Experts highlight barriers to family planning

ISLAMABAD:

Experts, young leaders and policy stakeholders discussed the structural, cultural, communal, and behavioural determinants influencing family planning in Pakistan during the 25th annual population research conference.

USAID's Building Healthy Families (BHF) project organised a dynamic panel discussion titled "Flip the FP: A New Call to Action." The session engaged policymakers, experts, and youth in exploring actionable strategies to strengthen family planning programmes in Pakistan.

The panel featured distinguished speakers, including renowned economist Dr Kaiser Bengali; prominent content creator Dr Tamkenat Mansoor; TV host and Chairperson of the National Rehmatul Lil Aalameen wa Khatamun Nabiyyin Authority Khursheed Nadeem; and CEO of Sehat Khani Dr Iffat Zafar Agha. Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Population Welfare Nida Khuhro chaired the session, which was moderated by representatives of USAID's BHF project.

Dr Bengali emphasised the importance of involving sociologists and psychologists in research to deepen our understanding of community dynamics. He highlighted the need to explore how people and communities perceive and respond to various issues, uncovering their motivations and perspectives. He stressed that such insights are crucial for designing interventions that are not only evidence-based but also tailored to the specific needs and realities of the communities.

Dr Mansoor underscored the disconnect between development agendas and the immediate concerns of communities, emphasising the critical need to raise awareness about children's rights, pointing out that parenting involves more than just bringing a child into the world, it requires understanding and fulfilling the rights every child is entitled to. She argued that people see having more children as their only option for future stability when they lack confidence in the state's ability to support them.

Nadeem shed light on two significant societal issues: the preference for a male child and the practice of early marriages for girls.