On 31 March 2016 the College of Law, University of Ghana in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, held the annual Helen Kanzira lecture. The lecture took place at the law auditorium at the College of law, University of Ghana.
The Centre for Human Rights instituted the annual lecture in 2008 after Hellen Kanzira who was an alumna and also part of the pioneer class of the Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa. The purpose of this lecture is to give prominence to maternal health issues not only in Africa but to also underscore the maternal health crisis across the world where 830 women die daily from preventable childbirth complications.
The lecture was delivered by Ms Bernice Sam and the title of the lecture was: ‘Protecting women’s reproductive health rights in Africa: A moral of legal obligation’
Download the lecture by Ms Bernice SamDownload the programme
Ms Bernice Sam focused on the protection of women’s reproductive health rights and the role the state obligation to ensure that women achieve their basic human rights. Ms Sam revealed that she has gone through childbirth complications that led to the death of her full term baby boy due to the inadequacy and lack of proper testing and treatment facilities in the Ghana health sector. Ms Sam challenged the state and the society to change the paradigm shift in the provision of health services, and also to shift the way of thinking and behavior.
