Luncheon Report
Speaking to members today was Sarah Spronk, Ph.D. in International Health and Human Rights. Sarah is Head of the Political, Press and Cultural Affairs Dept. of the Dutch Embassy in Argentina. Sarah’s work focuses on international health and human rights, particularly on the health and reproductive rights of women, children and families. Sarah introduced us to a new term, “autonomama,” meaning the right to reproductive health, and the right to make our own choices.
Sarah’s talk focused on three extremely important areas: the right to comprehensive, age-appropriate education about sexuality and reproduction; the right to easily accessible health care, including the full range of contraceptive services; and the right to good, affordable health care to assure a safe pregnancy and delivery. Sarah noted that too many young women around the world are having babies before their bodies are fully-grown. This places a severe limit on young women’s right to education, which in turn limits their right to meaningful work and important life choices.
Most adolescents worldwide learn about sex from their peers. Currently, one out of every 6 babies in Argentina is borne by a girl under 18. Most young women and men do not know how to prevent pregnancy, and have no idea what respectful male-female relationships look like. Both sexes are in desperate need of education on this topic. How do we empower young men to respect women’s rights? How do we counteract gender violence? Sarah suggested that perhaps some headway could be made through sports. Sarah also touched on the role of parents in facilitating their children’s education and life choices. She noted that empowerment includes listening to kids’ experiences, and checking for comprehension when sharing reproductive health information with young people.
Ms. Spronk spoke at length about child marriage. This is a topic more easily approached than contraception and abortion, which are taboo in some societies, but underage marriage is a cultural practice. Fifty million underage girls are married every year, worldwide. This is a stunning figure. Most cultures have adapted to the modern world, but sexual practices have simply not changed. A high percentage of babies born to girls under 18 die in the first month of life. Worldwide, childbirth is the 2nd leading cause of death in girls ages 15-19. Contributing factors are poverty, lack of access to education, lack of reproductive health knowledge, and the belief, in many cultures, that men have a “right” to sex. Sarah did not bring up the topic of abortion. Perhaps this is not a polite luncheon topic. She did, however, briefly discuss the role of social media, advertising and popular culture in promoting young women’s sexuality, which has made it the “new normal.”
After a stimulating question and answer session, President Mariel Birnbaumer gifted Ms. Spronk with a photo by fellow member Masako Kano, and the meeting was adjourned at 2:35 pm.
Minutes submitted by Willow Running Hawk
Luncheon Announcement
Sarah Spronk presently heads the Political, Press and Culture Department at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Argentina. She has specialized in international health and human rights, international health and medical anthropology, all with a focus on children and families. Empowering people is a central part of both her academic and program-related work to enhance health, protection and well-being.
In her PhD research, Spronk focuses on realizing children’s right to ‘the highest attainable standard of health’. In addition, she is involved in community projects for children in The Hague, integrating sports activities, health assessments and children’s rights training. Between 2013 and 2016, she worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taskforce on woman’s rights and gender equality and as advisor on health policy, covering issues such as family health, child marriages, teenage pregnancies, sexual violence and HIV/Aids.
In her words: “Children's rights are a relatively young area in law practice... developments are strongly needed, such as (legal) support for children suffering from maltreatment, refugee children, child soldiers, sick children, orphans and juveniles. Whereas many of these children are vulnerable, I find a great motivation in their resilience and creativity to improve their living conditions. The right to participation of children is one of the main pillars of the United Nations Children's Rights Convention. Its aim is to give children an active role in all matters affecting them, such as decisions on medical treatments, custody, protection measures and many others. I believe the fulfillment of this right can help to strengthen the position of children and help develop their potential. My goal is to support children in developing their capacities, simultaneously learning from their experiences”.
In 2007 Sarah completed a Master’s in International and European Affairs at the department of Youth Law, University of Leiden. Her thesis was on the protection of child soldiers in international and private law.
In 2014 she received her PhD, presenting her thesis on “The Right to Health of the Child.”