Every day should be Mother's Day

Pregnancy is not a disease, yet it kills one woman every minute. Almost all of these deaths are preventable and 95% of them occur in developing countries.

Each year millions of women face death, serious illness and permanent disability because of complications relating to pregnancy and birth, while many more must cope with unplanned pregnancy because family planning is not available. For some women the only recourse is unsafe abortion.

In addition to risking their own health each time they have a baby, mothers in many parts of the world also face the possibility of seeing their children die before they reach their fifth birthday. Last year, almost 9 million children under five died. This illustrates a clear failure of governments in their obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of women and children.

Find out more about our work on maternal health