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How to Attain Population Sustainability
August 24, 2010

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009018 WhatWorks_index`A

It took the US 200 years to go from 7 babies per family to two. "Bangladesh has [nearly] done that in 20. Iran has more than halved its fertility rate in a decade."
Carl Haub - Population Reference Bureau 008122

If we don't halt population growth with justice and compassion, it will be done for us by nature, brutally and without pity - and will leave a ravaged world.
Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry W. Kendall 023934

Before, we didn't know how to control pregnancy, we didn't have the education, and people in the area were having nine or ten children. We have 18 families and no one has more than three children. The health of the children and mothers has improved, and so has the spacing of babies. Everyone understands the importance of family planning now. Vincente Jarrin and Maria Juana Jarrin Malca, Husband and Wife Family Planning Promoters in Pasquazo Zambrano, Ecuador
2005   015683

The Two Parts of Sustainability Are Consumption and Population   The world could possibly reduce consumption down to a very basic level, but if population keeps growing, eventually that will not be enough. Even today many are living on a sub-sustainable level, due in part to an uneven distribution of resources, but also because, in many regions, population has outgrown essential resources for that region.

When people feel threatened by a hand-to-mouth existence, they are more likely to look towards less-than democratic ways to reduce population, especially if they have the foresight to realize that population growth is like a run-away train, very difficult to slow and stop.

However, more and more evidence is showing that the methods that work the best towards reducing population growth, are the methods established by the principles of the Cairo Conference in 1994 (United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) September 1994, Cairo, Egypt), which include: a. Empowering women and girls in the economic, political, and social arenas; b. Removing gender disparities in education; c. Integrating family planning with related efforts to improve maternal and child health; and d. Removal of 'target' family sizes.   008123

Population Progress.   October 06, 2004   Boston Globe
A United Nations report says poverty perpetuates and is exacerbated by poor maternal health, gender discrimination, and lack of access to birth control. This holistic view has helped slow the increase in world population. The average family has declined from six children in 1960 to around three today. The world's population is expected to grow by 39% over the next 45 years and births in the 50 poorest nations are estimated to rise by 228%. Education and improved health for women and access to contraception are vital. Smaller families are healthier families and improve the prospects of each generation. 201 million couples do not have access to contraception and if they could practice family planning, 22 million abortions, 142,000 pregnancy-related deaths, and 1.4 million infant deaths each year could be prevented. Since 1994 more women have access to education and other rights, and more early-marriage traditions are being opposed. Most countries have laws prohibiting violence against women, female genital mutilation, and other violations of human rights.  rw    011793

If we don't halt population growth with justice and compassion, it will be done for us by nature, brutally and without pity - and will leave a ravaged world.
Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry W. Kendall 023934


The Best Way to Attain Population Sustainability

What could we, should we actually do about human population growth? Can population trends be altered? If so, can they be altered without violating core human values about the worth of all human beings and the freedom of all to make decisions about their own childbearing? Does the idea of altering population trends lead inevitably to "population control," to walls erected to keep out immigrants, and to coercive policies on childbearing that punish poor women for environment problems that may be the fault of wealthy people living far away?

At the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, some 180 nations agreed with economist Amartya Sen that coercion has no place in any population program, whether it be a one-child policy, sterilization, forced marriage, forced childbearing, or forced sex. The Chinese, to their credit, are turning away from coercion and toward the approach that the United Nations Population Fund is the United Nations Population Fund is demonstrating, and groups such as Population Action International are advocating worldwide. This more democratic and comprehensive approach champions women's education and access to information and to reproductive-health to reproductive-health care. That care ideally includes not only contraceptives but also pre-natal and post-natal care, professional birth attendants, nutritional and child-care counseling, as well as H.I.V./AIDS prevention.   Amy Coen, PAI, Vanity Fair LTE 008124

Meeting the Cairo Challenge.   Family Care International
Policies based on population control are

moving towards more people- oriented, reproductive health approaches. Although it takes time for policy and legal changes to benefit women and men at the community and household levels, such changes are a critical first step. Policies and laws are needed to hold health services courts, schools, and other institutions, as well as communities and families, accountable. As such, the policy and legal changes made since 1994 based on human rights, equity, and meeting people's needs--are central to fullfiling the Cairo Mandate. 008126

Women Are at the Heart of US Foreign Policy.   March 31, 2010   The Times
Women are rescuing girls from brothels in Cambodia, campaigning for public office in Kuwait, healing mothers injured in childbirth in Ethiopia, running schools for refugees from Burma and rebuilding homes in the aftermath of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile.

Women are running domestic violence shelters and fighting human-trafficking. Without recognition or fanfare, and often with little support, women are working to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of all people.

Fifteen years ago delegates from 189 countries met in Beijing for the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. It was a call to action to work for the laws, reforms and social change necessary to ensure that women and girls everywhere have the opportunities to fulfill their God- given potential. Today more girls worldwide are in school. More women hold jobs and serve in public office. And more countries have passed laws recognising women's equality, although for too many, laws are not yet borne out in their daily lives.

But women are still the majority of the world's poor, uneducated, unhealthy and unfed. They are the majority of the world's farmers, but are often forbidden to own the land or to access credit to make those farms profitable. Women care for the world's sick, but women and girls are less likely to get treatment when they themselves are sick.

The status of the world's women is a political, economic and social imperative. When women are free to develop their talents and contribute fully to their societies, everyone benefits.

When women are free to run for public office, governments are more responsive to their people. When women are free to earn a living and start small businesses, they become drivers of economic growth. When women are afforded the opportunity of education and access to healthcare, their families and communities prosper. When women have equal rights, nations are more stable, peaceful and secure.

Advancing women's equality is at the heart of the foreign policy of the United States. We believe that women are critical to solving almost every challenge we face. We view the subjugation of women as a threat to the national security of the US and to the common security of our world. So we are integrating women throughout our work around the globe.

In Afghanistan, the participation of Afghan women in decision making about the future of their country is critical for sustainable development, better governance and peace.

That is why we have included a Women's Action Plan to promote women's leadership, to increase their access to education, health and justice, and to generate jobs for women, especially in agriculture.

Women are powerful forces for economic growth and social progress...

Today we must say with one voice that women's progress is human progress and human progress is women's progress.  rw 024364

Voluntary Family Planning Key to Past Human Survival, Author Says.   June 22, 2008   Communications Consortium Media Center
According to Robert Engelman in his book More: Population Nature, and What Women Want, the decisions women make on bearing children, when made freely, have kept the human race over the centuries from either dying out or becoming too numerous.

Women making personal decisions tend over time, if those decisions can be made freely, to make population overall more sustainable.

The success of the modern human species in expanding throughout the world is due largely to the cooperative skills of women in raising more than two children each to adulthood. When times were hard or resources scarce, women tended to have smaller families than otherwise. Contraception is mentioned in history as early as there is writing.  rw 023107

More Choice for Women Means More Sustainability.   May 08, 2008   WorldChanging
Unwanted childbearing is a greater demographic force than the desire for large families. Expanding the capacity of all women to choose when to bear children is the surest route to achieving an environmentally sustainable population.

In countries that make effective personal control of reproduction possible for all, women invariably have two children or fewer on average. By making their own decisions based on what's best for themselves and their children, women ultimately bring about a global good that governments could never deliver through regulation or control. The writer interviewed women from many countries over a period of 25 years. Interspersing stories from these conversations with research across history and the social sciences, he delves into the roots of sexuality and procreation to discover how women's lives and status have influenced cultural evolution, history, and modern society.

Women have been so intent on reproducing at a time that is best for their child's survival that they have hidden their contraceptive use from their husbands and religious leaders. Societies that make it easy for women and their partners to safely plan the timing of births will experience stable or gradually declining populations. The Worldwatch Institute has demonstrated how important the stabilization in population is for long-term environmental sustainability.

Population growth is a driving force behind some of today's most serious problems, including climate change and rising food prices. Meeting the need for safe and effective contraception can speed the transition to sustainable societies.  rw 022982

Call for Europe to Take the Lead in Revitalising Family Planning Agenda in World's Poorest Countries.   November 06, 2006   Innovations Report
A plea is made for a revitalisation of family planning in the poorest countries, as soaring population rates are a bigger threat to achieving the MDGs than HIV.

A paper asserts that family planning should have a higher priority than HIV in most poor countries, because it poses a greater threat to international development. Leadership may need to come from European governments and agencies, rather than the US.

Family planning promotion is unique in its potential benefits. It reduces poverty, maternal, and child mortality. It contributes to universal primary schooling, empowers women and enhances environmental sustainability.

Family planning programmes have raised the use of contraceptives from less than 10% to 60% and reducing fertility in developing countries from six to about three births per woman. But in half the countries contraceptive practice population growth and unmet need for family planning remain high. Investment in family planning should have a higher priority than in HIV prevention and treatment. In Uganda, with a longstanding HIV epidemic, population size is projected to grow from 30 million today to 61 million by 2025, and further to 127 million by the middle of this century. Hopefully, perhaps European countries, the World Bank, or even the Gates Foundation will give leadership. Most poor countries need encouragement to implement population control with conviction and commitment.

The keys are high-level political commitment, a broad coalition of support from elite groups, adequate funding, the legitimisation of the idea of smaller families and modern contraceptives.  rw 019365

Women Education and Family Planning.   November 06, 2006   The Tide Online
In almost every country, educated women have fewer children than their uneducated sisters. Since more girls are receiving education in the developing world, the education factor becomes extremely significant. There are 29% more girls and 16% more boys in secondary school than a decade ago.

Fertility has gone down in some American countries and experts say, education was responsible.

An educated literate woman is far more likely to make use of clinics, post offices or transport systems, because education makes her more confident and less dependent on men. She is more likely to feel that she has control over her life and fertility.

Educated women are better able to keep their children alive and healthy. A 1% rise in women's literacy rate is three times more effective in reducing infant mortality than a 1% rise in number of doctors.

Four to six years of a education led to a 20% drop in infant deaths.

In families where a child had died, parents will tend to produce more children than they wanted. Having children becomes a form of insurance against the risk of no offspring to support you in your old age.

If a mother knows that there are certain things she can do to help keep her children alive she will be far more open to controlling the size of her family.

Women who are educated get better healthcare. In an ideal world all women would have several years education before they decide to start a family. But in every country in the world one school girl or another is discovering that she is pregnant. In patriarchal societies education may serve to further entrench inequalities. In India for example, educated women improved only the health of their sons.  rw 019368

Reproductive Health of Young Adults in India: the Road to Public Health.   November 06, 2006   Pathfinder
In 1999, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

and unrestricted seed money by the Pathfinder Board of Directors, Pathfinder International launched the first phase of the Reproductive Health of Young Adults in India (RHEYA) Project, a seven-year pilot project to change the attitudes of adolescents and young adults related to reproduction, overcoming the idea that ill health is an act of God or a result of one's fate.

RHEYA Project has improved the overall utilization of reproductive health and family planning services primarily by changing popular beliefs and knowledge about early marriage and childbearing and the importance of spacing children to improve their chances of surviving and thriving.

In selected areas of the states of Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, Rajasthan, and Madhya

Pradesh, Pathfinder partnered with four local nongovernmental organizations to develop effective interventions that reached nearly 22,000 young people from

underprivileged communities with adolescent sexual and reproductive health

(ASRH) information. The project's goal was to reaching parents, in-laws, and community and religious leaders, as well as the young people themselves - all at he same time. More than 81% of the people of India live on less than $2 per day; despite amazing economic progress, much of the country remains crushingly poor. India is home to 30% of the world's young people - between the ages of 10 and 24.3 - those reaching their reproductive years. Indian women bear an average of 3.0 children, which means the country's population will double in 41 years.

Indian women - "like those in many developing countries" bear their children very young. The median age of marriage for girls is 16.75, well below the legal age of

18. Given little knowledge of or access to contraception, their childbearing is telescoped into adolescence and early adulthood.

Twenty-eight percent of women give birth before the age of 18, and the median age of sterilization is 25.77. Only 5% of married women between the ages of 15-19, and 21% between 20-24, use modern methods of contraception. In fact, according to a study from NFHS 2, 1998-1999, at least 25.6% of women between the ages of 15-19, and 18.4% between 20-24 would like to space their children further apart but do not have the ability to do so.

Access to reproductive health and family planning for these young people could lower birth rates to dramatically slow the population doubling rate.

For over 30 years, the government of India aggressively addressed the

problem of population, with a dominant focus on promoting small families and the use of sterilization after two or three children. "A small family is a happy

family," was the slogan, which led people to believe that the government's goal was to limit the population. They saw contraception as a government need, rather than as something that is to their personal advantage. Pathfinder directly

addresses that perception, persuading women and men to understand contraception and the timing of pregnancies as an important means of personal autonomy and improvement in their personal lives.

India has a tragically high maternal mortality rate and adolescent girls

are twice as likely to die in childbirth as women in their twenties. For those between the ages of 10-14, this risk is five times higher, due to their emotional and physical immaturity and their inability to seek and use adequate health care during pregnancy and childbirth. The children of young mothers are 50% more likely to die than those born to mothers aged 20-29.

Child spacing is more important for an adolescent because an adolescent is not fully developed and pregnancy retards her own growth. A child born less than 24

months after a previous birth is nearly three times as likely to die as a child born after a gap of 48 months or more.

Unwanted teenage pregnancies often lead to abortions - 16% of maternal mortality in India is due to unsafe abortions.

Adolescents are also the age group most vulnerable to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. In 2005, 32.42% of people living with HIV/AIDS in India were between the ages of 15 and 29. Knowledge about sexuality, reproduction, personal hygiene, and STIs is extremely low, since these are culturally embarrassing topics between mother and daughter, father and son, teacher and pupil, or even between friends.

A young girl in a poor village who learns how to control and take responsibility for her reproductive life, will be able to change the course of her life, from delaying marriage and children to acquire education, to making healthy decisions about sexual activity and preventing sexally transmitted diseases. She will be more able to take steps to ensure healthy pregnancies and care of newborn children.

