Belize Safe Motherhood Programme: Recommendations to Improve Male Involvement

Abstract

The Ministry of Health initiated the Safe Motherhood programme within the framework of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy (SRH)that was approved in 2002. Among its main principles, the ones that are particularly relevant for this study were: • The principal of gender equity “mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies, programmes and activities is essential to the achievement of the goal of gender equity, social integration, social justice, and sustainable economic development. The relations between men and women must be based on mutual respect and shared rights and responsibilities.” Moreover, the role of the father is explicitly recognized as follows: “the father, as an integral part of the family should participate in all family matters including pre natal care and counselling, participating during labour and particularly in the care of adolescent and late-parity women”. Among the section on “general commitments”, number 7, the policy specifically recognizes the need to encourage men to access sexual and reproductive health counselling and care and encourage and support men to share equally in child-rearing and child support, household and family responsibilities, family planning practices and other reforms and measures, to enable parents to
combine work responsibilities with family obligations, including parental leave. Also, to develop educational programs to engage men’s support for maternal health and safe motherhood. The objective of this study is to evaluate how effective the programme has been in addressing men and to develop recommendations for further improvement.