Women's body and empowerment

Hi, I am Kajal from India.  I am associated with a women organization called MASUM, where I am  working with rural women on their health rights issues. Most of the women in our area are doing hard work in the agriculture field and living with dual burden of work at the home and on field. Unfortunately, our society has developed sham around women body from their childhood. Women are suffering with many menstrual and reproductive health problems but don't access timely treatment. Many social and economic constrains are prohibiting their timely access to health care services in our area. Public hospitals in rural areas are focusing on only maternal health care services and neglecting other reproductive health care needs. Private health care sector is expensive and exploitative. That leads to unnecessary delay and burden of reproductive health morbidities in women such as uterine cancer, RTIs and prolapse.  

For last 30 years, MASUM is trying to address this problem by health education, campaign and self-health programme . We have feminist health centers to provide gynecological examination and pre-screening of cervical cancer, breast examination along with  primary treatment and counseling facility through trained community health workers at village.

 This has changed their health seeking behavior and saved unnecessary early age hysterectomies in them. Not only this but they are motivating other women with gynecological health problems to seek timely help and go for cervical cancer pre-screening. Not only this but they are empowered to demand their health care rights in public spaces.