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Produced for LMC-TVbyFran Snedeker |
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Produced for LMC-TVbyFran Snedeker |
Every woman has a right to a safe delivery.
Yet statistics state that 40% of all pregnancies experience complications.
Ask a person from the developed world about “obstetric fistula” and it’s likely you’ll get a blank stare. That’s not surprising considering that this horrific obstetric disorder was eradicated in the industrialized nations at the end of the 19th century when quality prenatal and emergency obstetric care were made readily available to pregnant women. But for over 2 million affected young mothers in the developing world who lack access to such care, they are left struggling with a condition that has left them permanently incontinent, childless and ostracized from their families and communities. The international community is calling it a silent epidemic. But, fortunately, they say, one that has a durable solution.
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Fistula - which debilitates at least 50,000-100,000 women per year yet is preventable and can be treated affordably - is only one of several women's reproductive health issues under threat from lack of resources and commitment from the industrialized world. Although world leaders who met for the groundbreaking gatherings of both the Cairo conference (ICPD) in 1994 and the Beijing World Conference on Women in 1995 pledged to allocate considerable resources toward making reproductive health programs available to women in developing countries, the reality is the international community has fallen short of
where they should have thus far. The result is an increase in unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and a rise in HIV prevalence rates all of which represent a dire threat to women and their chance for healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries. Meanwhile, lack of sufficient communications resources to raise the public’s attention on the matter perpetuates a de-prioritization of women’s health.
With support from the Campaign to End Fistula (UNFPA) , EngenderHealth, the International Center for Research on Women, the Feminist Majority Foundation, One By One Project and Women's Dignity Project the film LOVE, LABOR, LOSS intends to increase awareness of obstetric fistula through the power of a strong and compelling story told through the medium of film. The film is intended for the NGO community, to be used as a tool in educating the general public, policy makers, funders and others about the importance of prioritizing women's health.
Produced and directed by Lisa Russell, MPH an independent filmmaker
and international public health specialist, and produced by Carrie Svingen,
formerly Communications Manager of EngenderHealth, LOVE, LABOR, LOSS
may be used as an organizing tool by international agencies and local
community groups in their activities commemorating the 10th Anniversary
of the ICPD and the 10th Anniversary of the Beijing Women's Conference.
Produced strategically to engage a Western audience who might not normally
be interested in international programming, the film will profile powerful
storylines about developments in reproductive health through a spotlight
on obstetric fistula and the links to broader issue of sexual and reproductive
rights and safe motherhood.
With distribution to local groups throughout the U.S. who will arrange screenings and discussions of the film in their communities - utilizing a comprehensive website that gives information about the issues and guidelines on how to use the film - LOVE, LABOR, LOSS intends to mobilize a Western audience to influence social change by prioritizing women's reproductive rights in the fundraising/philanthropy community and addressing legislation in the U.S. and Europe that threatens women's reproductive rights.