an ongoing initiative with France, titled the Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative to make gender equity in the health workforce a top political priority for action. This initiative has since been joined by numerous governments, international organizations and NGOs.

About Women in Global Health

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent 70% of the workforce and about 90 percent of front-line health workers, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Now with supporters in more than 90 countries and 41 official chapters predominantly in low-income countries, Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; protection and safe and decent work; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These are the essential foundations for strong health systems, Universal Health Coverage and global health security.

Women in Global Health now has 41 Chapters in 36 countries, and expects to have 100 by 2023.  With around 5,500 members and 70,000 supporters, we are nurses, midwives, doctors, public health professionals, health policy makers, community health workers, researchers, pharmacists and private sector health workers.

Women in Global Health has repeatedly called for a new social contract for women based on safe and decent work. The organization campaigns to address gender inequity as a systemic health care problem with grave impacts on health care delivery around the world. Its canon of evidence, such as today’s report, works to prove that investment in strong primary health care systems will pay off longer term in better health outcomes.

Global health awards recognize outstanding women in health

October 17, 2022 – A Ukrainian surgeon working under siege through a devastating war; a HIV positive mentor mother working unpaid in the informal settlements of Nairobi, and a group of Community Health Workers in India are among 17 inspiring winners of this year’s Heroines of Health Awards.

Held on the sidelines of the World Health Summit on October 17, the awards put the spotlight on traditionally unrecognized women who are the backbone of global health systems. Women account for 70 percent of the health workforce and 90 percent of frontline workers, yet continue to be clustered into lower status, lower paid and unpaid roles and left out of decision-making.

Now in its fifth year, the Heroines of Health Awards have been attended by global leaders, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization; Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark; and Former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to highlight the fact that women deliver health, but do not lead it.

“Women health and care workers have been characterized as heroines for remaining on the frontlines of  the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic has illuminated the gender inequities in the health workforce that are causing the “Great Resignation in Health”. These inequities are placing women workers at a disadvantage undermining health systems and global health security,” Dr Roopa Dhatt, Women in Global Health Executive Director.

From the front lines of the Ukraine war, to the remotest parts of Ethiopia, each of the women have demonstrated outstanding contributions to deliver impact in their communities. As doctors, community health workers, gender advocates and global health leaders, all have been working under the most extreme circumstances to deliver health.

The gala event “Leading Change: Heroines of Health,” offers women a platform for action to highlight the vulnerabilities in the health system and demonstrate how they have been mobilizing for change.

As well as the Heroines of Health, attendees will hear from Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,  Director General, World Health Organization and First Lady of Namibia, Monica Geingos.

The awards will be presented to Heroines during the event by: Ambassador Dr John Nkengasong US Govt; Hon Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; and the Hon Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former President of United Nations General Assembly and former Minister Ecuador.

The event is supported by Johnson & Johnson.

ENDS

The awardees are available to interview.

Media contact and to connect with spokespeople on this issue:

Joan Bolger e: joan.bolger@womeningh.org / t: 00353 – 85-285-6977

EDITOR’S NOTES

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent the majority of the workforce, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Women in Global Health launch #HealthToo Project today

September 05, 2022  – Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harrasment (SEAH) is a considerably underreported form of violence healthcare workers face, according to Women in Global Health, an organization that campaigns for the protection of women workers in healthcare settings.

“There is a huge gap in data and research related to SEAH in the health and care sector from all regions, with the most serious absence of data in low- and middle-income countries, where women are reportedly the most affected,” said Dr Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director, Women in Global Health.

A majority 62 percent of 330,000 health workers across a range of countries reported exposure to work related violence and harassment (WRVH) in a single year, according to the Journal for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. But this data is not disaggregated to separate the SEAH component.

In response, Women in Global Health have launched a new platform and research project entitled “#HealthToo” to seek, compile and document stories from women health workers who have experienced work-related SEAH. The platform is open for individual story contributions from September 5 to November 30, 2022. By submitting their stories anonymously, women will be able to share their experiences freely without risking job security or personal repercussions in their place of work.

Currently, a large percentage of women in the global health workforce face discrimination, bias and sexual harassment in their work. In some countries, women also experience WRVH either on the way to work or when engaged in community outreach.

The causes vary: many women face unprotected exposure to sexual and violent acts because pepetrators remain unnacountable in work settings owing to a lack of legal and policy frameworks, poor or no follow up, under reporting due to fear of retribution or issues around standard of proof. Other factors have also contributed to the abuse, including women’s segregation into lower status roles, systemic bias and discrimination in the health care sector.

In several contexts, particularly low- and middle-income countries, there is no legislative framework in place to support gender equality at work and no laws to prohibit and punish sexual discrimination and sexual harassment at work.

“Work related SEAH in the health workforce is an extension of the gender-based violence against women and girls that we witness every day, and in the vast majorty of cases, it is perpetrated by male colleagues, male patients/clients and male members of the community, “ said Dr. Robalo.

If not acted upon urgently and consistently, such acts create unsafe and toxic work environments that affect retention of women staff, reduce their physical and mental health leading to increased healthcare costs and a reduction in the quality of care provided.

By addressing the root causes of gender inequity in the health and care workforce and challenging the power and privilege afforded to men, Women in Global Health aims to contribute to the overall reduction of  workplace SEAH in global health and therefore strengthen health systems.

This should be backed with concrete action by decision makers to put appropriate laws and policies in place, including ratification and implementation of the International Labour Organization Convention 190 (cILO 190).

“There is no single pathway to solve sexual exploitation and abuse but the presence of women at all levels from leadership down, coupled with adequate laws and policies makes an immediate difference by creating a conducive, motivating and empowering work environment free of such abuse and discrimination, “ said Dr Robalo.

ENDS

For press enquiries, and to connect with spokespeople on this issue please contact:

Joan Bolger – Women in Global Health

e: joan.bolger@womeningh.org

EDITOR’S NOTES

Women in Global Health launched the #HealthToo project to make work related violence and harassment in health a top priority for action.

About Women in Global Health

Women in Global Health (WGH) is the fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent 70% of the workforce and about 90 percent of front-line health workers, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Now with supporters in more than 90 countries and 41 official chapters predominantly in low-income countries, Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; protection and safe and decent work; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These are the essential foundations for strong health systems, Universal Health Coverage and global health security.

Women in Global Health has repeatedly called for a new social contract for women based on safe and decent work. With around 5,500 members and 70,000 supporters, we are nurses, midwives, doctors, public health professionals, health policy makers, community health workers, researchers, pharmacists and private sector health workers.