In India, and in much of the developing world, the key to reducing maternal and child mortality, the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, empowering women, improving their health, ensuring family well-being, and reducing

population growth rates, is an urgent focus on adolescents.  rw 019379

Far Too Many Women Risking Death to Give Life, UNFPA Leader Says, As UN Unveils Progress Report on Development Goals.   June 17, 2005   UNFPA
UNFPA said we must create a more caring world by doing all we can to prevent millions from losing their lives to pregnancy and childbirth. Today’s report reaffirms that universal access to reproductive health care is the starting point for maternal health and saving women's lives. Maternal health also frees women to pursue opportunities in work and education, giving them power to make decisions to improve lives in their families and communities. Promoting the rights of girls and women, securing their reproductive health and the means to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections, particularly HIV/AIDS, are the surest ways to realize the development goals of all countries. The risk of death from pregnancy in the developing world would be reduced substantially if all of its women had access to the family planning services they desired. Currently, 200 million women have an unmet need for safe and effective contraceptive services. It is essential for pregnant women to get access to emergency obstetric care centres that must be stocked with drugs, equipment and supplies. Because there is no cure for AIDS, prevention is essential, treatment and care need to be expanded to reach millions who are HIV-positive.  rw    014018
World Population Likely to Stabilize in 40 Years.   July 10, 2004   Xinhua General News Service
World fertility is expected to decline and the world population will stabilise in 40 years. Over the last 50 years, the world has slowed population growth, raised life expectancy, lowered mortality and improved quality of life. The last century, had seen the total population more than triple, to 6.1 billion in 2000, growing annually at 1.2%, lower than the 2% in the late 1960s. The number of children per woman came down from 5 in the 1950s to less than 3 currently, and the annual increase of the population fell to 77 million in 2004 from 87 million in 1987. The increase has been falling since the 1980s and is expected to fall to 29 million by 2050, when there wil be stabilization, attributed to lower fertility. When fertility decreases to the replacement level of 2, the birth rate and the death rate will be in harmony. There are 60 countries below that level, but population growth is not yet over and is expected to last 25 to 40 years. Six developing countries, India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia and Bangladesh account for half of the annual increments of the world population, with India making up 21%. South Asia and Africa are the two fastest- growing areas, and there we have to continue family planning services. The challenge of population ageing could be met by extending working age, adjusting social policies and bringing in more migrants, among other policy adjustments.  rw    010963
Poverty and Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence from 25 Countries.   April 2004   Population Association of America
The incidence of poverty in Africa has been stagnating over the last two decades and is unlikely to improve in the near future. Widespread fertility control seems to be the only route to a fertility decline. The hypothesis of fertility decline under poverty runs counter to the classical demographic theory and to the common idea that poverty is a key factor of high fertility. Economic approaches consider high fertility a rational response to poverty and fertility will not decline unless conditions improve. On the other hand, the decline of fertility among the poor is consistent with the innovation diffusion approach which says that fertility decline results from the spread of ideas, values and technology, regardless of their economic status. Evidence of fertility changes in Bangladesh and Nepal are consistent with innovation diffusion, and studies in Latin America support this view. Yet, few studies have documented the relationships between economic status and fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is well-known that female education and place of residence are related to fertility, but few studies have described the relationship between economic status and fertility behaviour. The objective of this paper is to document the relationship between economic status and fertility behaviour in Sub-Saharan Africa. Three questions are addressed. (1) What are the differentials in fertility by economic status? (2)What account for these differentials? (3) Are they explained by women’s educational level and place of residence? We briefly address four questions. (1) In each country, what proportion of fertility change can be accounted for by a shift in economic status? (2) To what extent has fertility changed within economic groups? (3) What accounts for these changes? (4) Can they be related to changes in other the economy? Women from poor households have larger families, almost always in the course of fertility transition. Relationships are less clear-cut in high fertility settings. In a previous literature review on the relationships between economic status and fertility, about 50 such relationships reported in 32 studies but only six of them were on Sub-Saharan Africa. We found a diversity of relationships between economic status and fertility. There was no relationship in Botswana in the 1970s, a slightly positive relationship in Sierra Leone, a slightly negative relationship in Burkina Faso and in a small town in Southern Sudan. Using data from surveys conducted in the 1990s, indicate that, in most countries, fertility decreases with increasing economic status. Fertility by economic status are in all the 25 countries studied, and the poorest women have a larger number of children. These fertility differences are from contraceptive use and age at marriage. The differences by economic status persist after education and place of residence that suggests economic status has the major effect on fertility. Analyses of changes show that fertility has decreased in all the economic groups in these countries that indicates though fertility has declined, poverty does not represent an obstacle to fertility changes, in these countries. Fertility changes are independent from changes in the distribution of the population by economic status. They are little related to educational levels and changes in place of residence. The largest changes, which concern the poorest women, have occurred in Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa where family planning programmes are more developed. This suggests that better family planning services contribute to reducing fertility among the poorest women. Our results suggest that better-off women are the first to control their fertility and that control spreads to the rest of the population, including the poorest women. The level of child mortality in the countries where fertility has changed most among the poorest women (Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe) is lower than in other countries. Child mortality is most strongly related to fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa and should be taken into account. The changes in the demand for children by economic status could provide further insight into the mechanisms underlying the relationships between economic status and fertility behaviour.  rw    012967
The Interaction Between Health & Fertility: Evidence from the Ivory Coast.   December 05, 2003   Journal of Health and Population in Developing Countries
The UN calculates that developing countries can increase their economic growth by reducing population through lower fertility. In many East-Asian countries, lower fertility led to a lower dependency, that fostered savings and investments for economic growth. The key factors are investments in health, education and gender equality. As fertility declines, the working-age adult population increases and with a lower dependency and investments in health and education, families were able to move out of poverty, that led to economic growth. Though countries have only one chance to take advantage of this effect, many developing countries have yet to reach that stage. Investments in health and education in developing countries take on more importance since their effect on economic growth may be larger than previously thought. For countries to take advantage of this, a better understanding of the effects of investments on economic growth is needed. Studies have established that higher education, awareness of reproductive health services and opening labor market opportunities, lead to lower fertility. Increased education for women does not always leads to greater participation in the labor market, thereby reducing fertility, but allows for more investment in their children in the form of more schooling and better health. This higher investment increases the cost of having an additional child and may lead to a fall in the demand for children. If you are interested in this subject, please follow the link to the entire article as it is not all covered here.  rw    009461
Forks in the Demographic Road.   August 2003   Patrick Burns
What causes birth rates to drop?

The short answer is that while there are racks of data that show strong correlations with fertility decline, all of the models fail to establish predictive causality.

In short, while there are "theories" about the "demographic transition," there are no hard-and-fast rules, and quite a few important exceptions.

John Cleland of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has looked at countries with similar socio-economic profiles, for example, and found that many of them have very different track records.

Algeria and Tunisia, for example, had comparable proportions of literate people, city dwellers, and the exact same life expectancy in the mid-1980s. Algeria's GNP of $2,360 per head, however, was almost double that of Tunisia. So did Algeria's fertility decline faster than Tunisia's? No. In fact, Algeria's fertility decline started about 15 years later than Tunisia's.

Why?

The short answer, according to Cleland, is that the Algerian government regarded family planning as a tool of Western oppression, while Tunisia had a more positive attitude towards contraception. While the government of Algeria has since embraced a very successful family planning program, their 15-year delay will have a real cost -- a 2050 population that will be 20 million people higher due to governmental delay.

A similar story is told in Bangladesh and Pakistan, two nations that used to be one country. At the time of their 1971 split, Bangladesh was far poorer than its neighbor. So did Pakistan's fertility rate fall faster than that of Bangladesh? No. In fact, Bangladesh's fertility rate fell soon as a direct result of government resources put into meeting the unmet need for contraception in that country. In Pakistan, instead of focusing on family planning and health care, that government focused on saber-rattling and weapons procurement. As a result, Pakistan will have about 150 million more poor people in 2050 than it might have had if it had followed the Bangladesh model.

Cleland argues such comparisons show that the link between economic development and smaller families is "much weaker and more variable" than previously believed, and that "the empowerment of women ... will facilitate fertility decline but is not a precondition for it."

Ironically, Cleland's theory is challenged by the case of West Bengal, right next door to Bangladesh. The Muslims of West Bengal (which includes the city of Calcutta) have the highest levels of contraceptive use in India -- higher even than that of the Muslims of Kerala. The total fertility rate of West Bengal is expected to hit the replacement rate within the next two years.

What's odd here is that the state government of West Bengal "has been quite indifferent to population policy" according to Alaka Basu and Sajeda Amin, writing in the December 2000 issue of Population and Development Review. "West Bengal has never had the kind of aggressive or even efficient family planning campaign or program that many other parts of India have embraced at various times." According to Basu and Amin, both Bangladesh and West Bengal share a common language and a common culture that embraces change -- another element in the matrix of factors that influence the speed of fertility decline.

The bottom line seems to be that every country, every culture, and every couple need to be treated as individuals if we are to get to replacement level fertility rates as quickly as possible. While education, economic development, and government support for family planning programs are all important, there is not a single "silver bullet solution" that triggers rapid and sustained fertility decline in every country every time. Instead, the decision to have smaller families appears to be a complex decision that can be encouraged and facilitated by a wide variety of programs, developments and outside forces.

The good news is that countries that have been slow to embrace family planning often find that modern contraceptive methods can help to reduce fertility quickly.

The bad news is that time lost cannot be regained. Though fertility may fall, the base population will be higher and so too will be the population when it reaches stabilization.

For more information, see "The Determinants of Reproductive Change in Bangladesh: Success in a Challenging Environment" published by the World Bank and authored by John Cleland and Sajeda Amin, and; "Conditioning Factors for Fertility Decline in Bengal: History, Language Identity, and Openness to Innovations," Population and Development Review, December 1, 2000 by Alaka Basu and Sajeda Amin.

I have appended below the historical and projected (UN Median variant) total fertility rates of the countries discussed:

ALG. TUN. PAK. BANG. INDIA
1950-1955 7.28 6.93 6.28 6.7 5.97
1955-1960 7.28 7.04 6.28 6.76 5.92
1960-1965 7.38 7.25 6.28 6.85 5.81
1965-1970 7.38 6.89 6.28 6.6 5.69
1970-1975 7.38 6.21 6.28 6.15 5.43
1975-1980 7.18 5.69 6.28 5.6 4.83
1980-1985 6.36 4.9 6.23 5.25 4.48
1985-1990 5.23 4.12 6.08 4.75 4.15
1990-1995 4.12 3.13 5.83 4.4 3.8
1995-2000 3.15 2.32 5.48 3.95 3.45
2000-2005 2.8 2.01 5.08 3.46 3.01
2005-2010 2.51 1.91 4.62 3.08 2.7
2010-2015 2.28 1.85 4.11 2.75 2.46
2015-2020 2.08 1.85 3.6 2.5 2.28
2020-2025 1.91 1.85 3.14 2.31 2.14
2025-2030 1.85 1.85 2.79 2.16 2.02
2030-2035 1.85 1.85 2.53 2.04 1.92
2035-2040 1.85 1.85 2.34 1.94 1.85
2040-2045 1.85 1.85 2.18 1.85 1.85
2045-2050 1.85 1.85 2.06 1.85 1.85
007674

Women's Reproductive Health in the Middle East and North Africa.   February 17, 2003   Population Reference Bureau
Half of the 10 million women who give birth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) endure complications and one million suffer from serious injuries due to birth. Women in MENA continue to face complications due to sexual inequality, quality of healthcare and the lack of reproductive healthcare and education. In 1994 the UN International Conference on Population and Development stated a definition for reproductive health that would advance women and go beyond family planning. Currently the majority of maternal deaths occur in four countries: Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, and Yemen. Iraqs is one of the highest in the world, 300 deaths per 100,000 live births. Morocco is 200 deaths per 100,000 live births. "Maternal deaths are strongly associated with the absence of good medical care before, during, and after delivery." Most maternal deaths occur due to postpartum hemorrhage. Most of the women who do seek healthcare while pregnant prefer to see women physicians, however there are few available. Overall, "reducing cultural, financial, and physical obstacles to reproductive health care service is necessary for improving maternal health." The other cause for maternal death is self-induced abortions of abortions carried out my unskilled practitioners. Over one million unsafe abortions occur in MENA countries every year and 16 percent of all maternal deaths are attributed to this. An otherwise safe procedure can mean death for many where abortion is illegal, unsanitary and unsafe. "MENAs total fertility rate has declined from an average of 7.0 children per woman in 1960 to 3.3 children in 2002 still well above the world average of 2.8 children per woman." Sixty percent of married women are using a form of family planning, but many are still not using contraceptives. Some women choose not to use contraceptives because of feared side effects, opposition from husbands and relatives or even trying contraceptives and being unsatisfied with the use. "One study has shown that if no women experienced contraceptive failure or stopped using a method, Egypt and Jordans total fertility rates would drop to 2.0 births per woman, Moroccos to 2.4, and Turkeys to 1.5." Thus, finding a contraceptive that works well with each individual woman is important for the reproductive health of all families.    005582
Fertility Rates Drop.   July 24, 2000   Nation, The (Thailand)
by Amartya Sen, author of
Development as Freedom, and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in
Economic Science in
1998.
Perhaps the most immediate adversity caused by a high rate of
population growth lies in the loss of freedom that women suffer when they
are shackled by persistent bearing and rearing of children. Global warming
is a distant effect compared with what population explosion does to the
lives and well-being of mothers. Female illiteracy, lack of female
employment opportunity and economic independence contribute substantially to
the muffling women's voices in society and within the family. Not knowing
about family planning or available family planning facilities is also an
important source of helplessness. Cultural and religious factors often force
young women toi accept a subservient position and the burden of constantly
bearing and rearing children which husband or parents-in-law have placed on
them. A long history sanctifies such practices and generates uncritical
acceptance. On the other hand, women's empowerment, through employment,
education, property rights, etc., can lead to the reduction of the fertility
rate. The Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Himachal Pradesh have
experienced speedy fertility declines which can be linked to the rapid
enhancement of female education, employment opportunity, and and other
empowerment of young women. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and
Rajasthan, on the other hand, give few economic and educational
opportunities to young women and experience high fertility rates. It is
notable that China, where coercive one-child policies were employed,
fertility rates fell from 2.8 to 2.0 from 1979 to 1991, while in Kerala,
where fertility decline was freely chosen, fertility rates fell much faster,
from 3 to 1.8 in the same period. In Kerala, the rate of expansion of female
literacy has also been faster than China's, and consequently, Kerala's
infant mortality rate has continued to fall fast while it has not in China,
where it is now double Kerala's, even though they were roughly even in this
respect in 1979. [This is an excellent article and deserves a full read.
Unfortunately, it is not on-line. Look for The Nation, No. 4, Vol. 271; Pg.
16 ; ISSN: 0027-8378 at your library.]
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Tesitmonial.   "As a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development, I was involved in the crafting of the program of action. After thirty-five years in this field and work in 12 countries, I don't believe the program of action was flawed." ... "Even before Cairo, we had figured out that by the year 2000 the U.S. government should be contributing 1.2 billion dollars per year to international population and family planning. This budget coming up is about one-quarter of that amount. At Cairo we agreed that developing countries would contribution 2/3 of the money needed to address population growth in their countries. The donor countries promised to contribute 1/3. Five years later the developing countries met their commitment; we had not. It seems that the flaw is in our unwillingness to take seriously the issues related to population. But our biggest flaw is that we citizens have been unable to hold our decision-makers accountable."   1999   Pat Waak, National Audubon Society Population and Habitat Program 008128
Large Acceptance for Family Planning.   1999   USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development)
Over 95% of the developing world's population lives in countries with policies supporting family planning. In fact, almost three-quarters of funding for family planning services comes from developing country governments and consumers.

