In this week’s Must Reads: Invitation to Every Woman Virtual Event. Pregnancy Resource Hub from Every Mother Counts. New UNFPA projections predict calamitous impact on women’s health as COVID-19 pandemic continues. In Mexico, three sisters – two nurses and a hospital administrator – are found murdered. Young mother from Navajo Nation dies from COVID-19 after organizing safe practices for her community. Faulty masks for pregnant women in Japan. 1. Invitation to Virtual Event: On Monday, May 11th at 5:00 PM GMT / 1:00 PM EDT Experts from Pakistan, Nigeria, Russia, and Afghanistan will discuss the intersecting pandemics: COVID-19 and Violence Against Women and Girls. Forced to shelter in place with their abusers, women and girls are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 global lockdowns. Hotlines are receiving a spike in calls for help, home invasions and sexual violence are on the rise in some countries, some hotlines are longer staffed as governments focus on the Coronavirus. We will also discuss our global week of solidarity with survivors around the world inspired by Mexican artist Elina Chauvet’s Red Shoes protest beginning on June 4, 2020. Join via Zoom.
2. Mexico: The Coahuila Ministry of Public Security reports that three sisters who worked for the Social Security Institute (IMSS) were found strangled to death in Torreón on Friday. SAY THEIR NAMES: According to the authorities, the victims were nurses Cecilia Pérez, 48, and Dora Pérez, 56, and 59-year-old Araceli Pérez who worked as a secretary for the IMSS. (Mexico News Daily)
Related: Three sisters who worked in Mexico’s government hospital system were found murdered in the northern border state of Coahuila, stirring new alarm in a country where attacks on health care workers have occurred across the nation amid the coronavirus outbreak. Two were nurses, the other a hospital administrator. (New York Times)
3. Navajo Nation. At least 70 Navajo Nation members have died from COVID-19. Among them was Valentina Blackhorse, a 28 year old mother and community leader. She left behind a daughter named Poet and a legacy of fierce dedication to her culture and her community. (NPR) (NYT Obituary)
4. Pandemic threatens achievement of the Transformative Results committed to by UNFPA. More than 47 million women could lose access to contraception, leading to 7 million unintended pregnancies in the coming months. Additional impacts on family planning, Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage (UNFPA) (UNFPA Report)
5. Faulty masks for pregnant women are latest problem for Japan’s government. Some 300,000 coronavirus masks sent to pregnant women in Japan as part of a government handout have been found to be faulty, media reported on Tuesday, the latest in a string of complaints about how the government has dealt with the epidemic. (Reuters)
SPECIAL READ
- From Every Mother Counts: Information and Resource Hub related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic for mothers-to-be, physicians, doulas, midwives, and caregivers. (Every Mother Counts)
- The Rotary Foundation: Now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Rotary Peace Fellowship program. Candidates have until 31 May to submit applications to their district. Districts must submit endorsed applications to The Rotary Foundation by 1 July. (Rotary) (BBC)
Menu
