Highlights of WHO’s work to support gender statistics

1. Highlights of WHO’s work to support gender statistics Inter-Agency and Expert Group Meeting on the Development of Gender Statistics UNSD New York, December 2006 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

2. Incorporating agender perspective into WHO’s policies and programmes “ Integrating gender perspectives in health action is sound public health and will help to strengthen the impact and coverage of our work…………. Our commitment to integrating gender perspectives will need to be reflected in work plans and budgeting as well as in technical cooperation activities with countries. Departments and offices will be expected to develop plans of action for integrating gender perspectives into their work.” 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

3. Main areas for supporting gender statistics • World Health Statistics • General health indicators – disaggregated by sex (e.g. life expectancy at birth, condom use, prevalence of tobacco use) • Research – generate data and develop data collection tools • WHO multi country study on violence against women • Female genital mutilation (FGM) prevalence and health outcomes • Scientific consensus – develop indicators • on the influence of both sex and gender on health risks, health-seeking behaviour, health outcomes, for women and men, their access to health-care and the response of health care systems • Capacity building in integrating gender in thematic areas of work (gender and rights in reproductive health) 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

4. 2. Research 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

5. WHO multi country study on violence against women In 10 countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Peru, Namibia, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand and the United Republic of Tanzania In every setting except Japan, more than a quarter of women had been physically or sexually assaulted at least once since the age of 15 years Experience of intimate-partner violence was associated with negative impacts on women’s current physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health For 13%-52% of women, the violence started during the pregnancy Across all sites except Ethiopia, a woman who experienced physical or sexual violence was more likely to report that her partner was sexually involved with other women while being with her 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

6. WHO multi country study on violence against women – implications for data collection It is of prime importance for national statistics offices and relevant ministries (such as ministries of health and justice) to take this issue on board. Priority must be given to building capacity, and to ensure that data are collected in a way that respects confidentiality and does not jeopardize women’s safety 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

7. WHO multi country study on violence against women – guidance for data collection • the WHO questionnaire and • the ethical and safety guidelines developed for the Study, and • the WHO/PATH manual on researching violence against women should be useful for improving statistics in this area 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

8. WHO multi country study on violence against women Violence against women: a statistical overview, challenges and gaps in data collection and methodology and approaches for overcoming them"Expert Group Meeting (April 2005) UN Division for the Advancement of Womenin collaboration with:Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and World Health Organization (WHO) 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

9. Female Genital Mutilation and Obstetric Outcome: WHO collaborative prospective study in six African countries 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/ Lancet, 2006

10. Female Genital Mutilation and Obstetric Outcome: WHO collaborative prospective study in six African countries 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/ Lancet, 2006

11. Female Genital Mutilation and Obstetric Outcome: WHO collaborative prospective study in six African countries • “ FGM is a practice steeped in culture and tradition but it should not be allowed to carry on. We must support communities in their efforts to abandon the practice and to improve care for those who have undergone FGM. We must also steadfastly resist the medicalization of FGM. WHO is totally opposed to FGM being carried out by medical personnel.” WHO Press release 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

12. 3. Improving evidence-base, scientific consensus – development of gender-related health indicators • On sexual and reproductive health topics that disproportionately affect men and women • Pregnancy-related deaths, morbidities • HIV, other STIs • Fertility, addressing needs for contraception • On sexual violence in emergencies • Gender analyses (careful examination of a particular area of health to determine if, and in what ways, gender norms, behaviours, and inequality are contributing to poor health, disability, mortality, or lack of well-being) of general health problems. • Gender and mental health / road traffic injuries / tuberculosis / HIV/AIDS / aging / tobacco 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

13. 4. Capacity building – gender and reproductive health • Aims to build capacity of senior health personnel to implement the commitments made at Cairo and Beijing by using a gender and rights framework in their work. • Reinforces the analysis of and approach to reproductive health issues from a gender and rights perspective. • Helps applying gender perspective into the different elements of health system: research, policy and programme planning, and monitoring and evaluation 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/

14. WHO – gender more information www.who.int/reproductive-health/gender/ www.who.int/gender/ www.who.int/reproductive-health/global_monitoring/ 05_MGSTAG_MAE_FEB/