Nearly 60% of couples or over 380 million women in the developing world (excluding China) want to limit or space their births.

Yet over 100 million of these women do not use family planning services mainly because of lack of accurate information and poor access to a variety of good-quality services. 008142

Causes of population growth: Solutions:
Unwanted pregnancies and the unmet need for contraception. About one out of four women wants to prevent or postpone her next pregnancy, but is not using contraception. In sub-Saharan Africa, unmet need is between 30-42%. Family planning education and availability of contraception and sterilization
Population momentum, which occurs when large numbers of young people enter their childbearing years at once. Population growth peaked in the 1960s, and the children of those people are now having children. Between the ages of 15 and 24, most young women become sexually active, marry and have their first children. Many times, these activities are not the choice of the young lady involved. Studies estimate that delaying the onset of childbearing by two to five years would ease "population momentum" and reduce the eventual global total. Spacing children will also ease the burden of population momentum.

"Raising mothers age at first birth from 18 to 23 would reduce population momentum by over 40%."

"If they decide to delay their first pregnancy and to have proper spacing between pregnancies, the difference could be something like half a billion to 1 billion people by the year 2015," UN Population Fund Executive Director Nafis Sadik says. Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct

The desire for large families. In areas where child mortality rates are high, parents choose to have many children so that some will survive. Reduce the infant mortality rate
Where women lack self-esteem, employment, schooling, and/or the full legal and social rights of citizenship, they depend on children for status and security. Provide jobs or small business opportunities for women. Education of females. Give women a voice in government. Reproductive health clinics help promote self-esteem by demonstrating that a woman's life is worth preserving.
- provided in part by the National Resource Defense Council

National Resource Defense Council 008127
All About USAID's Family Planning Program.  
USAID population funds were critial to the research and development of every modern method of contraception that we have today: low does pills, new IUDs, Norplant, Depo and new sterilization techniques 008129


Population Council .   .Researches Population and Social Policy, Reproductive Health and Family Planning programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the United States.   008130
AVSC International (Now Engender Health).  
Works to develop clinical services where

none exist, to expand and improve services at local and national levels, and to build both the ability and the commitment to provide quality health care that individuals want. Specializes in areas of voluntary sterilization, family planning service delivery, quality of care, and informed choice are relied upon the world over, including health care for sexually transmitted diseases, postpartum care, and postabortion care. Offers practical information and on-line training for clinic workers. 008131



How to Influence Fertility: the Experience So Far (1990) .   by John R. Weeks. a pre-Cairo-1994, in-depth discussion of successful and unsuccessful motivations and methods to reduce family sizes   008133

Women and Population .   United Nations Foundation   UN Foundation 008138

Childbirth Spacing .   Women who are able to space the period between pregnancies live longer and have fewer children who tend to be healthier   008141
Americans Believe Family Planning is Important.   Lake Sosin Snell Perry poll conducted for Planned Parent Federation of America, (1977)
008143
There are a Wide Range of Suggestions for Attaining Population Sustainability.   WOA!! website

  1. Those that believe that there aren't enough people in the world will tell you that everyone should have all the children that they can. They will say that there is a 'birth dearth', overlooking the fact that there are more people on the earth than ever before, and overlooking that in the Bible (Genesis) God told not just humans, but the animals to 'Be fruitful and multiply. (we seem to be wiping out plant and animal species by our overabundance)
  2. Those that believe that the environment is being degraded, and see the connection between bad human habits (i.e. sprawl and overconsumption) and the degraded environment, but do not see the connection between increasing numbers of people and the loss and degradation of plant and animal habitat - these people will tell you that any effort to reduce population is an attempt to 'control people', or an attempt to 'target' certain groups of people.

    Why Population Matters



  3. Some, not really seeing the magnitude of population impact, will say that the U.S. has no business in the reproduction policies of other countries and neither should we be making any reproduction policies in this country, either, so let every family (or church) make it's own reproduction decisions.


  4. WOA!! believes, along with about 170 countries, the United Nations, and a large number of people in the U.S., - that human sustainability and the environment are being severely impacted by overpopulation, and that 'population control' is NOT the answer. The answer lies in the principles of the Cairo Conference in 1994 (United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) September 1994, Cairo, Egypt), which include: a. Empowering women and girls in the economic, political, and social arenas, b.Removing gender disparities in education c.Integrating family planning with related efforts to improve maternal and child health, and d. removal of 'target' family sizes. More on this below.
  5. Many believe that the earth is fast reaching it's 'carrying capacity'. They don't think that reduction in population growth is happening fast enough. The less severe methods recommended are incentives and disincentives, which include: eliminating tax breaks or welfare caps for more than two children, and trying to socially ostracize people for having more than two children.
  6. Others want more severe methods because of the severity of the impacts caused by foreseen human overpopulation. The Chinese, in their one-Child policy, used large disincentives, ostracizing, and even imprisonment to enforce their policies.
  7. Of course there will always be the few radical elements that will suggest more severe methods, some as bad as the methods Hitler used in Germany. WOA!! asks that you do not let these bad examples deter you from wanting to do something worthwhile about human overpopulation. We cannot afford to let more and more of the world, humans and animals, suffer a degraded existence or early loss of life altogether due to too many people.
008180


United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo
Save the Children: Policy Brief on Population.   March 2010   Save the Children website
Population's rapid growth receives too little political and public attention. At only 2.5 billion in 1950, it is now at 6.8 billion, and is predicted to stabilise between 7.8 and 11.7 billion around 2050 (median 9.1 billion). Because of the high impacts, it is important to stabilize at the lowest level possible.

Rapid population growth in the world's poorest countries is a major obstacle to poverty reduction. Rapid population growth rates and high fertility rates correlate closely with high rates of maternal and child mortality, and most of the countries that are furthest from achieving the Millennium Development Goals have high rates of population growth.

Success at reducing fertility rates does not require coersion. The forced sterilisation policies pursued by India and China in the 1970s were an outrageous violation of women's rights. In International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994 concluded that strengthening women's sexual and reproductive rights and social status; improving maternal and child health, nutrition and education; and increasing access to and the use of modern family planning, would work the best, empowering women tend to choose to have fewer children and to space their pregnancies. This has positive effects on the health of mothers and children alike and on the development prospects of poor communities and countries.

While total fertility rates have fallen across the developing world from an average of 5.6 children per woman in 1970 to 2.4 in 2005, almost all of the 50 least developed countries have much higher rates, in most cases more than five children per woman. By 2050, Uganda is expected to grow from 27 to 130 million; Niger from 14 to 50 million; Iraq from 29 to 64 million; and Afghanistan from 31 to 82 million. Jeffrey Sachs noted: "not only will the world's population continue to soar in the medium and high forecasts, but it will soar in precisely those parts of the world that are struggling the most today with extreme poverty, disease, famine and violence."

The Millennium Development Goals (MGD), agreed in 2001, made no reference to population growth, and the 2005 Commission for Africa report said almost nothing on the subject, despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence of the damaging impact that rapid population growth has on poverty reduction efforts.

MDG 1 called for halving, by 2015, of the proportion of people living on less than US$1 a day. But the number of Africans living in poverty has increased by more than 100 million between 1990 and 2005 - partly as a result of population growth. In much of Africa rising populations have diminished the poverty-reducing effect of economic growth. MGD 1 part 2 calls for a halving of the proportion of people who are hungry. The slow pace of the decline in malnutrition is far too slow to achieve the goal, and the trend looks set to be reversed by food price rises and the economic downturn.

Where women lack rights, where they lack the status or the power to insist that their partners use contraception, or where modern family planning is simply not available, closely-spaced children and high fertility rates are very common. Children born less than two years after the next oldest sibling are more than twice as likely to die as a child who is born following a three-year gap.

High fertility strongly increases a woman's lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. 210 million women each year suffer life-threatening complications and a further 536,000 die in pregnancy, during childbirth or in the six weeks following delivery. Of these, 67,000 maternal deaths result from unsafe abortions, carried out in unhygienic conditions and/or by unskilled providers. Many of these deaths could be avoided if women had access to modern family planning and, most importantly, felt sufficiently empowered to insist on its use.

380 women become pregnant each minute; half of these do not wish for or plan their pregnancy. When women have rights and the use of family planning maternal and child deaths are drastically reduced, simply by preventing unplanned babies from being born. 125 million women worldwide would like to control their fertility, but are either not using or unable to insist on using, modern contraception.

About 14 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year, many lacking the social status or power to control their fertility. Many are forced into an early marriage. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, especially amongst the poorest social groups, see the highest rates of adolescent fertility. Girls aged 15-19 from the poorest groups are three times more likely than their better-off peers to give birth in adolescence, and bear twice as many children during their lifetime. They are also 2-5 times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications as women in their 20s, and their babies are less likely to survive as well.

Population growth can increase the risks of political instability and conflict, due to poverty, rapid urbanisation, reduced supplies of farmland and water per capita, and pressures on already overstretched infrastructure and services.

The responsibility for the current climate crisis rests squarely with developed countries, whose consumption patterns are pushing the world's fragile eco-system beyond its limits, inflicting huge global costs - not least on the world's poor. But the necessary global transition to a low-carbon, less resource-intensive, less polluting economic future will not be infinitely harder to achieve in a world of 10 billion rather than 6.8 billion people.

The link between population growth and poverty is two-way: poverty often leads to higher fertility and population growth, while high fertility and high population rates can entrench poverty. The key is to replace this vicious circle with a virtuous one, where women's rights, and their capacity to exercise choice, alongside access to better healthcare and nutrition, and modern family planning, allow the poorest women to make informed decisions about family spacing and size. When they are able to do so, they consistently make choices that are good for their health and that of their children.

In developing countries where the birth rate has fallen, between 25 and 40% of economic growth is attributed to the demographic change. This dividend includes the benefits of improved health and nutrition (healthy and well nourished people are more productive) and the freeing up of resources for investment in education and skills.

Save the Children calls for donors, international development agencies and developing country governments to make a commitment to the rights of women and girls, and to tackling a range of structural inequities that prevent the realisation of these rights, and to improve access to and use of family planning.

A new target was added to the MDGs, calling for universal access to reproductive healthcare by 2015. On current trends, this target will not be met - in fact, national and donor resources for family planning have fallen since the mid-1990s. This must change: investment in these services must become a high priority for development spending. Comprehensive family planning services should also include the right to safe abortion and the necessary services to ensure this. 024481

International Conference on Family Planning in Uganda.   November 30, 2009   CEDPA
More than 1,000 other policymakers, researchers, academics and health professionals joined together at the International Conference on Family Planning: Research and Best Practices, in Kampala. The conference was sponsored by Makerere University and the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins University

In the largest meeting ever focused on best practices and lessons learned from international family planning programs, participants shared results demonstrating family planning's powerful contribution to breaking the cycle of poverty and improving family health worldwide.

For example, CEDPA staff presented a poster session on its work to advance family planning usage in the central Terai region of Nepal. The project, Expanding Voluntary Use of Contraception in the Central Terai Region of Nepal, trained volunteers to disseminate information, counsel families and provide commodities to some of the most marginalized populations in Nepal. 024241

First, Policy Planning.   October 30, 2007   Hindustan Times
The Indian population of 1.12 billion and rising, is too much for a nation that has problems in providing basic welfare to a majority of its people. Some argue that it is the lack of basic amenities and rights for many that leads to the 'population problem'. For years, policymakers have been tinkering with this chicken-and-egg problem. Responding to the Government of India's petition to replace one maternity scheme with another that removes the two-child, 19-year-olds and above cap for eligibility, the court observed that such a scheme could not be indefinitely funded. The new scheme applies to women from below poverty line (BPL) families and provides Rs 500 to expecting mothers 12 weeks before delivery.

Does the State indefinitely keep throwing tax payers' money at pregnant women when there's a national consensus on reducing the population? Or does it provide nutritional care to women who can't afford the most basic maternal care? Both methods are scampering up the wrong tree. Linking incentives and disincentives with the use of contraception is pointless. Such an approach fails, making needy individuals with more than two children ineligible for schemes such as PDS ration, mid-day meals or micro-credit are inhumane.

