‘Not talking about sex is not good for health’
Parliamentarians talk to youth about sexual and reproductive health.
LAHORE:
The general consensus among all participants was that the taboo associated with talking about reproductive and sexual health contributed to the lack of efforts being made to address the relevant issues.
An interactive dialogue session was organised by Rahnuma , the Lahore based wing of Family Planning Association of Pakistan, in collaboration with the United Nations Population on Friday. Parliamentarians from major political parties pledged to work towards legislation on SRH services. The primary focus was on ‘youth friendly’ sexual and reproductive health services and highlighting their importance in improving the quality of health. Founded in 1953, Rahnuma has worked extensively in areas of reproductive health and family planning.
Dr Mumtaz Esker, Population Wing director general identified low literacy levels as the major reason behind the taboo associated with sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues. She said that while people are willing to talk about ‘reproductive health’, they hesitated on issues of ‘sexual health’.
Volunteer at the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, Sadaf said, “Issues of puberty, harassment and reproduction are rarely talked about openly”.
Najma, a youth volunteer, said that phenomena like menstrual cycles are considered taboo subjects. “Instead of comforting young girls who are experiencing these changes, society amplifies their discomfort by imposing a silence on the subject”, she said.
Humaira Awais Shahid, a Punjab assembly member said that ‘sex education’ must be imparted within the bounds of social norms. “The widening divide between liberals and conservatives has affected the society’s approach towards sexual reproductive health issues”, she added.
Syed Kamal Shah, CEO of Rahnuma said that it was unfortunate that there was no documented SRH policy targeted specifically at the youth. Shah said the private sector too had failed to address the situation. “The informal SRH services, provided usually by quacks are the most popular but also the most dangerous”, he added.
Sajida Mir, a member of Punjab Assembly, said that the education, health, population welfare and youth ministries need to work together in a concerted effort to address SRH issues.
Dr Samia Amjad, another member of the assembly said that a proper framework should be established for school health services. She added that the development funds allocated to the women MPAs should be used instead for the youth and women welfare projects.
Aisha Qamar from the Gender Studies Department at Punjab University said that so far no cells had been formed in educational institutes to educate girls about sexual harassment.
Rahnuma’s Adolescents Programme Director, Amna Aksheed, said that the organisation was working towards providing comprehensive sexuality education and providing youth friendly SRH services through its 50 youth resource centres.
Aksheed added that almost 20% of the governing bodies of these centres consist of youth, making them more approachable for youngsters.
MPA, Mohsin Leghari, regretted that the policy makers often look for ‘instant satisfaction’ in policy formulation whereas programmes about SRH can only produce results in the long run. “In Iran a marriage licence is not issued unless the individuals involved get family planning counselling”, he added.
The Rahnuma- Family Planning Association of Pakistan formulated a guideline for offering youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services. The report focuses on ensuring confidentiality of cases, being non-judgemental towards the youth, counselling and making them comfortable enough to approach reliable SRH experts.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2011.
The general consensus among all participants was that the taboo associated with talking about reproductive and sexual health contributed to the lack of efforts being made to address the relevant issues.
An interactive dialogue session was organised by Rahnuma , the Lahore based wing of Family Planning Association of Pakistan, in collaboration with the United Nations Population on Friday. Parliamentarians from major political parties pledged to work towards legislation on SRH services. The primary focus was on ‘youth friendly’ sexual and reproductive health services and highlighting their importance in improving the quality of health. Founded in 1953, Rahnuma has worked extensively in areas of reproductive health and family planning.
Dr Mumtaz Esker, Population Wing director general identified low literacy levels as the major reason behind the taboo associated with sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues. She said that while people are willing to talk about ‘reproductive health’, they hesitated on issues of ‘sexual health’.
Volunteer at the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, Sadaf said, “Issues of puberty, harassment and reproduction are rarely talked about openly”.
Najma, a youth volunteer, said that phenomena like menstrual cycles are considered taboo subjects. “Instead of comforting young girls who are experiencing these changes, society amplifies their discomfort by imposing a silence on the subject”, she said.
Humaira Awais Shahid, a Punjab assembly member said that ‘sex education’ must be imparted within the bounds of social norms. “The widening divide between liberals and conservatives has affected the society’s approach towards sexual reproductive health issues”, she added.
Syed Kamal Shah, CEO of Rahnuma said that it was unfortunate that there was no documented SRH policy targeted specifically at the youth. Shah said the private sector too had failed to address the situation. “The informal SRH services, provided usually by quacks are the most popular but also the most dangerous”, he added.
Sajida Mir, a member of Punjab Assembly, said that the education, health, population welfare and youth ministries need to work together in a concerted effort to address SRH issues.
Dr Samia Amjad, another member of the assembly said that a proper framework should be established for school health services. She added that the development funds allocated to the women MPAs should be used instead for the youth and women welfare projects.
Aisha Qamar from the Gender Studies Department at Punjab University said that so far no cells had been formed in educational institutes to educate girls about sexual harassment.
Rahnuma’s Adolescents Programme Director, Amna Aksheed, said that the organisation was working towards providing comprehensive sexuality education and providing youth friendly SRH services through its 50 youth resource centres.
Aksheed added that almost 20% of the governing bodies of these centres consist of youth, making them more approachable for youngsters.
MPA, Mohsin Leghari, regretted that the policy makers often look for ‘instant satisfaction’ in policy formulation whereas programmes about SRH can only produce results in the long run. “In Iran a marriage licence is not issued unless the individuals involved get family planning counselling”, he added.
The Rahnuma- Family Planning Association of Pakistan formulated a guideline for offering youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services. The report focuses on ensuring confidentiality of cases, being non-judgemental towards the youth, counselling and making them comfortable enough to approach reliable SRH experts.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2011.