"You will not find a more comprehensive collection of articles that hit on the primary issues in the field. Perfect for teaching an undergraduate audience."
—Dr. Yasmina Katsulis, Assistant Professor, Women and Gender Studies Program
Honors Faculty and Faculty Honors Advisor, Arizona State University
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"Previous books in this area have addressed some of the issues influencing women's health; this book goes beyond to include current and emerging issues such as wars, terrorism, and human trafficking, as well as harmful cultural practices and their impact on women's physical and mental health. As a scholar in the area of women's health, I highly recommend this book as an excellent resource for a variety of professionals, students, consumers, and policy makers in the various domains of women's health."
—Memoona Hasnain, MD, MHPE, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine (For Doody's Book Review Service, July 24, 2009)
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“Women’s Global Health and Human Rights is a treasure trove for activists, academics and practitioners struggling to understand the dynamics of globalization and how it affects the everyday lives and health of women around the world. Driven by a social justice framework, the collection demonstrates how health and well-being are shaped by the political, cultural and economic structures of our world. At a time of global financial crisis when governments are finally rejecting neo-liberalism and searching for alternative development paths this book provides much needed illumination. It will be an essential handbook for all those involved in the global struggle for health and justice.”
—Fran Baum, Co-Chair, Global Steering Council People’s Health Movement, Commissioner, Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, Director Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity, Flinders University Adelaide, Australia
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“In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt identified health as part of the four essential freedoms and listed health as one of the rights needed for economic security without which ‘true individual freedom cannot exist’. While more recently Amartya Sen has further expanded this concept of the rights to health as integral to freedom, the WHO has argued that "[W]ithout health, other rights have little meaning." Padmini Murthy's exploration of the right to health challenges and enriches our understanding of rights and freedoms and provides a critical gender perspective to the literature on economic, social and cultural rights."
—Rangita de Silva de Alwis, Director of International Human Rights Policy, Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College
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"Education and health are inextricably linked human rights: to engage in education one must be healthy enough to participate in learning; to care for herself and others, women must be able to access the information with which to do so effectively. This book is a vital resource for those who believe in and advocate for improved access to health and education for women and girls throughout the world.”
—Alison Overseth, President, Board of Directors, Partnership for After School Education, Vice chair Board of Directors, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
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“At a time when human suffering is on the rise, the disease is easy to identify -- greed, violence, inequity and discrimination in all its forms. Women, and their children, are often the first and most ravaged by such a disease. This impressive work by some of the greatest thinkers of our time makes an overall compelling argument that the cure lies in the recognition and protection of basic human rights, in particular economic and social rights. The right to health, and all other rights upon which it depends such as housing, food and security, carries a demand that we build rational and effective social systems centered on human development and human dignity. We can afford to ask no less of ourselves.”
—Cathy Albisa, Executive Director, National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
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“Shockingly women still suffer so much, from violence, trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, war, and avoidable illness. Their rights to health are often ignored. This book explains what can and must be done. It is essential reading for all those who want to see women’s rights respected, in health, in peace and in development, and who have a vision of that goal finally being achieved”
—Richard Alderslade, Chief Executive of the Children’s High Level Group, London, Adjunct Professor of Public and Health Administration at the Robert F Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, Former Senior External Relations Officer at the WHO Office at the United Nations in New York
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“This is THE call to action. A movement to raise awareness and fight unnecessary disease and deaths among half our planet’s inhabitants who suffer ill health and violence simply due to their gender. Drs. Murthy and Smith, along with an impressive cast of international professionals, are the authors of a true movement. Their work finally makes the fifth Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality a moral global commitment and a reachable reality. "This book is a must read for politicians, health providers, students and all who believe in justice and fairness for all independent of race, gender, origin or economic status.”
—Elvira Beracochea, MD. MPH, Author, Speaker and Global Health Expert, President, MIDEGO, Inc., Chair of the Board, Health for All NOW Foundation, Member, International Human Rights Committee of the American Public Health Association
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“There is an urgent need in the world for attention, political will and financial support to ensure women's rights. Equality for women cannot be merely an ideal -- it must become a reality soon. No nation can fully develop economically without the participation of half its citizens. The authors of this book frame the fight for the basic human right of every woman to a life of health, dignity and respect. I expect readers to be inspired to take action to ensure that globally, everywoman is guaranteed a life of health and dignity.”
—Anika Rahman, President, Americans for UNFPA
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“Women's empowerment and health are inextricably linked. Both hinge on securing human rights, irrespective of geographic boundaries. The transnational discourse this book presents is a critical piece of scholarship for all public health advocates concerned about how the global and local affect women.”
—Mehret Mandefro, MD, MSc, Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Senior Fellow, www.truthaids.org, Managing Editor, Featured in documentary film "All of Us"
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"Murthy & Smith’s Women’s Global Health and Human Rights reinforces the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that everyone has the right to quality health care.”
—Kathleen Durham, Executive Director, Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill
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"Women's empowerment and health are inextricably linked. Both hinge on securing human rights, irrespective of geographic boundaries. The transnational discourse this book presents is a critical piece of scholarship for all public health advocates concerned about how the global and local affect women."
—Mehret Mandefro, MD, MSc, Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Senior Fellow, www.truthaids.org, Managing Editor , Featured in documentary film "All of Us"
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"As former WHO Director-General, Gro Harlem Brundtland, once said, "No country treats their women the same as they treat their men." Gender differences play a very significant role in the different burden of disease between men and women. Adding a gender perspective means more than talking about how diseases are different between females and males. It also means looking at the gender roles and norms and the balance of power between women and men. This book by Dr. Murthy and Dr. Smith will go a long way in bringing understanding and solutions to ensure that women and girls have access to the health care that is their human right."
—Shelley Ross, MD, Secretary-General,, Medical Women's International Association