Suchergebnisse

This is a conference paper. ; The first democratic government in 1994 inherited an estimated backlog of 12 million South Africans mainly rural without access to safe water and another 21 million without sanitation. By 1999, 5.6 million rural people and 4 million urban people had improved water and sanitation access. Despite these achievements, the current Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry noted that at the current rate of delivery it could take the sector 20 years to attain the sector's goals of providing potable water to the rural populace. The government has embarked on a programme of accelerating the provision of adequate sanitation for all by 2010.

The paper has focused upon understanding the politics of health during the British Raj in the light of venereal diseases. It is an attempt to analyze the role venereal diseases came to play in the regulation of sexuality of the Indian natives (particularly those that did not fall within the Victorian norms of respectability). The introduction of biomedicine in the colonies was an administrative necessity and a part of a larger project of cultural hegemony. The attempt has been to highlight hegemonic concern far beyond the concern of the public health of the 'natives'; the relationship of knowledge, power and sexuality (as surveillance). The feminine body in particular came to be analyzed as being thoroughly saturated with sexuality. Review of literature suggests women's sexuality, eugenics and racism were predominant themes in the discussions of both the colonialists and the nationalists. The women's body in India during the colonial rule became the focus of debates. However, the issue of women's health was never brought up. I will attempt to discuss the plight of native Indian women, particularly, the prostitutes whose sexuality first came to be controlled and then go on to looking at the challenges posed by alternate sexualities. The research involves an examination of GOI Home-Public files and Annual Lock Hospital Reports (North-Western Provinces and Oudh) along with an examination of the existing historical literature available on women's health in colonial India from 1860 to 1930. There has been a deliberate omission and an invisibility of alternate sexualities in the archival sources (for it disturbed the image of colonial heterosexual masculinity). In the absence of official records, the attempt has been to look beyond archival sources; and use unofficial cultures of sexuality, i.e., the fictions of the British Raj as well as 'footpath' magazines (Nar Naree, Hum Dono). These themes were common in journals of sex-education as well as 'advice' and 'discussion' publications.

The recent global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has aroused public concern on environmental health and hygiene. Develops a practical assessment scheme for assessing the health and hygiene performance of apartment buildings in Hong Kong. The scheme involves assessing a hierarchy of building factors that have a bearing on environmental qualities, and thus occupants' health. Proposes an index method to integrate the assessment outcomes into a simple and user- friendly performance indicator for public consumption. The index can inform the public of the health and hygiene risk of different buildings and facilitate building owners, developers, and government bodies to make more informed and socially responsible decisions on environmental health and hygiene improvement. Although the assessment scheme is tailored for the institutional and cultural settings of Hong Kong, the assessment framework for the development of the scheme is also applicable to other cities. ; published_or_final_version

Comfortable management of menstruation is a fundamental need for all women of reproductive age, and its absence is a denial of their basic rights. Yet millions of women and girls do not have access to menstrual hygiene facilities. Through archival research and qualitative document analysis of reports from several multilateral organizations, this paper shows that the issue of menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) has been largely absent from the global development agenda, despite its significant impact on women's health, education, income, and well-being. It argues that three issue attributes—measurability, cultural sensitivity, and background characteristics of the affected population—have hindered the recognition and prioritization of MHH. The paper contributes to the interdisciplinary literature on agenda-setting, global health, and social movements, and to development studies more broadly. It draws attention to an under-researched subject and is the first, to my knowledge, to examine why MHH was not adopted as an issue of significance within global health. By doing so, this paper offers valuable insights for scholars and practitioners interested in advancing women's reproductive health and rights and gender equality.

Menstruation, an essential and healthy biological function, is cloaked in a culture of silence. Sociocultural norms at the family and community level play a pivotal role in shaping how young unmarried women understand and manage their monthly period. Less is known about how unmarried young women living in low-income urban areas in India seek help for their menstrual needs. This qualitative study seeks to understand how young unmarried women (aged 15–24) living in a slum settlement understand menstruation and perceive menstrual problems, and identifies factors that influence their help-seeking behaviour for menstrual needs and problems. It also proposes recommendations for national health programmes addressing menstrual health and hygiene.The findings echo previous research findings emphasising young unmarried women's low levels of awareness and misconceptions about menstruation. These girls perceived menstrual problems as a key concern, as it significantly interfered with their daily routine and caused emotional distress. Young women's ability and willingness to seek help to address menstrual needs is influenced by a culture of silence that surrounds menstruation, excessive scrutiny and blaming by the community, and restrictions on their mobility and interactions with peers. The findings underscore the role of mothers as gatekeepers who greatly influence young women's perceptions of menstruation and menstrual problems and their ability to seek help.Existing interventions need to be expanded to address young women's need for emotional and social support, and to involve significant gatekeepers such as mothers in promoting the health and well-being of young unmarried women in slum communities. Intervention strategies should be expanded to enhance the capacity of mothers to recognise, understand and address their teenage daughters' needs for information, emotional support and access to essential clinical and social services.

This is a conference paper. ; Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is one of the poorest countries in South-East Asia and is trying to move from a land-locked country to a land-linked country. Rural water supply, sanitation, health and hygiene promotion are principal focus areas for Lao PDR for her National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy. The National Centre for Environmental Health and Water Supply (commonly known as Nam Saat) is responsible for the rural water supply and sanitation (RWSS) sector in Lao PDR, which includes facilitating for planning and implementation of the RWSS programme. Many major steps have been taken to put forward the agenda. However, many more steps need to be taken. This paper briefly highlights the background of health and hygiene promotional activities in Lao PDR, including lessons learned on new ways of looking into health and hygiene promotional activities that have been undertaken in Lao PDR.