The real way is to bundle policy initiatives like the education of girls, provision of better health services and social security, empowering women to take reproductive decisions and providing peer group information on contraception. The correlation between these initiatives and reducing fertility rates is proven. Will the State, socialistic in its rhetoric down the decades, stop taking the easy way out and proceed to build a solid welfare net that can take care of our needy millions who, today, have nothing to gain in the long-term by having smaller families.  rw 022160

What's the Status of Women Got to Do with Family Planning? Everything!.   July 22, 2007   Redlands Daily Facts
Sixty-million women and girls are "missing" in Asia, thanks to sex-selective abortion, female infanticide and neglect of the girl child. Millions of girls are not sent to school and are forced to marry at young ages. When a girl goes to school and learns how to read, she is empowered throughout her entire life. She marries later, has fewer children, sends them to school, earns income and participates more in the life of her community. Illiteracy leads to poverty and powerlessness, the root causes of violence against women, sex trafficking, and other ills.

The Cairo Consensus of 1994 promised universal access to primary education. Unfortunately, this agreement has not been honored. Lack of access to reproductive health services means that more than 500,000 women die in childbirth every year and 40 per minute seek unsafe abortion. Millions of women who play by all the rules of faithfulness in marriage contract the AIDS virus.

Because of the low status of women in many cultures, and of religions of all stripes which limit the spheres in which women and girls can participate, the world is digging an unnecessary hole for itself.

The UNFPA is a leader in the fight for the education, health and human rights of the world's women. In 2006, 180 countries allocated funds for UNFPA but not our own.  rw 021743

President Bush's Appeal to Religious Fundamentalists.   June 25, 2007   Population Institute
Opposition to abortion is a cornerstone of the Bush administration. The President blocks funds for UNFPA, the international agency that has prevented more abortions than any other policy.

Congress votes to contribute U.S. funds to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the but when these bills reach President Bush's desk, they die, because China is one of the more than 100 countries in which UNFPA operates.

President Bush is convinced, as were conservative Presidents before him, that China's national family planning program is driven by forced abortion and coercive sterilization. The Chinese government has denied this allegation for more than 20 years. China, the world's most populous country, employs draconian measures to put the brakes on further population growth. These have included reducing food rations, reducing living space and denying school choice to parents who have children beyond a couple's first child.

It has not been resolved, however, whether the Chinese government is perpetrating coercion. Beyond the moral repugnance of government dictating bedroom decisions, it is a strategy that is unnecessary and likely unworkable. Studies indicate that when couples have access to family planning information, education and supplies, they choose to limit their family size.

To correct the administration's policy, a bill in the House of Representatives calling for a $34 million fiscal year 2008 appropriation to UNFPA, would ensure detailed presidential accountability for refusing to release these congressionally appropriated funds.

In the 32 Chinese counties that receive UNFPA assistance, not only have maternal deaths declined, but abortions have decreased from 24 per 1,000 women to 10 per 1,000 women.  rw 021700

Family Planning Will Save Mothers and Children.   June 12, 2007   New Vision
Originally the rationale for promoting family planning was to match resources with the population.

International funding for these programmes increased from $168m in 1971 to $512m in 1985. The proportion of married women using a contraceptive rose from less than 10% to about 60% between 1960 and 2000 and the average number of births per woman dropped from six to about three. Sub-Saharan Africa had the lowest contraceptive use (22%) and highest fertility rate (5.5).

Throughout this period, family planning for population control was the centrepiece of various controversial discourses. Some took a position against contraception as a principle. Coercive programmes in some countries added more fuel to these discussions.

In 1994, the International Conference of Population and Development replaced the rationale for family planning with a broader agenda of women's empowerment and sexual and reproductive rights.

The agenda was aimed at empowering women, through moving attention from population growth to reproductive health.

However, funding for these programmes dropped from $560m in 1995 to $460m in 2003 and use of contraceptive methods rose with a slower pace. Some other issues, such as HIV/AIDS, were seen as leaving high fertility as yesterday's problem.

The benefits from family planning have not prompted more support and not only failed to convince the opposition, but missed its financial support.

Some of the benefits of family planning such as poverty reduction, gender equality and human rights are being challenged, it is astonishing that even its health benefits are not being appreciated.

Family planning can prevent 90% of abortion-related deaths and 32% of pregnancy-related deaths. Saving lives is the best argument for family planning. After Islamic revolution in Iran, all family planning programmes were suspended for about a decade, but when the religious leaders recognised the health benefits of family planning and its role in saving the lives of women, they issued fatwa in 1989 and authorised the use of all contraceptive methods.

Today 74% of Iranian women use a contraceptive method and the maternal mortality ratio is 76 per 100,000 live births.

Sri Lanka increased contraceptive use (70%) and reduce maternal mortality ratio (99) with limited financial resources.

In Uganda, 4 out of 10 pregnancies are unintended; 1.6 in 10 end up with abortion and 16 pregnant mothers die everyday. Fertility rate in Uganda is 6.7 children per woman. These figures indicate the needs for family planning and requires political support, increased funding expansion of services and increased accessibility of various contraceptive methods. Emphasis could be on rural communities, unmarried youth and women receiving post-abortion care.  rw 021360

Pakistan, UNFPA Sign Annual Work Plans for 2007.   January 24, 2007   Xinhua General News Service
Pakistan and UNFPA formalized plans for 2007 as part of UNFPA's Program of Assistance to Pakistan. In 2007, UNFPA will provide up to 9 million U.S. dollars, to support activities in Pakistan.

UNFPA assistance includes family planning services, reproductive health commodities and supporting interventions such as the treatment of fistula.

Assistance includes support for gender sensitive legislation, supporting woman victims of violence, strengthening women's crisis centers and engaging men in ending violence against women.

UNFPA will support the Population Census Organization of Pakistan to ensure women's concerns are addressed. UNFPA will continue to work on policy and advocacy for the Millennium Development Goals.

UNFPA will continue to provide emergency maternal health services for women in earthquake affected areas.  rw 020125

Record Number of Countries Contribute Record Amount to UN Population Fund.   January 22, 2007   UN News Centre
One hundred and eighty countries contributed $360 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) last year, the highest number of donors since the organization began to promote safe births and reducing poverty. This new record highlights the importance of sexual and reproductive health, as well as HIV prevention.  rw 020099
Thailand Hosts World Parliamentary Conference on Population, Development.   November 21, 2006   Thai Press Reports
Parliamentarians from more than 100 countries will convene in Bangkok for an International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

The conference will focus on taking stock of the progress made in advancing the ICPD agenda and agreeing on a common strategy to take to the next level.

At the Conference in Cairo in 1994, 179 countries agreed that population and development are inextricably linked, and that empowering women and meeting people's needs for education and health, are necessary for both advancement and balanced development.  rw 019511

Defending and Debating Sexual and Reproductive Rights.   November 04, 2006   Lancet (UK medical journal)
The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was a watershed event. 179 countries committed to the ICPD Programme of Action for the next 20 years, promising to shift goals away from demographic targets, fertility reduction, and population control to goals focused on comprehensive health and wellbeing, women's empowerment, and reproductive rights.

Although countries promised to provide the funding to ensure universal access to reproductive health by 2015, this has not been achieved. Millions of women continue to be denied the highest attainable standard of health. Controversies surrounding sexual and reproductive health are heated. Different world views on women's role in society and on sexual morality, and the relationship between religion and the state, clash repeatedly. Every year more than 530,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth, and another 20 million become ill or disabled. With an average of 6.9 children per woman Uganda has one of the world's highest fertility rates yet many Ugandan women choose to end unwanted pregnancies by an illegal abortion. Reproductive rights are not a priority, because of the country's social conservatism.

One million teenagers become pregnant in the USA each year, 85% are unintended, and about 35% end in abortion. 40% of American women have been pregnant by the age of 20, and about 30% will have contracted a sexually transmitted infection by the age of 24. Denmark's compulsory sex education and access to contraception have contributed to one of the lowest rates of teenage pregnancy. The impact of health-sector reform is identified as a critical factor. In some countries the reproductive rights movement is challenged by the lack of a legal framework that allows independent NGOs to be advocates for change. The socioeconomic inequities that determine women's access to information and services are overlooked. In Latin America, the Roman Catholic Church is the main force that opposes full recognition of sexual and reproductive rights. While official policy is based on religious dogma, unofficial and often illegal mechanisms enable the widespread exercise of private sexual and reproductive choices, as long as they are hidden.

These restrictive policies have the greatest effect on ethnic minorities, single mothers, those in rural areas, and homosexual men and women. As systems of social belief become more diverse, it seems unlikely that one religion's influence will be the sole determinant of policy on reproductive health.  rw 019334

Many Charts of Women's Progress Remain Blank.   January 18, 2006   InterPress Service
The paucity of national statistics is impinging negatively on four new areas: violence against women; poverty; power and decision-making; and human rights. The more developed regions report the most data and the (50) least developed countries (LDCs) the least. In Africa less than a third of the 54 countries were able to provide data on births, deaths and economic characteristics of Africa's population by sex. One of the shortcomings in this area is the collection of data disaggregated by sex and of data focusing on gender issues. Regular and reliable national statistics are required for policy formulation, planning and for evaluation of national development goals. The world's least developed countries require national commitment and public support by women's groups, to strengthen three essential activities: First, conducting a census of the total population. Second, strengthening survey capability to address topics requiring further detail and explanation. Third, a civil registration system that registers births and deaths by sex and age. National statistics are required for assessment of progress. There has been little increase in the number of countries collecting and reporting the number of births and deaths by sex and age in their population over the last 30 years. UNFPA said the production of gender statistics has been impaired by the mere lip service, paid to gender equality in society in general. Female births are often not registered because girls may not enjoy the same value as boys. Many censuses under-represent women because of a lack of recognition of their economic and social contributions.  rw    016216
The Putrajaya Declaration.   May 15, 2005   The Sunday Mail (Malaysia)
The Putrajaya Declaration, coming exactly 10 years after the United Nations-sponsored Beijing Declaration, reaffirms the need to advance the women's cause by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member countries. Women's problems are so complex that the problem cannot be erased with just one declaration. The 50-point Putrajaya Declaration outlines * Integrating women's interests in national economic policies. * Providing comprehensive health services.* Ensuring every female has access to education and social security services. * Developing gender-responsive budgets, and proper utilisation of these budgets. * Increasing participation and representation of women in decision making positions in government. * Developing domestic policies to ensure that gender is integrated into the programme. Members pledged to take measures to end foreign occupation, armed conflict and terrorism. The declaration documents the need to eliminate practices that discriminate against women. The heads of delegation also agreed to recommend to their government that the meeting be held biennially.  rw    013684
Women's Role Is Critical in Global Stabilization.   April 02, 2005   Albuquerque Journal (US)
More than 6,000 women from more than 130 countries were drawn to New York City where participants met in the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women session to review gains and losses. Their action was to reaffirm the Beijing platform, in which governments agreed to address specific areas of concern for women and girls. They also crafted strategies for strengthening national policies that recognize women's basic rights. Reproductive rights were an important part of the discussion. The number of females with HIV has increased worldwide attributable to policies that fail to prevent forced and early marriages, the growing sex trade, and violence against women. Fundamentalist movements are blamed for reversing freedoms affecting women's life. Improvements in the rights of women have had a direct hand helping nations prosper. Empowered with control over even meager resources, women tend to invest them in education for children, health care and environmental stewardship of the land. The conference was a crucial prelude to the U.N. summit that will be held in New York in September, at which world leaders will similarly assess how nations are doing in terms of achieving their Millennium Development Goals. Unless nations adopt the Beijing platform and encourage equitable treatment of women and respect for their rights, goals to reduce worldwide poverty don't have a chance.  rw    013166
Reviewing Beijing Documents on Women's Rights, UN Commission Calls for More Action.   March 11, 2005   UN News Centre
Worldwide consensus believes that empowering women is the most effective tool for development and poverty reduction, said the Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting. It called attention to areas where women's equality is not a reality, continuing high rates of violence against women in all parts of the world, increasing incidence of HIV among women, gender inequality in employment, lack of sexual and reproductive health rights and a lack of equal access under the law to land and property. Ideas ranged from campaigning for greater participation in making public policy, to organizing pro-woman caucuses, to appointing high-level commissioners and forming inter-departmental task forces. Roundtables discussed making data collection and analysis relevant, recognizing the impact of socio-economic policies on women and implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Delegates re-affirmed the commitments made in in Beijing and urged governments to facilitate the advancement of women.    013121
World Population Fast Growing.   December 08, 2004   Pakistan Newswire
The world population of 6.4 billion is expected to be over 8.9 billion by 2050. In 1950 the total world population was 2.5 billion. Human growth has slowed since it peaked in 1980,s at around 82 million, the average family has declined from six children in 1960 to three today as family planning has become more accessible. Projections suggest that population will start to level off by the middle of the century as fertility drops to replacement level. In the poorest countries where access to family planning is limited, the transition to smaller families is just beginning. The UN population fund is expected to exceed 400 million dollars this year. Last year it was 398 million dollars.  rw    012369
Population Growth is Slowing but Development Challenges Remain.   October 19, 2004   UN News Centre
The pace of population growth has begun to slow, driven by falling fertility rates. Life expectancy has risen except for Eastern Europe, East Africa and southern Africa. It is clear that the programme drawn up in Cairo is being used to frame policies, reduce poverty and boost development. But the developing world faces challenges from HIV and the millions of mothers who die each year from complications during childbirth. Cairo has allowed people to speak publicly about issues that were once taboo, such as violence against women and the use of sexual violence as a weapon in conflicts. Governments must invest more to "break the cycle" of poverty in which millions of people are trapped by increasing access to education, lifting health care standards and aiming to eliminate gender inequality and discrimination.  rw    011855
Investing in Slowing Population.   October 10, 2004   Boston Globe
UN agreed on a plan to achieve economic development and slow population growth in 20 years by investing in reproductive healthcare and education. In 1994, the world's population of 5.6 billion was growing at 93 million per year, but today it is 77 million, 17% slower. Challenges remain: Population will increase by one-third in the next 50 years; meeting reproductive health needs is faltering; and there is inadequate funding for education and outreach. More than 100 world leaders urged governments and private organizations to give population and development issues priority and funding. Nations should make good on their pledge to invest $365 billion in family planning and reproductive healthcare before 2015, but investment is 70% behind schedule. Half the world is under 25, and they deserve the services and information to make decisions about childbearing. The more educated a woman is, the more she improves her family's health and income, delays her age of marriage, and lowers the number of children. Research indicates a link between falling birth rates and economic growth. Fewer births boost the proportion of young adults who are capable of working without the burden of additional dependents. Evidence also demonstrates that throughout the developing world, the number of children women want is falling. A variety of programs need to be expanded to reach more people and requires partnerships between government and society. Commitment will be demonstrated when governments show their leadership by embracing programs that work.  rw    011815
Effective Tools for Empowering, Educating Women.   March 31, 2004   Kofi Annan
We have just entered the 10th anniversary year of the historic International Conference on Population and Development, held under United Nations auspices in Cairo in 1994.

