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Every two years since 2008, the UN has issued a report on obstetric fistula. "These reports have been growing in scope and expertise, with improved focus and recommendations at each iteration,” reads the joint call. “And still the number of women living with this condition grows each year.”
Initially, the emphasis in early UN reports and resolutions treat the issue under the umbrellas of health and population. “More recent reports place greater emphasis on the human rights dimensions of the issue,” reads the call, further urging that fistula be addressed as such by all UN agencies, as well as country policies and projects.
"Mainstreaming of obstetric fistula as a human rights issue is essential and necessary to ensure that all the women living with this condition receive the necessary treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation and economic reintegration,” reads the call. “Fistula prevention efforts that address medical and social underlying factors should be prioritised and integrated in all sectors of societies.”
