tailieunhanh - Fact Sheet No.23, Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children

Similarly, in societies where women are engaged in waged or money- based enterprise, trachoma diminishes their economic capacity. In addition, trachomatous blindness is an unnecessary sensory loss, which results in substantial pain and suffering. In aging women, trachomatous blinding may be compounded by a variety of disabilities, such as arthritis. But unlike arthritis, trachomatous blinding is easily preventable. Trachoma can be treated in its early stages and subsequent blindness prevented, but in order to accomplish this, it must be identified and reported | Fact Sheet Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children States Parties shall take all appropriate measures . to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women. CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN art. 5 a adopted by General Assembly resolution 34 180 of 18 December 1979. Contents Introduction I. An appraisal of harmful traditional practices and their effects on women and the girl child II. Review of action and activities by United Nations organs and agencies Governments and NGOs Conclusions Annex - Plan of Action for the Elimination of Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children - Select Bibliography Introduction The Charter of the United Nations includes among its basic principles the achievement of international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race sex language or religion Art. 1 para. 3 . In 1948 three years after the adoption of the Charter the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1 which has served as guiding principles on human rights and fundamental freedoms in the constitutions and laws of many of the Member States of the United Nations. The Universal Declaration prohibits all forms of discrimination based on sex and ensures the right to life liberty and security of person it recognizes equality before the law and equal protection against any discrimination in violation of the Declaration. Many international legal instruments on human rights further reinforce individual rights and also protect-and prohibit discrimination against-specific groups in particular women. The Convention on the .