May 28 International Day of Action for Women's Health.

Health clearly reflects the many inequities of women's daily lives. Nevertheless, the true extent of these disparities were not understood until very recently when gender perspective explained how the social constructs of female and male account for men's position of domination and privilege and women's subordination and unequal access to resources and social services. Furthermore, this asymmetry between the sexes seriously impedes women's ability to exercise their right to health.

Inspired from the beginning by this new, feminist vision of women's health care, the women's health movement demanded that the health sector establish programs which incorporate not only biological differences between women and men, but also gender differences.

In this context, the International Day of Action for Women's Health--commemorated each May 28- was established in response to women's urgent need for optimal health care throughout their lives, taking into account the factor of gender.

This Day of Action was established in 1987 in San Jose, Costa Rica, during a meeting organized by the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR). At this gathering, the Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network (LACWHN) proposed the creation of a day for international action.

It was decided that women's groups in each country would organize local campaigns, highlighting issues related to maternal mortality and morbidity. This day of raising public awareness about maternal deaths has changed over the years to include not only denunciations and protests but also proposals and invitations to those in other social sectors to join in the struggle. In this way, we gained the political support of health professionals and academics who took up the cause of women's health.

In 1995, after a number of years of WGNRR's and LACWHN's joint coordination of the May 28 campaign, it became necessary to evaluate our achievements. WGNRR initiated a global review by region which resulted in a consensus to reformulate the focus of this traditional campaign. Although maternal mortality continues to be a serious health problem for women--above all in certain parts of Asia, Central America and especially Africa--it was necessary to incorporate new issues which had arisen from social and economic transformations taking place in many countries which were having a negative impact on women's lives and health.

From then on and in accordance with the agreement reached at the evaluation meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cuenca, Ecuador, 1996), women's organizations in our region began the Campaign for the Exercise of Sexual and Reproductive Rights, taking measures to ensure that this revolutionary paradigm--which largely emerged from the efforts of the international women's movement--continues in full force.

The broad conceptual focus of the Campaign has allowed for the incorporation of numerous topics, according to the priorities of each country or region. The campaign Calls for Action reflect this diversity.

May 28 Calls for Action, since 1996

* 1996--9th Call for Action: Maternal Mortality and Morbidity, Evaluating Eight Years of Campaign to Keep Advancing.

* 1997--Access to Quality Health Care, A Woman's Right.

* 1998--Access to Quality Health Care, A Woman's Right.

* 1999--Access for Adolescents to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education, Information and Services.

* 2000--Access for Adolescents to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education, Information and Services.

* 2001--Women's Right to Health: A Civil Right.

* 2002--Citizens Speak Out: Health is Our Civil Right!

* 2003--Maternal Mortality: An Issue of Human Rights, A Matter of Social Justice.

May 28 Campaigns: Participating Groups and Countries *

1996            1997           1998           1999

25 groups       25 groups      40 groups      106 groups
11 countries    10 countries   14 countries   15 countries

Argentina       Argentina      Argentina      Argentina
Bolivia         Chile          Bolivia        Bolivia
Chile           Colombia       Brazil         Brazil
Costa Rica      Costa Rica     Colombia       Chile
Ecuador         Dominican      Costa Rica     Colombia
                Republic
El Salvador     Ecuador        Ecuador        Costa Rica
Guatemala       Mexico         Guatemala      Dominican
                                              Republic
Mexico          Nicaragua      Honduras       Ecuador
Nicaragua       Paraguay       Mexico         Honduras
Peru            Uruguay        Nicaragua      Mexico
Puerto Rico                    Paraguay       Nicaragua
                               Peru           Peru
                               Puerto Rico    Puerto Rico
                               Venezuela

2000           2001           2002

150 groups     119 groups     170 groups
14 countries   12 countries   14 countries

Argentina      Argentina      Argentina
Bolivia        Bolivia        Bolivia
Brazil         Brazil         Brazil
Chile          Chile          Chile
Colombia       Colombia       Colombia
Costa Rica     Costa Rica     Costa Rica
Dominican      Dominican      Ecuador
Republic       Republic
Ecuador        Mexico         Haiti
Mexico         Nicaragua      Mexico
Nicaragua      Peru           Nicaragua
Peru           Uruguay        Peru
Puerto Rico    Venezuela      Puerto Rico
Uruguay                       Uruguay
Venezuela                     Venezuela

* table prepared by Ana Maria Pizarro, SI Mujer