International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2024: Theme, History and Significance

The International Day of Action for Women’s Health is observed on May 28 every year around the world to take amplify demands for sexual and reproductive health and rights and justice for women.

At a time where systematic violations of women’s human rights, especially those related to sexual and reproductive health, persist on a global scale, it is imperative that we mobilise our communities and beyond to fight against any repression of our rights and promote sexual and reproductive justice for one and all.

Women ought to live happy, healthy lives free from discrimination and abuse. Sexual and reproductive autonomy, privacy, and education are some of the basic rights they deserve. Activists for sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) travel around the world advocating for women’s implementation of these essential rights.

International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2024: Theme

In 2024, the theme for the International Day of Action for Women’s Health is “Mobilizing in critical times of threats and opportunities.”

The SRHR activists, like every year, have this time too urged allies to join hands and assemble more and more people to fight for the cause of women’s sexual and reproductive lives.

International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2024: History

Back in 1987, during the International Women’s Health Meeting in Costa Rica, the the Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) had proposed to mark May 28 as the International Day of Action for Women’s Health every year.

While the LACWHN took the responsibility to promote and coordinate the regional actions, the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) spreads the campaign globally. Both these networks work closely with the group of core active members to coordinate the campaign efforts.

The two organisations have over the years maintained the campaign through collaborative ‘Calls for Action’, with each year focusing on a particular topic related to women’s health. Some of these topics include access to quality health care, feminisation of poverty, access to safe and legal abortion, women and HIV/AIDS among several others.

International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2024: Significance

This day is marked every year to celebrate the fights undertaken in order to secure women’s sexual and reproductive rights. This is the time when the SRHR activists take inspiration from the efforts made so far through various social campaigns across the globe and move ahead with new goals in lives.

Since its launch in 1987, this day has been recognised by multiple governments and international agencies as well as civil society organisations around the world. It further urges the governments and policy-makers to take into consideration such campaigns and implement judicial and legislative reforms to support sexual and reproductive rights of women.