For the UN to succeed in its endeavors, partnership with civil society is a necessity. The conference in 1994 forged a consensus to ensure that reproductive health is recognized as a human right and reached agreement on actions to achieve gender equality, economic and social justice. It also paved the way for the Millennium Development Goalsadopted by all the worlds countries as a blueprint for building better lives for people everywhere in the 21st century. The commitments range from halving poverty to halting HIV-AIDS, from reducing child mortality to eliminating gender disparity by 2015. They are a call to which every one of us can and should respond; one of the most effective ways is through the education and empowerment of girls and women.  rw    010172

International Women's Day and UN Regional Meeting for ICPD in Chile.   March 08, 2004   Population Action International
International Women's Day coincides with a meeting in Chile on women's reproductive health and rights and to assess progress at the 10-year mark of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). In 1994, 179 countries pledged to make reproductive health services available to all by 2015. The world's wealthiest countries agreed to provide an estimated $17 billion for 2000 but contributions have fallen short. This meeting sets the stage for governments of the Latin America and the Caribbean region to reaffirm their commitment to ICPD goals. Approximately 23,000 Latin American and Caribbean women die each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and 100,000 died last year from HIV. Leaders in the population, reproductive health and related fields prepare to assemble in London in August to bring women's rights, reproductive health and other crucial development issues to the table with 10 years remaining until 2015.    009988


The United Nations Population Conference .   It took 40 years to build consensus.
1954 - The Club of Rome
1960 - USAID family planning services in the developing countries increases contraceptive prevalence from 14% in 1965 to 57% today. "Population control" sometimes used.
1974 - Bucharest UN World Population Conference. Industrial countries wanted to control population growth, while developing nations said that "development is the best contraceptive."
1984 - Mexico City U.N. Conference on Population becamed emeshed in U.S. debates over abortion and contraception.
1994 - Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)- characterized by an extraordinary degree of international cooperation and consensus, by improving health, education, and access to opportunity   1994   008146
Secretary of State Clinton to Deliver Major Speech Renewing U.S. Support for Universal Access to Reproductive Health Worldwide.   January 7, 2010   Population Connection
In a speech to mark the 15th year of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will announce the U.S. Government's renewed support for and dedication to reaching the ICPD goals and other related UN agreements, including the Millennium Development Goals, in the next 5 years.

The speech will occur on January 8, 2010, having been postponed due to extreme weather conditions in Washington DC. Please follow the headline link or go to www.icpd2015.org for a live streamed broadcast at 3:00 pm. A transcript and video of of the speech will be posted on this site following the event.

The "Cairo Consensus" was reached in 1994 in Cairo, Egypt by 179 nations. It was agreed to achieve universal access to education, especially for girls; reductions in infant, child and maternal mortality, and universal access to reproductive health.

The 1994 ICPD was followed by the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women which established the Beijing Platform for Action, and the 2000 Millennium Summit, that established the Millennium Development Goals. These three conferences and their reinforcing commitments are the cornerstones of population and development policies globally.

The programs resulting from these conferences have improved and saved millions of lives through effective and affordable reproductive health programs, and has resulted in the growth of economies and preservation of natural resources. 024271

Where is the P in the ICPD?.   September 4, 2009   Musimbi Kanyoro, The David & Lucile Packard Foundatio
The relationship of population growth to development is complex, but rapid population growth is one factor driving the increasing disparity between the rich north and least developed countries and widening the gap between the poor and rich within countries. Population growth in Sub Saharan Africa has caused the absolute number of people living in poverty to rise by many tens of millions (although the percentage of those living in poverty has fallen slightly).

When we leave the P (population) out of the ICPD, we cannot achieve the goals of the ICPD or those of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.) Since the 1990's, lack of attention to population has had alarming impact in countries such as Kenya. In the 1980s the average family size in Kenya fell from 7.2 to 5.4, as a result to the effort put into family planning programs. In 1990 the projected population of the Kenya for 2050 was 54 million. Now, with the diminished focus on family planning in Kenya, the population in 2050 is projected to 84 million.

These 84 million will need to be fed, educated, and employed - perhaps an insurmountable challenge for Kenya. Increasing poverty is extremely visible through the mushrooming of slums. When population grows so fast, education and health systems are overwhelmed or fail all together, and development cannot be sustained and it is girls and women who suffer the most.

Development was declared to be a universal and inalienable right by the ICPD, but the British parliament concluded 2 years ago that "the evidence is overwhelming; MDGs are difficult or impossible to achieve with the current levels of population growth in the world's least developed countries and regions."

While coercive family planning has in the past occurred in countries like India, it was found that the truly successful family planning in countries such as Iran, Bangladesh, Thailand or Colombia - have been entirely voluntary. About one third of the decline in maternal mortality in the West is not due to better obstetrics, but to voluntary family planning.

The ICPD PoA says: " The success of population education and family planning programmes in a variety of settings demonstrates that informed individuals everywhere can and will act responsibly in the light of their own needs and those of their families and communities."

Unfortunately there are still many barriers to adequate family planning. Many poor and ignorant women beleive that contraception is more dangerous than childbirth - actually the risks can be literally a thousand fold in the opposite direction.

No women can be free unless she can decide whether and when to have a child. Family planning leads to increased health benefits to women and families and opens the door to all the other aspects of reproductive and sexual health.

There are 1.2 billion young people who are in the prime of learning about their own sexuality. Youth need sexual reproductive health and rights and girls need empowerment and education. Girls with secondary school education make better sexual and reproductive health choices. Investing in these critical areas is the way to go for the achievement of the Cairo agenda and the MDGs.

Not only should there be universal access to contraceptives, but there must be dissemination of correct information and the development new contraceptive technologies for both women and men, and protection from HIV and STIs.

Having babies delivered by skilled birth attendants is a worthy goal, but making family planning available is more expediant. Community health workers with minimal training can deliver injectable contraceptives safely and responsibly.

Lowered maternal mortality can only be realized by making safe abortion available. Medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration can be made available in low resource settings when skills are acquired to use them responsibly.

We must:

1. Revitalize and reposition family planning

2. Restore and sustain family planning budgets

3. Disseminate accurate and comprehensive information on family planning

4. Meet the unmet need for family planning with universal access to contraceptives

5. Empower communities to access and distribute contraceptives

6. Build relationships with maternal health advocates

7. Build bridges between actors in other fields such as HIV/AIDS, education, human rights, development, migrations, etc

8. Develop messages which communicate to policy makers and donors the relationship between population dynamics, family planning and maternal health, sexual and reproductive health 024155



The Cairo Program of Action.   Acknowledges the complex personal and social contexts within which decisions about childbearing are made. It separates the problem of unwanted fertility, which can be addressed by access to family planning services, from other causes of population growth, including the desire for large families. Calls for other social investments -- such as the education of girls and the reduction of infant mortality -- to help make small families the norm.
  • Endorses a reproductive health approach to family planning.
  • Recognizes the central role of gender relations, with a link between high fertility and the low status of women, and offers strategies to empower women through access to education, resources and opportunity.
  • Addresses the harmful effects of northern consumption patterns, drawing the connection between consumption, population growth and environmentaldegradation.
  • Strikes a historic compromise on abortion. While declaring that "in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning," the document asks governments to address unsafe abortion as a major public health concern. It also asks governments to ensure that abortion services are safe when they are not against the law, to provide reliable and compassionate counseling for all women who have unwanted pregnancies and to provide humane care for all women who suffer the consequences of unsafe abortion.
  • Stands on solid ethical ground. Coercion of all is rejected. The means it proposes to slow population growth are all desirable ends in themselves. It offers strategies to narrow the gaps between rich and poor, and between men and women.
  •   008144

    ICPD Programme of Action.   When we talk about the ICPD Programme of Action, we are not discussing ideas and programs that might work. We are talking about ideas and programs that have already been proven to work in a cost-effective manner and in a short period of time. These are programs that, if funded properly, could improve the lives of billions of people and also stabilize the population of the world during the middle of the next century.   008145
    The Cairo Consensus:.   UNFPA
    Fortunately, there is a global consensus on what needs to be done. At the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) 179 countries agreed that population and development are inextricably linked, and that empowering women and meeting peoples needs for education and health, including reproductive health, are necessary for both individual advancement and balanced development. Advancing gender equality, eliminating violence against women and ensuring womens ability to control their own fertility are acknowledged as corner-stones of population and development policies. Concrete goals centre on providing universal education and reproductive health care, including family planning; and reducing infant, child and maternal mortality. 008272
    A Mother's Promise Petition.  
    As a community, we value and support the promise a mother makes to her child. It is a promise of love, security, shelter, food, good health, a clean environment, and education to help her chidren secure that future. But povery, disease, ignorance, injustice, - and politices - make this an impossible promise for millions of women. A decade ago, 179 nations came together in Cairo, Egypt, to confront this reality with a new approach to improve the quality of life for women and families, a Programme of Action that underscored the mutually reinforcing linkages between population and sustainable development. But ten years later, new challenges and politics have compromised the power and energy of that historic meeting, slowing or stopping progress. In recognition of the 10th anniversary of this historic agreement, this petition reaffirms our commitment to act now to advance the principles, policies, policies, and promise of Cairo.   Follow the link to sign the petition. Have a Mothers Promise tabling event. 010764


    Success Stories:
    Family Planning Works -
    Growth is Slowing!
    Strange but True: How Soap Operas Might Save Us From Overpopulation.   August 2010   AlterNet
    Daniela Perdomo interviews Bill Ryerson of Population Media Center (PMC).

    Human capacity was exceeded in the 1980s, bringing the planet into crisis. Global warming, food and water crises, even international conflict, can be traced to overpopulation. Natural resources are being consumed at a rate much higher than they can be replenished. Now at over 6.8 billion people in the world, we're expected to number 9 billion by 2050.

    Bill Ryerson is using media to change behaviors that contribute to global overpopulation by using melodramatic soap operas on radio and television throughout the developing world (and soon, the U.S.) to teach listeners and viewers important lessons about family planning, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and environmental preservation, and women's and children's rights.

    Africa has the least media coverage, particularly with television. In Ethiopia over half have radios and listen to them on a regular basis. So it's a majority of the world's population that has access to broadcasting. Latin America and in Asia, television reaches almost everybody. 90% of the Vietnam population watches TV. In Pakistan maybe two-thirds of the population watches TV on a regular basis.

    Population Media Center uses the Sabido method, which used the Latin American version of soap operas, called telenovelas, or television novels. These are quite different from American soap operas because they are much shorter. They are the dominant prime-time format in Latin America and they are popular and engrossing. They are also melodramatic -- depicting the battle of good versus evil.

    Miguel Sabido was a vice president of Mexico's largest commercial network, Televisa. He began looking at ways in which he could use the telenovela to provide audiences with information that would improve their lives. Using research and theory from psychologists, the creation of serialized melodramas that has proven over and over again to be highly influential in changing social norms on all kinds of issues.

    Stanford psychologist Alfred Bandura is the world's authority on role modeling and how role models influence behavior and what makes a parent or a peer or a celebrity influence the people who are observing them. Using role models, the telenovela teaches self-efficacy, the confidence in the ability to accomplish some task.

    Where girls are denied education and are married off at puberty to older men in polygamous relationships and are not given the right to determine how many children to have and so on, changing the attitudes and behavior of the men as well as the women can be done through this strategy.

    Characters are created who start out in the middle of the road and sort through the conflicting advice they get from the positive and the negative characters and figure out who is right, and they evolve into positive role models for the audience. The negative characters always suffer the consequences of their behavior.

    The Sabido method is now in 24 countries around the world. In Brazil, a program called "Páginas da Vida," "Pages of Life,"contained a teenage pregnancy and parenthood storyline. This program influenced thirty-six% of the women clients of the family planning clinics to come because of that program. These women did not want to fall into the trap and the poverty and all the health problems that this teenage mother had fallen into. So they learned from that and they went to family planning. As a result of this program here was a 153% increase in condom distribution.

    In Tanzania a radio serial depicted an alcoholic truck driver with a girlfriend at every truck stop and a subservient wife waiting at home. His wife figured him out during the serial and told him she had heard about the AIDS epidemic and said that when he was home he was going to have to use condoms. She went on to become an entrepreneur and founded her own business, and she became a role model for female empowerment.

    The truck driver became sick. 58% of the adult population heard this program, with more men in the audience than women, and they found out the truck driver had made a fatal mistake. Originally the men identified with the truck driver because he was having a good time, but then he started dying from AIDS. 82% of the audience in a survey after the two years said they had changed their behavior to avoid HIV infection. Most of them reduced the number of sexual partners. The second most common change was condom use.

    Ryerson said: "This is the most cost-effective approach that I have found anywhere in the world." In the Tanzania project, the cost per person who adopted family planning was 32 cents. The cost per person to change behavior to avoid HIV infection was 8 cents. When you can save lives at 8 cents a person, it is worth doing something.

    In Sudan, PMC developed a program where the major emphasis was on female genital mutilation. Before the program, 28% of the adult population thought FGM was a bad idea. After the broadcast, 65% of the population thought the practice should be abandoned.

    The Global Footprint Network have determined is our ecological footprint is 40% over what is sustainable. We are taking resources out of the bank and not replacing them. Water is one of the key resources: India, China and the United States are the top grain-producing countries, all three using underground fresh water aquifers for irrigation, as well as using river water for irrigation.

