Maternal Health and Rights - Campaigns
Complete Citizen Total Rights (Puri Nagrik Pura Haq) Based on suggestions from partners that the right to maternal health needed to be given much more visibility, a campaign was launched in March 2006 under the banner “Complete Citizens Total Rights” (Puri Nagrik Pura Haq) in order to generate greater political will for improving maternal health services in Uttar Pradesh. The campaign ran from March 6th (Celebration of Women Day) to May 28th, 2006 (International Day of Action on Women’s Health) and included events at both the district and state levels. This campaign was carried out by a coalition of partner organizations, women’s organizations and other allies and activists, including WAMA, Healthwatch Forum and MASVAW Networks, AIPWA, and Mahila Federation, and was anchored by SAHAYOG. The two main objectives of the campaign were:
Campaign activities were held in 15 districts and included collecting 35,000 signatures, pamphlets and poster dissemination, screenings of the film “Citizens without Rights”, meetings with Panchayats & elected representatives for greater political ownership of issue, lobbying with political actors to visit health centres, press conferences and media advocacy. At the state level in Lucknow, there were several demonstrations with visual representation of maternal deaths, as well as dialogue with the Director General (DG) of Family Welfare, the State Commission for Women (SCW), 45 legislators in the UP state Legislative Assembly, and a delegation to meet the Minister of Family Welfare and the Chief Secretary. The campaign received widespread media coverage, and a total of 90 articles were published about campaign activities. The campaign ended with the formation of a group of women leaders called Women’s Health Rights Forum, known in Hindi as Mahila Swasthya Adhikar Manch (MSAM).
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