Pregnant women and nursing mothers are particularly dependent on ending violent conflicts
Vienna (OTS/SK) – In 2024, we will also be celebrating Mother’s Night in the run-up to Mother’s Day to draw attention to the issue of maternal mortality. Through its membership in the United Nations, Austria is obliged to contribute to reducing maternal mortality. Between 2000 and 2020, global maternal mortality fell by 34 percent. “We have achieved a lot here worldwide. But there is still a lot to do,” says Petra Bayr, SPÖ spokesperson for foreign policy and global development. This year, the United Nations reports 295 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The goal of Agenda 2030 is to reduce global maternal mortality to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. ****
“Mothers in the Gaza Strip are currently particularly affected. Currently, only 33 percent of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and 30 percent of primary health care centers are functioning to some extent amid repeated attacks and shortages of vital medical supplies, fuel and personnel, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 3, 2024 . “There are currently around 155,000 women in the Gaza Strip who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and 5,500 are expected to give birth next month – often without adequate care,” said Bayr.
The MP also advocates that other regions should not be neglected by the current conflicts: “Sudanese women and girls are also paying a high price for the violence in their country and are the main victims of a humanitarian crisis that remains largely invisible to the world. More than 7,000 new mothers could die in the coming months if their nutritional and health needs are not met. In addition, there are no resources to care for the increasing number of premature births due to the insecurity, stress and malnutrition of pregnant women. Delayed emergency obstetric care and births in places with poor sanitation are likely to worsen infant and maternal mortality rates in Sudan,” the MP notes.
“We must do everything we can to bring an end to the conflicts we are currently seeing around the world. Because these numbers represent an entire generation of mothers who are defenseless against the acts of war and their consequences.” And in the end, the suffering of each individual mother represents an entire family,” said Bayr, who is also President of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF). (End) sd/up
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