    India, for example, is pumping out the water at twice the rate of replacement by rain water, and the water table is sinking by 10 feet a year. Large areas of farmland in India are turning into desert. With the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas, the regular flow of the rivers in India and China are also threatened.

    Cheap oil is a key element in fertilizers and pesticides and in planting, harvesting, transportation to market, refrigeration, packaging, distribution to supermarkets and taking it home and serving it, but oil reached an all-time peak two years ago. The price of grain and of both rice and wheat tripled and quadrupled on the world market, and there were food riots all over the developing world. When production of oil goes into decline in the face of expanding demand, the price of oil is going to go way up. The billion people living on a dollar or less a day may not be able to buy enough food to survive.

    We have gotten all the easy oil there is to get. Now we are drilling 5,000 feet below the surface of the ocean, high-risk operations trying to get the last bits of oil. The increase from one billion to almost seven billion people on the planet has occurred since the discovery of oil.

    Terrorism is partly a population-related issue. In high-population growth countries people are spending all of their money on food, housing and clothing. They have nothing left over to save. That means there is no capital formation. That means businesses can't expand. Therefore, there is no growth in employment. So you have a rapid growth in the number of people trying to enter the labor force and no jobs.

    In urban centers like Karachi and Islamabad hundreds and thousands of unemployed men walking around angry and very concerned as to how they are going to survive.They are great prospects for recruiting into terrorism because they have nothing to lose.

    PMC is planning a project available online to serve the Hispanic population in the U.S. to address the issues of teenage pregnancy prevention and obesity prevention among Latino populations. 024534

    India: A Reproductive Health Communication Model That Helps Improve Young Women's Reproductive Life and Reduce Population Growth.   June 10, 2010   Zunia.org
    Implementation of a reproductive health communication model called PRACHAR could result in 64 million fewer people being added to the population of India. PRACHAR is a reproductive health communication model found to be successful in delaying age at marriage and onset of childbearing, increasing contraceptive use for spacing of pregnancies, and generating the most positive impact on contraceptive use among the socioeconomically least advantaged. The model was developed and tested in rural Bihar, India.

    Visit http://www.pathfind.org/site/DocServer/PRACHAR_Impact_-_Pathfinder_WP_Jan_2010.pdf?docID=18181 to see the report on the impact of implementing the model in the reproductive health and family planning programs in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. 024531

    Moving to a Stable World Population.   January 21, 2008   Earth Policy Institute
    Some 43 countries have populations that are stable or declining slowly. A large group of countries has reduced fertility to the replacement level or just below. They are headed for population stability after young people move through their reproductive years. Included in this group are China and the United States. A third group is projected to more than double their populations by 2050. UN projections show growth under three assumptions about fertility levels. The medium projection has world population reaching 9.2 billion by 2050. The high one 10.8 billion. The low projection, which assumes fertility to 1.6 children has population peaking at just under 8 billion in 2041 and then declining. If the goal is to eradicate poverty, hunger, and illiteracy, we have little choice but to strive for the lower projection.

    This means that all women should have access to family planning services. At present 201 million couples cannot obtain the services they need. Filling the family planning gap may be the most urgent item on the global agenda. The good news is that countries that want to reduce family size can do so quickly.

    In one decade Iran dropped its population growth to one of the lowest in the developing world. It's annual population growth peaked at 4.2% in the early 1980s. As this growth began to burden the economy and the environment, the country's leaders realized that overcrowding, environmental degradation, and unemployment were undermining Iran's future.

    In 1989 the government restored its family planning program. The resources of education, culture, and health were mobilized to encourage smaller families. Some 15,000 clinics were established to provide rural populations with health and family planning services.

    Religious leaders were directly involved in appealing for smaller families. Iran introduced male sterilization, contraceptives such as the pill and sterilization, were free of charge. Iran became the only country to require couples to take a class on modern contraception before receiving a marriage license.

    In addition a broad-based effort was launched to raise female literacy, from 25% in 1970 to more than 70% in 2000. Female school enrollment increased from 60 to 90%. Television was used to disseminate information on family planning. As a result of this initiative, family size in Iran dropped from seven children to fewer than three. From 1987 to 1994, Iran cut its population growth rate to 1.3% in 2006, slightly higher than in the US.

    Soap operas on radio and television can quickly change attitudes about reproductive health, gender equity, family size, and environmental protection. It costs relatively little and can proceed while formal educational systems are being expanded.

    The U.S.-based Population Media Center has initiated projects in some 15 countries. Their radio dramas in Ethiopia, address issues such as HIV/AIDS, family planning, and the education of girls. A survey in 2004 found that 63% of clients seeking reproductive health care at 48 service centers reported listening to one of the dramas. Demand for contraceptives increased 157%.

    For Bangladesh, $62 spent by the government to prevent an unwanted birth saved $615 on other social services.

    When countries move quickly to smaller families, productivity surges, savings and investment climb, and economic growth accelerates. This lasts for only a few decades, but it is usually enough to launch a country into the modern era.

    Meeting the needs of the 201 million women who do not have access to effective contraception could each year prevent 52 million unwanted pregnancies, 22 million induced abortions, and 1.4 million infant deaths.  rw 023518

    How Many Chinese Are Enough?.   October 25, 2007   New Zealand Herald
    Because China has worked hard over the last 30 years, we have 400 million fewer people. In the eyes of supporters, that justifies the infringements on people's freedoms. The end justifies the means, doesn't it?

    Not having more than two billion people in 20 years time is a desirable outcome for China. There is a limit to how many people China can support. But did the regime have to impose such a draconian birth-control policy?

    The Chinese government's "soft" birth-control policy, encouraging later marriage, fewer births and longer birth intervals - brought the fertility rate down from 5.7 in 1970 to 2.9 by 1979. And it happened before the one-child policy was introduced.

    Critics point to the Indian experience, where an early experiment with enforced birth-control measures created a backlash and yet, India's birth rate has also fallen to only 2.8 this year.

    The transition from high birth rate, high death rate societies to longer-lived communities works its magic eventually. But it does take its time.

    Compulsion does make a difference. By 1980 China's fertility rate was already down without compulsion to the rate that prevails in India today. With compulsion, it has fallen to little more than half the current Indian fertility rate. So China's population will level off at about 1.4 billion by 2020, while India's will go on growing to at least 1.7 billion.

    If China had taken India's approach, its population would probably reach two billion before it stopped growing. That could easily be the margin between success and disaster.

    China's economic miracle skates along the edge of environmental calamity. Breathing the air in Beijing is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes every day. Dozens of cities are experiencing severe water shortages. It's bad enough but what would it have been like without the one-child policy?

    In large parts of the world, it is not acceptable to suggest that the number of people can be a problem. Population control is absent, for example, from discussions about how to minimise climate change. It's partly out of concern for the religious sensibilities, and partly because of the human rights issues.

    In addition there are demographic implications. The shrinking number of people in the working-age population who have to provide for an aged population. Another is a wave of selective abortions and female infanticide. In China girls are in such short supply that by 2010 there will be 37 million young Chinese men with no prospect of a wife.

    Almost two-thirds of Chinese families have only one child. And the Government is determined to retain the policy and intends to bring the population down whatever the collateral social damage.

    China is well beyond its long-term "carrying capacity" even with its present population. There are things worse than a one-child policy such as social disintegration and civil war.  rw 022474

    India;: Let Men Do Their Bit.   October 23, 2007   The Pioneer
    For 30 years, vasectomy has been taboo, and the burden of family planning has been on women. But modern vasectomy techniques are a success in the West. India needs to try them.

    India's most populous State, Uttar Pradesh, will account for 22% of India's population by 2026. Fertility rates here destined to take decades to reach replacement levels. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are forecast to jointly account for only 13% of the population increase during the same period.

    Currently, 42% of India's population produces three or more children. Of 188 million couples requiring contraceptive coverage, only 53% cent are using contraceptives. The percentage of women having more than three children is 57% in Uttar Pradesh, 54% in Bihar and 49% in Madhya Pradesh. Almost half the girls there are under 18 at marriage.

    There is urgent need to push up the age of marriage, delay the birth of the first child and widen the scope for spacing and limiting families. Vasectomy is a feasible way.

    Unfortunately, any efforts to limit population are attacked by critics as an invasion of "human rights". Given the culture of the northern States, such goals are dumped as "unacceptable" and "impossible" and invariably shunned by many politicians.

    The Millennium Development Goals do not envision family planning as the route to improving maternal and child health. This acts as a deterrent to organisations getting involved overtly.

    Concentration on maternal and child health services has excluded men. Counselling on vasectomy is just not their business. In India, men have ceased to be the object of family planning ever since eight million male sterilisations were conducted coercively and haphazardly during the draconian Emergency period.

    Even now horror stories of three decades gone by give shudders to politicians, especially in the Hindi belt. With no other terminal option available, millions of women have perforce to undergo tubal ligations having already borne the brunt of unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions.

    The recent resurrection of the vasectomy programme comes as a welcome surprise. Madhya Pradesh has doubled vasectomies in the span of just one year from 7,000 to over 15,000. Haryana has shown higher and higher performance each passing year. Punjab has quadrupled the number of vasectomies in a matter of one year. Rajasthan has upped the vasectomy performance from just 1,700 during 2003-04 by almost five-times.

    On October 6, in Vadodara, nearly 900 vasectomies were performed and hundreds of men had come willingly for this outpatient procedure.

    At every health facility, ANMs and village women togged up in their best attire escorted the "acceptors" for vasectomy. Surgeries progressed speedily and while the patients waiting their turn, paranthas, enthusiastic counselling and a bag full of condoms were kept in readiness to complete the day's work.

    Whether the carrot was the Rs 200 motivation money or the Rs 1,000 compensation for acceptors, an enormous response was evident. But India's annual vasectomy total remains less than a 10th of the pre-Emergency levels, despite hundreds of surgeons having acquired the Chinese non-scalpel skill.

    In India, vasectomies are treated as the poor man's option. In some Latin American countries vasectomy has been presented as an alternative to female sterilisation. What is needed is for decision-makers to stop worrying about resurrecting the ghost of 1975 and understand that our population growth is having a detrimental effect on maternal and infant mortality.  rw 022104

    Fertility Rate Dips in Pakistan, Contraceptive Awareness Rises.   October 02, 2007   Indian Muslims website
    The fertility rate among women in Pakistan has dipped from 5.6% in 1990-91 to 4.1% in 2004-06, attributed to rising use of contraceptives. The trend is more in Punjab than other provinces.

    Women bear the brunt of controlling childbirth. Half of married women use contraceptives and few know about the use of condoms by males. Female sterilisation is on the rise and 84% children are breastfed in the first year of birth.

    The study was done by the research arm of the Population Welfare ministry, funded by USAID, to collect reliable estimates on pregnant women and family planning usage.

    The last such survey was done in 1990-91.  rw 022007

    Family Planning Helps Kon Tum Village Thrive.   September 26, 2007   Vietnam News Agency
    Kontum Ko Pang Village has 217 households with more than 1,000 people, most ethnic minorities. In the past, more than half of the families had between five and six children, and many suffered poverty. But recently, most young couples have one or two children. The village has about 60 young couples, and only three of them have more than two children. The others have used modern contraceptive methods, obeying the regulations of the village.

    This is due to the effort of the village's people who want to build a better life, for themselves and for their children.

    Every Monday the head of the village takes a few minutes to tell stories about family planning, effective contraceptives and the harms of having too many children. Collaborators visit each family to encourage newly married husbands and wives to use proper contraceptives.

    Y Lim is one of the women in the village praised for her family planning practise. She got married at 21, but didn't have her first child for another three years. She waited until they had a stable income. Now she has two children who are well-behaved and excel at their studies.

    They have been able to afford adequate accommodations and two family motorbikes. Y Lim is attending classes to improve her business skills.

    Y Lim's family is one of many in the village practising modern birth-control methods, ensuring that the children have a brighter future.  rw 021997

    Family Planning Success Stories in Sub-Saharan Africa.   August 20, 2007   The Info Project
    Malawi, Zambia, and Ghana, with limited resources, have seen growth in contraceptive use and fertility decline, despite poverty and illiteracy in a predominately rural population. In Malawi, agencies worked through the Ministry of Health. Dedicated individuals maintain motivation and sustain programs. Research can lead to large-scale programs if there is involvement of stakeholders and if it is followed by action to implement recommendations. Improving the logistics for contraceptives is key to strengthening family planning. Mobilization of partnerships with the private and civil sector society can be an effective complement to the system. Bringing services to the doorstep via outreach is an effective way to get services to hard-to-reach, populations, but needs to be widespread. This is important for people living in rural areas. Community-based distributors (CBD) also raise awareness of family planning and refer women for services. The introduction of a range of methods into family planning has raised contraceptive use. Behavior Change is a necessary part of holistic programming; neglecting it will diminish program impact. Exposure to radio and TV was associated with increased contraceptive use in Zambia. Training must build clinical and counseling skills and also address biases. Clinical Officers as well as physicians can and do provide female sterilization. Registered Nurses and Nurse-Midwives can provide Depo-Provera(r) and intrauterine devices. Involving men proved to be an important factor in program success.  rw 021784
    Jamaica;: Women Having Less Children, Owning More Businesses.   August 14, 2007   Jamaica Observer
    Once you educate and liberate your women, everything else takes off, and in several decades we have seen a dramatic increase in women opting to have careers, getting educated, and becoming liberated.

    Women are having one or two children, and later,

    due largely to Jamaica's family planning programme.

    The total fertility rate has fallen, reaching 2.5 children per woman in 2002. In 1997, the fertility rate stood at 2.8 children per woman. This number continued to decline to 2.21 in 2001, 2.05 in 2002, 1.99 in 2003 and 1.93 in 2004.

    20% of female-run businesses have been in existence for over 20 years, 57% are sole proprietorships or partnerships, 76% operate from well-defined business plans and 34% are college or university-educated.

