Although contraception is legal in the Philippines, the state’s support to make modern contraceptives accessible to women is weak, leading to illegal abortions which are often performed in unsanitary conditions and using outdated techniques.34 As a result, women undergo unsafe abortions, putting their health and lives at high risk. Around 1,000 women and girls die from illegal abortion complications, contributing to the national high maternal mortality ratio, while annually tens of thousands of women are hospitalized for complications from unsafe abortion.35 Unsafe abortions do not only incur significant direct costs to women and girls. During recovery, women and girls are unable to attend school, sustain their livelihood, and care for their families, impairing their and their families’ ability to feed themselves. 3.2.4. Malnutrition among pregnant women In 2013, the FNRI reported that one out of four pregnant women (24.8%) was nutritionally at risk36. This has an implication on mothers as well as the fetus since many determinants of fetal growth are set before conception. The poor nutritional state of a woman at the start of her pregnancy diminishes her ability to meet the demands of her fetus and her baby because of inadequate dietary intake and nutrient reserves. Since malnourished mothers have little reserves in storage, they are not able to supply a range of nutrients necessary for fetus. While the importance of maternal health has gained more attention, women are often prevented from accessing health care not only due to the lack of information and their distance from heath facilities, but also because of social norms and patriarchal practices. CASE STUDY II Indigenous Women’s Access to Health and Nutrition and their Right to Food and Nutrition: The case of Aeta Women of Belbel, Eastern Barangay, Botolan, Zambales Belbel, Eastern Barangay, is a remote Indigenous Peoples’ community with about 55 households. Aside from attending to household chores and taking care of the family, women help their husbands harvest crops for sustenance. Sometimes traders buy their products at very low prices, for example PHP 50 (USD 1.08) for one sack (around 30 pieces) of banana blossoms (“puso ng saging”). Often, they walk for eight hours from Belbel to the neighboring town of Botolan where they can sell their products, like banana blossoms, at a higher price – PHP 10 to 15 (USD 0.22 to 0.32) per kilo and PHP 10 (USD 0.22) per kilo of sweet potato. For transportation, they pay PHP 150 (USD 3.24) per sack to bring their produce to town on “kariton” (water buffalo led carriage). Aside from the economic burden, women are especially affected by health problems. There is no health center available, so pregnant women cannot regularly avail of pre- and post-natal check-ups unless they go to the town center or when there are medical missions by civic groups. Children do not get regular immunization, resulting in a high rate of child mortality. For treatment of common illnesses they often rely on traditional healers and herbal medicines. Illiteracy and lack of awareness and information about family planning and contraceptives are the reasons why there is a high fertility rate, with families having 5 to 10 children. Moreover, women have a weak voice in decision-making concerning reproductive health, and men often decides on the use of contraceptives. Limited food supply, especially for a big family, leaves women hungry. In most cases, men eat first, then then children, and the women last, oftentimes only the very small amount of whatever that is left. Lack of access to adequate health care, compounded by gender discrimination, lack of adequate income and high fertility rate and the related burden of time indigenous women spend for production, leave the Aeta women suffering from malnutrition. 3.3 CEDAW ARTICLE 14 – Access to Productive Resources (Rural Women) Rural women who account for around 60% of total female population in the Philippines play a vital role in securing their own and their families' food and nutritional well-being. For the rural population and Indigenous Peoples, fulfillment of their RTFN (both physical and economic access) depends essentially on their access to and control over 34 Abortion is illegal in the Philippines and is a criminal offense punishable up to 6 years in prison for doctors and midwives who perform abortions. Hussain, Rubina; Finer, Lawrence B. (2013): Unintended Pregnancy and Abortion in the Philippines: context and consequences, In Brief, No.3. New York: Guttmacher Institute, http://www. guttmacher.org/pubs/IB-unintendedpregnancy-philippines.pdf [Accessed: 12.05.2016]. 36 FNRI-DOST (2013): 2nd National Nutrition Summit. 8th National Nutrition Survey. Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Health, 5, http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php/nutrition-statistic/19-nutrition-statistic/118-8th-national-nutrition-survey [Accessed: 15.05.2016]. 35 -6-