No Covid-19 Vaccine Affects Fertility, Clarifies Health Ministry
Hindustan Times - New Delhi, India, 6/30/2021
The Union Health Ministry on July 30, 2021 announced that none of the available vaccines against COVID-19 affects fertility and reassured that all vaccines were authorised for use after being tested for safety and efficacy. The clarification by the ministry came in response to media reports that expressed concerns regarding infertility due to COVID-19 vaccination amongst the population of reproductive age. Dr NK Arora, chairperson of Covid-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) recalled similar claims made in the past about the Polio vaccines in India and abroad that were proven to be false. He assured that all vaccines go through intense scientific research and none of them negatively impact fertility
Coronavirus | Guidelines Issued for Administering COVID-19 Vaccine to Pregnant Women
The Hindu, India, 6/29/2021
The Union Health Ministry has prepared a fact sheet to guide frontline workers and vaccinators on counselling pregnant women about the value and precautions of the COVID-19 vaccine so that they can make an informed decision. According to the fact sheet, more than 90% of infected pregnant women recover without any need for hospitalisation. However, rapid deterioration may occur in a few and therefore, the document advised pregnant women to take the vaccine. The document, structured in the form of questions-answers to make it more accessible for frontline workers, also stated that pregnant women with underlying medical conditions were at a higher risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. The document stressed that pregnancy did not increase the risk of COVID-19 infection.
USAID-FOGSI Release Guidelines for Sexual and Reproductive Awareness Among Youth
Mint, India, 6/28/2021
The Federation of Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on June 28, 2021 released guidelines for adolescent and youth friendly health services (AYFHS) aimed at creating greater awareness on reproductive and sexual health issues for youth. The guidelines will be used by providers as a reference document for provision of high quality, confidential and non-judgemental services to young people. “This is an important proactive step, which can be easily adopted by the current health delivery system,” Dr. Alpesh Gandhi, Immediate Past President, FOGSI, said. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on reproductive health, with the lack of access to contraceptive options during the lockdowns estimated to having caused 2.7 million unwanted pregnancies.
Amid Cases of Rising Domestic Abuse, Kerala to Revise Textbooks to Promote Gender Equality
The New Indian Express - Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 6/27/2021
In the wake of numerous cases of domestic violence coming to the fore, Kerala’s government has decided to revise school textbooks, as a way to inculcate gender equality among children. School textbooks will be screened for words and phrases disparaging women. General Education Minister V Sivankuty said that efforts will also be made to inculcate constitutional values and develop civic consciousness among school students. Addressing a news conference on June 22, 2021, Kerala’s chief minister had underscored the government’s strident stance against gender discrimination, adding that the government would intervene in promoting gender equality in public spaces and the workplace.
Argentine Senate Passes Trans Workers Quota Bill
Merco Press, Argentina, 6/26/2021
Argentina’s Senate has passed a bill mandating that a quota of transgender workers be hired by all government agencies. The bill was endorsed by 55 senators, while only 1 senator voted against it. In Argentina, seven provinces already have a transgender labour quota as do several municipalities. The bill establishes a quota of 1% for national State agencies of all sorts as well as incentives for the hiring of trans people in the private sector. The Executive Branch is yet to pass the bill into law. Minister of Women, Gender, and Diversity, Elisabeth Gómez Alcorta highlighted that this achievement was the end of a road started by Presidential Decree 721/2020, which established the transgender labour quota in the public sector.
China’s LGBT Community Five Times More Likely to Develop Mental Illness and Consider Suicide Than General Public, Report Finds
SCMP - Shenzhen, China, 6/25/2021
The Chinese Gender and Sexual Minorities Psychological Health Survey conducted by the Beijing LGBT Centre found that around 59% of the LGBTQIA+ people surveyed were prone to depression. A sub-section that focussed on transgender people in the report found that 73.3% were prone to depression. The report suggested more monitoring of psychological health for LGBTQIA+ communities and more resources in addition to more support in schools and workplaces. Activist Ah Qiang said the results show that sexual and gender minorities still face discrimination and lack insufficient support at home and in society. Darius Longarino, Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, said that a lack of legal protections also leaves LGBTQIA+ people vulnerable to discrimination, which has mental health consequences.
Odisha Partners with UN WFP to Empower, Support Women through Self-Help Groups
India Today, India, 6/24/2021
The Odisha government and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have joined hands to improve household food and nutritional security by strengthening livelihood initiatives and reaching out to thousands of state-supported Women’s Self-Help Groups (WSHGs). Sujata R Karthikeyan, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Mission Shakti, said that this collaboration will support Women’s Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) by providing technical assistance and capacity development, directly contributing to long-term food security and developing a replicable model. The partnership, effective till December 2023, will also be focusing on improving the linkage of women’s groups with government procurement systems, increasing awareness on entitlements, building capacity of women’s groups, and developing monitoring tools and undertaking evaluations to improve functioning of the groups.
#MeToo: Sri Lanka Probes Sexual Harassment Claims in Newsrooms
Eastern Eye, Sri Lanka, 6/23/2021
Sri Lanka’s government ordered an investigation on June 22, 2021 into sexual harassment in the media after a string of #MeToo allegations from female newsroom staff. The flood of claims began after journalist Sarah Kellapatha tweeted that a male colleague had threatened to rape her while working at an unnamed newspaper from 2010-17. Government spokesman and minister for mass media Keheliya Rambukwella said he had asked the government information department to investigate and ensure women journalists could work in a safe environment. Rambukwella told reporters in Colombo that appropriate action would be taken against the perpetrators. He said he had already ordered the director-general of the information department to launch an investigation into the allegations made on social media.
Imran Khan's Controversial Comments Linking Temptation to Women's Dressing Widely Criticised
The Times of India, Pakistan, 6/22/2021
Angry women opposition parliamentarians in Pakistan have criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan over his controversial statement on women’s dressing, amidst growing instances of rape in the country. In a recent interview, Khan said, “If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. I mean it is common sense.” This comes two months after Imran Khan's comments on sexual violence drew severe backlash, where he had said that the rise in such violence in Pakistan, particularly against children, was caused due to "fahashi" (vulgarity). Official statistics in Pakistan have revealed that at least 11 rape incidents are reported in the country every day.
As India Gets Vaccinated, Women Are Falling Behind. We Must Mind This Gap
The Indian Express, India, 6/21/2021
Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA), Ashoka University, has created a moving map that shows the gender gap in COVID-19 vaccinations. Till June 3, 2021, the female to male ratio for people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in India was 0.90, which means that 90 women received vaccine doses for every 100 men vaccinated. Phase 1 of the vaccination programme covered all healthcare and frontline workers, a large proportion of whom were women. However, as more citizens are voluntarily getting vaccinated, women are falling behind as a matter of concern. Analysis of early evidence, based on crowdsourced data, suggests that men have a higher overall burden of the disease, but women have a higher relative risk of COVID-19 mortality in India.
News Archives
2022
248