    The Bureau of Women's Affairs monitors government policy on women. The Association of Women's Organisations of Jamaica (AWOJA) co-ordinates women's organisations islandwide. Women's Crisis Centres help those in dire straits. The Women's Political Caucus facilitates participation in politics. The Women's Construction Collective trains women in construction. Woman Inc runs a crisis centre and shelter.  rw 021759

    Pakistan;: Population Welfare Programmes Achieve Success.   June 26, 2007   Associate Press of Pakistan
    In Pakistan the fertility rate is down to 4.0 and growth rate to 1.8% per year. The population had reached 156.26 million, 81.1 million male and 75.2 million female.

    The total fertility rate declined from 6.0 in 1984 to 4.0 in 2005. Maternal mortality declined from 500 in 1991 to 350-400 per 100,000 life births in 2005.

    The female population 15-49 years was 39.2 million which was 52.1% of total female population.

    Life expectancy of females had risen to 66 from 61 years in 1991, for male expectancy was 64 years.

    The population ministry was pursuing awareness campaign and rise in female' mean age at marriage from 21.7 years in 1991 to 23.4 years was a testament to its success.

    The contraceptive prevalence rate had risen from 11.8 in 1991 to 36.0.

    The credit also goes to media that had adopted an active role in creating awareness about over-population, especially at the grassroots level. The government was encouraging public-private partnerships to help achieve their targets.  rw 021446

    Senegal;: What the Rest of Africa Could Learn About AIDS.   April 23, 2007   Chicago Tribune
    The HIV infection rate in Senegal is 0.9%, lower than in African countries such as Namibia (19.6%), South Africa (18.8%) and Botswana (24.1%).

    What is Senegal doing right? The Senegalese government has taken an active role in the sex education of its citizens. In 1986, the government launched a massive prevention program, pouring resources into AIDS education.

    The Senegalese brand of Islam dictates there is little opportunity for teenagers to be alone together. The lack of alcohol plays a role in disease prevention. Senegal's sex worker registration system, in place since 1969, provides prostitutes with weekly health care and free condoms, 100% of sex workers surveyed said they use condoms with every customer.

    But there are other reasons for the country's low AIDS rate, including the early and intensive efforts by the country's powerful imams to educate their congregations about AIDS. While imams limit their sermons to discussions of abstinence and fidelity, doctors are often on hand to handle practical instruction and clinical questions.

    Teaching people to use condoms is a contradiction of Islamic law. The imam teaches fidelity in marriage and abstinence before marriage. Outside the mosque, he said, he can discuss HIV and AIDS more directly and, like many Senegalese imams, he refers congregants to a local clinic or doctor.

    Imams enjoy enormous political and cultural power in Senegal. Senegal's anti-AIDS strategy provides a blueprint for other countries struggling to contain the spread of the disease.

    Another of Senegal's successful HIV/AIDS prevention techniques is frank, open and comprehensive sex education beginning at age 12, and AIDS awareness training starting as early as 1st grade.

    It provides peer counselors to students and sponsors family life education clubs in schools. Senegalese girls have delayed sex three years longer than their mothers' generation, and condom use has risen threefold from 10 years ago, to nearly 70%.

    Comprehensive sex education, including information about condoms and how to use them, is one of the most important weapons in the fight against AIDS.

    In Senegal and in Uganda, where the HIV rate has fallen to about 6%, the governments were quick to implement "Abstinence, Be Faithful and Use Condoms", approach. Senegal's policy of legalized prostitution means the country is ineligible for PEPFAR funding, so it relies on donations from the UNFPA and the Global Fund. That means Senegal's teachers and community leaders are free to discuss condom use as part of a larger prevention message.  rw 020998

    Population Growth Rate Drops to 1.8%.   January 29, 2007   Daily Times
    Pakistan's population growth rate has dropped from 2.1% to 1.8% per year. Officials stated that they plan to bring the rate down to 1.3% by 2020. The Ministry credited the media for adopting an active awareness program about the implications of over-population.  rw 020154
    Beijing Women Don't Have a Child Until They Are 29.   January 12, 2007   Xinhua General News Service
    The average childbearing age of Beijing women rose to 28.83 in 2005 from 27.24 in 2000. In 2005 for one hundred Beijing women, there were only 68 children.

    Before 1974, the fertility rate was around 2.6 children per woman but decreased when the family-planning policy was implemented in 1973. By the mid and late 1990s, the fertility rate of Chinese women had dropped to about 1.8.

    Employment pressures, delayed wedlock and longer life expectancy have all influenced women's childbearing age. In the 1990s, a Chinese woman would marry at 22 but now the age has climbed to 24.  rw 020044

    Managed Birth Rate to Rein in Nation's Population Explosion.   January 10, 2007   Vietnam News Service
    Viet Nam's population will stabilise at about 115-120 million people by the middle of the 21st century.

    Family planning is an important part of reproductive healthcare. The lowering of the birth-rate will help improve living standards. Viet Nam has unveiled a programme that implements reproductive healthcare and family planning under the Cairo model.

    The country's population will face more difficulties, including how to improve living conditions. From the Human Development Index (HDI), Viet Nam ranks 107th out of 184 countries. From individual HDI criteria, the country's average income of US$650 per person per year places Viet Nam on the list of impoverished nations. Vietnam will come off the list if the country reaches an annual per capita income of $1,000.

    At the current development level and with a stable replacement birth-rate, Vietnam will reach this goal in the next 10 years. The country's GDP has been increasing at 8% annually, while population has gone up by 1.3-1.4%.

    When parents have children, expenses for feeding, housing and education are high. It takes time for children to become contributing members of society. Therefore, if we work on population, we will reduce the social burden.  rw 020019

    Infant Mortality on Par with Developed Nations in Las Tunas, Cuba.   January 09, 2007   Periodico26.com
    The Cuban province of Las Tunas has an infant mortality rate of 4.76 deaths per thousand live births in 2006, on a par with developed nations and 1.76 lower than last year. Among the factors that contributed is the expansion of the Infant-Maternal Program to the remotest communities. The services provided at the maternity homes, where future mothers with health problems are hospitalized, were also a key. Las Tunas is among the provinces with less qualified medical personnel and a weaker healthcare infrastructure, yet has equalled those that have traditionally had better results.

    Five years ago, Las Tunas reported 12.9 deaths per thousand live births. Cuba has achieved the best results to reduce infant mortality. Over the past few years the country's rate has ranged between five and seven, very similar to the statistics of many developed nations.  rw 019989

    Cuba Leads in Sustainable Development.   January 07, 2007   Canadian Dimension
    Cuba is the only country in the world with sustainable development, and registered a 12.5% increase in its GDP during the last 12 months. In 2007, Cuba will assign 22.6% of its GDP for public health and education. Spending for health, education, culture, sports, security and social assistance represent 69% of the 2007 budget.

    The progress of countries toward sustainable development can be assessed using the UN Human Development Index (HDI) as an indicator of well-being, and the ecological footprint as a measure of demand on the biosphere. As world population grows, less biocapacity is available per person. In 2003, Asia-Pacific and Africa regions were using less than world average per person, while the European Union countries and North America had crossed the threshold for high human development. Only Cuba qualified for sustainable development.

    The Havana government has organized a socialist society with a high level of literacy, education, long life expectancy, low infant mortality and low energy consumption.

    It is the world's leader in organic agriculture, and is making contributions to medical research, not to mention that Cuban doctors are serving the people in poor developing countries. Cuba has developed a considerable research capability.

    Castro declared: Humanity is going through difficult times, plus a non-stop consumption process typical of the globalized imperialist system.  rw 019987

    Brazil's Population to Grow Older by 2030.   December 15, 2006   Xinhua
    A longer life expectancy and lower birth rates indicate the Brazilian population will grow older in the next 24 years.

    The country's demographic pattern started to change in 1991, when longevity became more common and birth rates fell.

    Brazil needs to get ready for the elderly population to come.  rw 019772

    Cuba;: Addressing Aging Population.   December 08, 2006   Miami Herald
    Cuba has the highest life expectancy and lowest birth rates and a dwindling population. In 13 years the retired people will outnumber the labour force.

    The Cuban media has run a candid coverage of a phenomenon that promises to wreak havoc on a strained social service. The effort to sustain the socialist society is being constantly challenged by emigration, aging adults and childless women.

    Since 1978, Cuba's fertility rate can no longer sustain current population levels. During the 1960s and 1970s, Cuba's annual birth rate was about 250,000. In 2005, there were slightly more than 120,000. Seniors 60 and older make up about 16% of Cuba's population. By 2025, 26% of Cubans will be elderly and Cuba will join the 11 countries with the world's oldest populations.

    Among the causes are housing shortages, high cost of living, lack of day-care centres and goods like children's clothing and the migration of adults of child-bearing age. Advances for women in the workforce and availability of birth control also contributed.

    Cuba's population rate started to slip in the 1950s. If communism collapses Cuba is likely to witness a massive outward migration of youth.

    Cuba has about 300,000 people over the age of 80, but the government has focused its attention on infant mortality and educating children.

    The Cuban health system is not geared toward the catastrophic illnesses of older people.

    Elderly people earn less than $10 a month from pensions, so many are street vendors who say they were forced to return to the workforce because they could not survive on their incomes.  rw   Karen Gaia says: Cuba is unique in that it has one of the best health care systems, best education system, lowest infant mortality rate, and lowest birth rate among the developing world. But Cuba is a poor country due to the trade embargo and the economic and brain drain resulting from the emmigration of the wealthier people of Cuba. If it were not so poor, perhaps it would not lose so many of its people. Perhaps it was a mistake for Cuba to send health care workers overseas to help other poor countries. 019704

    India;: Just 0.8% Men Sterilised.   November 30, 2006   Times of India
    Only 19.3% children in Delhi under three were breastfed within one hour of birth while 34% children were only breastfed till five months of age. In family planning, 23% women had gone in for sterilisation while only 0.8% men were sterilised. Nearly 23.3% couples used condoms. Over 16% women have experienced spousal violence, nearly 70% women participated in household decisions.

    Men and women in Delhi are obese. The immunisation rate of children is low. Anaemia is a big problem.

    But Delhi's fertility rate stands at 2.13, which is perfect.

    Married women in Delhi seem to have accepted the two child norm. Over 92% live with two children and didn't want a third.

    Over 70.7% of mothers who had two daughters didn't want a third pregnancy in the hope of a male child.  rw 019601

    Institutional Delivery Brings Down Mortality Rate.   November 06, 2006   Telugo Portal
    By encouraging women to go to hospitals for deliveries, India has reduced maternal mortality from 398 per 100,000 births in 1997-98 to 301 in 2002-03.

    A total of 4,484 maternal deaths from 1.3 million births to 14.4 million females aged between 15 and 49 years were investigated during 1997-2003. Based on about 26 million births in 2004, nearly 78,000 maternal deaths are estimated in India in that year.

    The leading causes of death have been haemorrhage 38%, sepsis 11% and abortion 8%.

    Seven states, including Karnataka, are performing poorly. Uttar Pradesh leads in avoidable deaths during childbirth.

    Uttar Pradesh 517, Assam 490, Rajasthan 445, Madhya Pradesh 379, Bihar 371 and Orissa 368 with MMR ranging between 517 and 358 still remain a cause of concern.

    As in childbirths, India has managed to reduce rate of infant mortality from 80 per 100,000 in 1990-91 to 58 per 100,000 2004.

    Expectant mothers opting for institutional delivery will be given Rs.2,000 at the time of child birth.

    In the villages, the incentive is being provided through young women known as ASHAS. Incentives given to men and women opting for sterilisation is also being enhanced to Rs.800 to encourage people to have spaced out children and small families.  rw 019371

    Vietnam;: Yen Bai Brings Down Birth Rate.   August 14, 2006   Viet Nam News
    The number of third children born in the mountainous northern province of Yen Baito families dropped by 24 to 877 compared to the previous year. The province has been able to reduce the population growth rate to 1.3%.

    The success has been attributed to a network of 3,500 full-time workers and volunteers. Half received training in communication and were dispatched to areas where they raised awareness of family planning. Local authorities brought information about family planning to commune and hamlet meetings.

    With funding of nearly VND7 billion, the province has prioritised family planning services in communes with particularly high birth rates.

    The project has made credit available to open small businesses and modernise farming. Last year more than 2,000 people in 19 communes were provided with loans. As a result living standards have improved, as has awareness about the need for family planning.

    At least 66% of married couples have sought out contraceptives and many women have been provided with gynaecological check-ups. Pregnant women have received pre-natal check-ups, iron vitamins and vaccinations.

    The province has been listed among 43 cities and provinces nation-wide with low birth rates but still faces difficulties. Some districts only enacted policies in the third quarter of last year.

    Worse, the allowances paid to population workers remains low and at odds with the workers' increasing number of tasks.

    However, the province will reduce its birth rate further to 1.3%; decrease the number of malnourished children to 26%; and increase the number of married couples using contraceptives to 68%.

    The province has set a target to reduce the population growth rate to 1.25 per cent by 2010.  rw 018260

    Zimbabweans Opt for Fewer Children.   July 12, 2006   Africa News Service
    Most Zimbabweans are opting to have between two and three children. The drop in population growth is largely a result of the empowerment of the girl, which has seen girls spending more time at school and opting to pursue careers before becoming mothers.

    The primary health care system has also played a part in the reduction.

    In 1981 the average number of children per woman was 7.

    By 1994 it had dropped to 5 and in 1999 to 4.

    The use of contraceptives and economic factors have also contributed to this change.

    The average of children now stands at 3.

    Most couples were opting to have at least two to three children while the phenomenon of having one child was no longer considered odd.

    UNFPA is targeting young people who are threatened with poverty, illiteracy, risks of pregnancy and HIV. It recognised that investment in young people promoted social and economic growth.

    The key to these efforts was keeping girls in school, building life skills, delaying marriage and pregnancy until adulthood and preventing HIV.  rw 018050

    Fast Developing Vietnam Sees Smaller Families.   June 27, 2006   Nhan Dan
    There is a trend towards small families in Vietnam. The number of family members was reduced to 4.61 in 1999 from 5.22 in 1979. Family sizes differ depending on an areas developmental level. The Red River Delta region has the lowest family size with an average of 4.1, and the northwestern mountainous region, with over five to a family, is the highest family size in the nation.

