NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MATERNAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS NAMHHR E-Newsletter Issue-8 (November 2012-March 2013)

Right to Maternal Nutrition and Maternity Benefits OCKC NCKNC Submissions Invited NAMHHR developed a policy brief based on the IGMSY study findings and is in the process of disseminating it widely. NAMHHR member, the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) brings out a charter of demands on the Union Budget each year. This year (2013-14), the recommendations drafted by NAMHHR drawn from the IGMSY study findings found a place in the health section of the Charter of demands. NAMHHR brought together representatives from National Trade Union initiative, Mobile Creches and National Alliance on Social Security to discuss the importance of maternity benefits of women working in the the unorganized sector. NAMHHR shared our policy brief and planned future strategies for collaborative action. NAMHHR in collaboration with Coalition Against Two-Child Norm and Coercive Population Policies expressed shock and dismay at the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, with regard to the provisions for maternity benefits in the National Food Security Bill. NAMHHR and the Coalition felt that the recommendations were anti poor and anti Dalit in nature and had a regressive reference to population stabilization. The press note sent out by NAMHHR in this regard has been widely published by online media. Action onNAMHHR cases of Maternal Mortality and Morbidity The press note sent out by has been widely published by online media. NAMHHR advocacy seminar Chronicles of Deaths Foretold findings captured the interest of the Special Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India which led to a special meeting on maternal mortality prevention strategies with the Deputy Commissioners on Maternal Health, MoHFW. NAMHHR members were invited to be a part of "NHRC Working Group" to monitor the GOI's implementation of the recommendations given to it during the UPR 2 presentation. The NHRC Working Group is engaged in preparing monitorable indicator on the basis of which the GOIs implementation of the recommendations could be measured. Following this NAMHHR submitted its recommendations to the National Human Right Commission (NHRC). NAMHHR (represented by Ms. Jashodhara Dasgupta, Dr. Abhijit Das and Ms. Jaya Velankar) participated in UPR-2 follow-up meeting, organized by the NHRC on 5 February 2013 in Delhi. NAMHHR organized a second national capacity building follow-up workshop on Community-based Maternal Death Review (MDR) in New Delhi from the 17th 19th December 2012. This was attended by 18 of the former participants from the 6 states who were provided with expert feedback on the maternal death cases they had documented in the field. NAMHHR also held two local Capacity building workshops on the MDR Tool in Lucknow from Nov 5-7 and in Varanasi from 29th -30th Nov.

15 May 2013 deadline to submit Case Studies and Evidence to the independent Expert Review Group (iERG ), http://www.who.int/w oman_child_accountabi lity/ierg/reports/call_c ase_studies/en/index.h tml http://www.who.int/w oman_child_accountabi lity/ierg/reports/call_e vidence/en/index.html

Upcoming Events A third national capacity building follow-up workshop will be organized to SEWA Rural in Jhagadia district, Gujarat (tentatively in end of June) NAMHHR Meetings NAMHHR SC conference call meeting on 20th December 2012. NAMHHR SC meeting on 15-16th March 2013.

NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MATERNAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS NAMHHR E-Newsletter Issue-8 (November 2012-March 2013)

Alliance Building Efforts NAMHHR members attended the National Convention on Universalizing Health Care for All in New Delhi, 28-29 November 2012 organized by JSA. The convention included discussions on the issues of opposing privatisation of Health Care Services, strengthening, expanding and reorienting Public Health Services and Demanding Universal Access to Health Care Services and Medicines. NAMHHR members attended various Right to Food planning meetings to organise a Campaign Demonstration on the National Food Security Act, New Delhi on 13-15th December 2012. The NAMHHR convenor was invited to speak on the issue of maternal nutrition and the need for universal unconditional Maternity Entitlements. NAMHHR endorsed a statement protesting against Cash Transfers/Food and UID drafted and circulated by RTF Campaign on 20th December 2012. NAMHHR Secretariat was invited to participate in a National Consultation on Post 2015 Agenda organized by WNTA held on 27th of December 2012. NAMHHR members participated in RTF Dharna held on 19th-22nd March 2013. NAMHHR member participated in a National Consultation Strengthening Legal Entitlements for Young Children" organized by Mobile Creches held on the 7th-8th March 2013. NAMHHR policy brief on maternity benefits was disseminated widely during the consultation.

Partner Updates Jan Sahas and Rastriya Garima Abhiyan culminated a Nationwide March Maila Mukti Yatra at New Delhi on 31st Jan 2013 to eradicate the inhuman practice of Manual Scavenging.

Ms. Priya John who has been closely associated with NAMHHR's work in Jharkhand on MDR has been selected as a Maternal Health Young Champion 2013 by the Institute of International Education and the Maternal Health Task Force at Harvard School of Public Health. Healthwatch Forum Uttar Pradesh participated in a large rally in Lucknow on Womens Day (8th March 2013) to demand better quality and more accountable maternal health services and submitted a petition to the Chief Minister of UP.

New Resources on Maternal Health and Rights NAMHHR report on IGMSY scheme was disseminated to the public health activists' group Medico Friends Circle(MFC) in February 2013, A paper on Maternity and women wage workers in the informal sector was prepared for MFC, http://www.mfcindia.org/main/bgpapers/bgpapers2013/am/bgpap2013N.pdf Meeting the community halfway to reduce maternal deaths? Evidence from a community-based maternal death review in Uttar Pradesh, India :Global Health: Science and Practice 2013 http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/1/1/84.full.pdf+html A paper which discusses an approach to verbal autopsies that engages with the Rashomon phenomenon affecting ex post facto constructions of death and responds to the call for maternal safety http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17441692.2013.772219 The Center for Reproductive Rights, with support from UNFPA, has recently released a new publication: Reproductive Rights: A Tool for Monitoring State Obligations http://reproductiverights.org/en/document/monitoring-tool-human-rights-state-obligations

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