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After Sierra Leone, Amnesty International will launch its report and campaign on maternal health in Burkina Faso. The report and the campaign on maternal health that will be launched in six days are the result of over two years work.

Amnesty International went to Burkina Faso four times to conduct research in several cities including the capital, Ouagadougou, as well as Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouahigouya and Kaya. Amnesty International also visited a dozen rural areas throughout the country. Researchers investigated over 50 cases of women who died during pregnancy and childbirth.

While the right to health is widely unfulfilled for pregnant women, maternal deaths are also an issue of gender discrimination. The low status of women in Burkina Faso is at the heart of the problem. Most women lack empowerment in nearly all the aspects of their lives, notably when it comes to choosing when and how many children they have. This is especially true in rural areas.

Tomorrow, we will bring you a story of one of these women.