African Women are 130 Times More to Die Due to Pregnancy Complications

Sudan Events – Agencies 

UNFPA said in a new report published on Wednesday that African women are 130 times more likely to die due to pregnancy or childbirth complications than women in Europe and Northern America.
Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights, reveals that more than half of all preventable maternal deaths occur in countries which are in a state of crisis or distress.
It highlights the role that racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination play in blocking progress on sexual and reproductive health issues.
Women and girls trapped in poverty are more likely to die prematurely due to lack of sufficient healthcare if they belong to minority groups or are trapped in a conflict setting, according to the findings.
“In the space of a generation, we have reduced the unintended pregnancy rate by nearly one fifth, lowered the maternal death rate by one third, and secured laws against domestic violence in more than 160 countries,” UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem said, launching the report.
But progress is slowing down or stalled in several key areas. In a world where a quarter of women cannot say no to sex with their partner and nearly one in 10 have no say over contraception, 800 women die every day giving birth – a disturbing figure that has remained unchanged since 2016.
Nearly 500 of those preventable deaths per day are happening in countries living through humanitarian crises and conflicts.
“The world made zero progress in saving women from preventable deaths in pregnancy and childbirth,” said Ms. Kanem, adding that for the first time, data was collected on whether women’s bodily autonomy is strengthening over time.