Women's Rights and Health: The Case of Oromo Women in Ethiopia

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodefi-ciency syndrome (AIDS), for which we have no cure or vaccination, is the major health problem in Ethiopia. This epidemic generally has affected poor communities and women. To contain this epidemic, the empowerment of women is essential. In fact, the current working definition of health by the World Health Organization (WHO) makes social well-being a part of everyday living, which is an essential dimension of the quality of life. The concept of quality of life means an opportunity to make choices and even change the situation one is in. Here, the concepts of health and human rights intersect, because quality of life requires freedom of choice, dignity, and respect. Dignity, the right to access basic education and information, as well as the right to life are the major elements of human rights. It is for that purpose that health promotion is intended to enable people to increase their control over determinants of health and thereby improve their health. Women's involvement in outlining the agendas of health promotion is vital to achieve the desired goals. In this article I examine human rights violations in Ethiopia and the lost opportunities for Oromo women to make choices in life within the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Notes

¹In Oromo society, in addition to the biological mother, other women who cared for a person in childhood also are considered mothers and age peer groups are considered as sisters and brothers.

²Smallpox was introduced deliberately to incapacitate the Oromo resistance forces (see also Dugassa, 2003).