PHA-Exchange> New publication: the Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument (HeRWAI)

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

Please note that all queries should be directed to <s.bakker at hom.nl> or
<info at hom.nl>

 
New publication: 
The Health Rights of Women Assessment Instrument (HeRWAI)

HeRWAI is a practical tool for organizations that want to bring a human
rights approach into practice. It contains practical guidance for a
rights based analysis of the influence of a policy on women's health
rights. Through a HeRWAI analysis, organizations can link what actually
happens with what should happen according to the human rights
obligations of a country. The analysis includes local, national and
international influences and is based on the norms set by CEDAW and
ICESCR. It results in practical recommendations and an action plan to
lobby for implementation of the recommendations.

HeRWAI is designed for NGOs, in particular women's organizations, health
organizations and human rights organizations. It helps them in a
practical way in their advocacy to make governments accountable for the
implementation of women's health rights.

 

The purpose of the HeRWAI impact assessment is to produce arguments
which can be used to lobby for policies that improve the implementation
of women's health rights. Using HeRWAI to analyse a policy should help
to:

- make a direct link between the policy and relevant human rights
issues;

- gain a better understanding of the current situation;

- make an assessment of the human rights impact of the policy, both now
and in the future;

- form a conclusion about what the government should do and what the
organization can do to press the government into action. 

 

HeRWAI is developed by the Humanist Committee on Human Rights, in close
cooperation with Naripokkho in Bangladesh, the Federation of Women
Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya), 

Servicio Integral para la Mujer (Si Mujer) in Nicaragua, International
Women's Rights Action Watch - Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP) in Malaysia and
Wemos in the Netherlands. It is an innovative instrument because:

*	It provides a practical tool for rights based analysis
*	It enables NGOs to analyse national as well as international
human rights responsibilities
*	It integrates women's rights (CEDAW) and health rights (ICESCR)
*	It creates an additional way for NGOs to use Human Rights
treaties

 

Four organizations in Pakistan, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Netherlands
tested HeRWAI. The organizations concluded that HeRWAI is a strategic
tool to enhance their lobby activities. The instrument is user friendly;
the users do not need to be a researcher to do the analysis. The
organizations valued the link between health rights, women's rights and
human rights and noted that it is good to have international law
(commitments) as a starting point in the discussion with the government.
The instrument made them think of issues they would not have thought of
otherwise and look at issues from different angles. Moreover, the rights
based questions they asked created awareness among policy makers and
others whom they approach to collect information. 

 

The tool itself is largely self-explanatory. However, most organizations
are not familiar with this way of working. HOM therefore aims to support
organizations that start working with HeRWAI. For more information
please contact s.bakker at hom.nl 


To download the document, go to 
http://www.hom.nl/publicaties/HeRWAI%20def05%20totaal.pdf
<http://www.hom.nl/publicaties/HeRWAI%20def05%20totaal.pdf> 

To order hard copies of HeRWAI, contact HOM via info at hom.nl (free,
except for postage and packing).

 


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