    Smaller-sized families provide more female equality and better care for children, but they pose challenges to traditions such as taking care of the elderly and the establishment of good child characteristics. Up to 30% in Ha Noi said they have not had time to teach their children beneficial characteristics.

    The trend that married children live apart from parents has driven old people into a danger of loneliness and economic difficulties. All Vietnamese families face problems such as drug addiction, prostitution and street children.

    Agencies and social organisations have worked together to increase public awareness to build a model of sustainable families. Vietnam Family day is celebrated every June 28 with activities to raise public awareness against social evils involving the family.  rw 017968

    Tunisia a Model Muslim Country for Women's Emancipation.   May 27, 2006   Jakarta Post
    Tunisia, which is celebrating 50 years of independence from France, is an African and Arab as well as Muslim nation of 10 million people. Thanks to its close proximity to Europe, its quest for education, a stable democratic government and a diverse culture, Tunisia has become one of the most liberal corners of the Arab world.

    In 50 years, Tunisia has had only two leaders, and has won praise for its remarkable economic success.

    Nearly 80% of its population is considered middle class. The poverty rate has dropped from 33% in 1967 to about 4.2% in 2004. Almost 90% of the citizens own their own houses, and have access to education, health facilities, and clean drinking water.

    There is virtually no problem of religious extremism in Tunisia.

    There is no place for religious extremism in the country. Polygamy is prohibited. Tunisia's entry into the newly-established United Nations Human Rights Council shows that it has great support and respect among UN members.

    The Tunisian government has succeeded in these things because it has three strong pillars of support. They are women, workers and the business community.

    Tunisia has all the qualities necessary to become a model for Muslim countries in protecting women's rights and promoting gender equality.

    President Ben Ali emphasized the importance of women and women's rights in the country's development.

    Ben Ali's government has maintained good relations with labor unions by consistently raising minimum wages.

    The business community, which has benefited from pro-market policies, has always extended its full support to the government.

    Ben Ali wants to raise the economic growth target to 6.3% in the coming years to cut the unemployment rate to 10% by 2010. He also aims to double the per capita income of Tunisians to 8,000 dinars.  rw   More on Tunisia from the CIA factbook: Population growth rate: 0.99%; Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman; Toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification. 017685

    Jamaica: Women Are Having Fewer Babies; 10 Years Later..   May 22, 2006   Jamaica Observer
    According to the 2002 Jamaica Reproductive Health Survey, the total fertility rate has consistently fallen over the past 27 years, reaching 2.5 children per woman in 2002 an 11% fall from 1997. In 1974, the government officially integrated family planning services with the primary health care programme, increasing the number of health centres offering family planning. By the end of the decade, an island-wide network of family planning clinics was operating and birth rates had decreased.

    The government joined with international organisations to educate women and their partners about sexual health and the use of contraceptives. Women who want to move ahead in their careers normally have fewer children.

    The UNPF and the Ministry of Health have been providing programmes where they educate adolescents about family planning, and partnered with the Women's Centres to target young people to bring about an awareness of sexual health and the use of contraceptives. Women are now more concerned about their sexual health.

    In 1997, the fertility rate stood at 2.8 children per woman, 3 years later that number decreased to 2.25. This continued to decline to 2.21 in 2001, 2.05 in 2002, 1.99 in 2003 and 1.93 in 2004. Women in the age group 20-24 had the highest number of births - 99 per 1,000.

    Meanwhile, the decline in 2002 was evident in younger age groups - from 112 births for every 1,000 women 15-19 years in 1997 to 79 in 2002, and from 163 to 124 for age group 20-24. However, the number of women in the 25-29 age group who had children rose from 112 to 118.

    Women in rural areas had a fertility rate of 2.8, while the rate for women in the Kingston Metropolitan Area was 2.4. Women in other urban areas had a fertility rate of 2.2.  rw 017506

    Vietnam UNFPA Experts Confirm Nation's Declining Population Growth Rate.   May 09, 2006   Vietnam News Service
    UNFPA confirmed Vietnam's fertility rate decline over the past 15 years and it will continue to decline.

    The decline reflected the slowing of population growth during the past 15 years, which would help the country's population stabilise at 115-120 million.

    The report negated the widely maintained view that the country was going through a "baby boom". However, questions were raised on the reported increase in the number of third births.

    The new report, based on the 2005 population survey is an attempt to provide unequivocal answers to questions and provides a concise summary of the situation.  rw 017377

    Brazil's Population Forecast to Increase by More Than 40 Percent by 2050.   April 12, 2006   Associated Press
    Brazil's population will grow more than 40%, adding about 78 million people by mid-century, despite declining birth rates that will lead to an aging citizenry.

    By 2050, it will have close to 260 million inhabitants, based on data compiled in 2004, when the population stood at 182.1 million.

    The population-growth rate has been slowing due to lower fertility and birth rates. Between 1991 and 2004, the birth rate measuring the number of babies born per 1,000 inhabitants, went from 23.4% to 20.6%. During the same period, the fertility rate dropped, from 2.7 births per woman to 2.3.

    The number of Brazilians aged 70 or older will rise.

    In 2004, 7.7 million, or 4.1% of the country's total population, were 70 or older. By 2050 Brazil's this will be 34.3 million.  rw   Brazil's birth rate is still above replacement level (usually 2.1); its population growth will not go below zero until many years after replacement level birth rate is reached. 017127

    Indonesia: Family Planning Program Prevented 80 Million Births.   April 04, 2006   Antara
    The Family Planning program in Indonesia has prevented about 80 million births since 1970.

    Indonesia's population would have surpassed 300 million if the government had not implemented the program. The country s environment would have been much worse if Indonesia was over populated.

    The current population is burdening the environment as evident from the landslides and floods due to deforestation.

    The government is endeavoring to improve the quality of human resources and at the same time control the population in an effort to build a prosperous community.

    Economic growth and improvement of the quality of life will be hard to accomplish if the population continues to increase.

    Low-income families tended to have more children therefore the family planning program was mainly intended for the former.

    The program in Indonesia was considered successful especially during the 1980s and 1990s. Many developing countries sent their personnel to Indonesia to observe and study the program.  rw 017047

    South Korea: 1 in 3 Married Women Rejects Motherhood.   March 23, 2006   Korea Herald
    One in three married Korean women say it is ok to have no children. Single men and women prefer to have only one child. Half of single women said it is better not to tie the knot at all. The study was based on interviews with 3,800 married women between the ages of 20 and 44 and 2,670 single women and men in 2005. The birth rate stood at 1.16 in 2004, lower than those of industrialized countries - the United States (2.04), France (1.89) and Japan (1.29). Couples avoid having more children because of high education and childcare expenses. On average, a Korean couple spends half their income on their children's education. Parents with one child spend 23.8% of their income on education, 59% for two children and 63.9% for three. The higher the children's grades are, the more money is spent on private education. Other reasons for Korea's low birth rate, including the change need for children and marriage, instability of employment, difficulty in meeting expenses. A whopping 61.2% of women quit their jobs before or after marriage and half of working women stopped working after delivering their first child. Korean women abandon all hope for having children because they find it hard to be society's ideal mother who excels at work and at home. Unless the patriarchal culture changes and men's behavior changes, it will be hard to curb the decreasing birth rate. Some 82% of single women said they want to have more than two children, but after marriage, they realize it is challenging to balance both work and family. A working woman spends twice as much time as her working husband taking care of children and doing housework. And 54% of working women said housework is divided 'unfairly.'  rw    016877
    Is Too Few People the New Problem?.   December 14, 2005   Grist Magazine
    Around the world, people are having fewer children which could be our best hope for the salvation of the planet. Among the nations with the lowest fertility levels are relatively rich countries like Italy and Spain, but they are matched by still-developing nations like Romania and Ukraine. Even France and Ireland are only cranking out an average of 1.8 children per woman, well below the 2.1 that's needed to sustain current population levels. Populations are declining in seven of the 25 EU member countries, and the trend will continue. Population numbers will rise gradually over the next two decades to about 470 million, thanks mainly to immigration, before falling by 20 million people by mid-century, when immigration will no longer be able to offset rising death rates and falling birthrates. Demographer David Coleman dates declining birthrates in Europe to the social-welfare state that began in the 1930s. In a society veering away from agriculture, children were no longer worth it, and other explanations include women's rights, increasing female participation in the workforce, and birth-control programs. Outside Europe, depopulation is occurring in Japan and the government estimates that by 2050 there will be 25 million fewer Japanese. But birthrates are falling even in developing nations. People are having fewer babies and 20 developing countries have fertility levels below the 2.1 replacement level. China's policies have driven its birthrate from 5.9 in the 1970s to sub-replacement level. An even larger decrease occurred in Iran, which dropped from seven births per woman in the early '80s to around the replacement level today. Even though birthrates are falling, we're decades away from feeling the effects. Even where birthrates are below replacement level, populations continue to grow and there's a time lag before the effects are felt. China will add 260 million people by 2025. In much of Europe and Japan, while rural areas are emptying out and birthrates are plunging, cities are coping with an influx of newcomers. In Rome, squatters are angry about spiraling housing costs caused by overcrowding. Meanwhile, in the former East Germany, they're chopping up old communist apartment blocks to make nice low-density family homes. After 2050, the U.N.'s estimates say the world will grow more slowly, hitting 10 billion people in 2200 before stabilizing or entering a period of slow decline. In Europe, some of the effects are being felt. The decline in population is opening room for species that have been pushed back by humans with an increase in animals such as wolves and deer. A smaller population is a more sustainable one. A drop in numbers could lead to a drop in energy use and less strain on the environment. Shifting populations bring their own concerns. Europe's population is still rising due to immigration and demographers warn that Europe could fissure into two castes: childless Brahmins and the foreign underclasses who serve and shell out taxes to support them. A declining population is an aging one. Older people tend to have more disposable income, and consume more. And ultimately, aging societies will face budgetary pressures, Social Security and other pension plans, that will leave less resources for investment in environmentally friendly goods. With the global population zooming upward, it's hard to drum up much talk about future depopulation. Progressives haven't been able to blend commitments to reproductive choice with sustainability, so raising the banner for population control has been left up to a few lonely voices on the left and the anti-immigration right. Population control is unfashionable and taboo, and has fallen off of a lot of agendas because of political correctness. We have to think seriously about the world's population and what kind of levels can be sustained in the long term. In the playground of public policy, population decrease is seen as a problem, not an opportunity. Several countries offer generous pro-family benefits, while others are tinkering with their retirement systems to keep older residents working longer. But serious discussion about proper population levels doesn't really happen. The issue of population, once a key part of the green agenda, is today limited to a few demographers, think-tankers, and wonks. If countries can manage with fewer people, we could be onto something big.  rw    015905
    Vietnamese Woman Has 2.1 Children on Average.   December 02, 2005   Xinhua General News Service
    Each Vietnamese woman has, on average, 2.1 children, compared with 2.7 in other Southeast Asian countries. The average number of births a woman in urban areas has is 1.7, while in rural areas it is 2.3. The survey showed that the percentage of people using modern contraceptive methods increased to 65.7%, helping to reduce abortion. Vietnam plans to pour 221.5 million US dollars into curbing population growth from 2006 to 2010. The money will be mainly used to ensure that each couple have no more than two children so that the population will remain stable at around 88 million by 2010. Under a recent resolution of the Communist Party the country's population should grow gradually, and then remain stable at 115-120 million in mid-21st century. The resolution stresses that party members must be good examples in following population policies and family planning.  rw    015807
    Brazilian Birth Rate is Steady as Population Ages.   November 28, 2005  
    Brazil's birth rate began falling in the mid-1960s, and is now more or less stable. The rate has been 2.1 children per woman for the last two years. In 1981, 58.2% of the population were 24 years of age of less. That number dropped steadily: in 1993 it was 52.4%; in 1999 it was 49%; and in 2004, it was 46%. Meanwhile there are more older people. In 1981, the population over 60 was 6.4% of the total; in 1993 it was 8%; and in 2004, it was 9.8%. In Brazil 51.3% of the population is female. But in the over-60-age group, females make up 56% of the population. In 1993, the average was 4 people per home; in 2004, it fell to 3.5. And between 1999 and 2004, the number of households with one inhabitant rose from 8.9% to 10.5%.  rw    015759
    Once Population Time-bomb, Bangladesh Registers Fastest Declines in Fertility Rate.   November 17, 2005   Indian Express
    Bangladesh has eliminated the gender bias in primary and secondary education and attained dramatic declines in infant and maternal mortality. Bangladesh has achieved one of the fastest declines in fertility rates in the world. Bangladesh is at the top for low income, developing countries and for South Asia in particular. The reason is probably an amalgamation of history, accidents and policy choices beginning with the war of independence. The post-war construction saw the emergence of independent service providers through aid and self-help that catalysed community mobilisation. Mobilisation of a risk-taking population, has surely been an important contribution but two accidents have been important for the country's development. First, the oil-boom saw labour migration to the Middle East and a flow of remittances to the rural economy. Second, the arrival of the garment industry to Bangladesh, jumping over Sri Lanka then in the midst of ethnic tension and India immersed in import-substitution. Single rural women found employment in the formal sector. The remittances and garment industry saw an infusion of private income and wealth into the rural economy that should not be underestimated. The active choices made by policy-makers to capture the opportunities have been equally vital. The remittances allowed Bangladesh to manage the unification of its exchange system and provide incentives for the economy to become outwardly oriented. The remittances enabled it to be implemented at a faster pace. Garment exports were scaled up by the decision of government to provide "free trade zone" status to garment producers. Equally important has been a partnership between government and the non-government service providers. From education, health, to the provision of micro-credit, this has led to the scale-up of service to rural households. Public sector agencies were supported, but balanced by investment in alternative providers. This partnership was around community service delivery directly to rural households. Agricultural liberalisation coupled with the technological benefits of the Green Revolution enabled Bangladesh to shift from a food-deficit to a self-sufficient nation. Quietly, Bangladesh dismantled its "licence raj" in the 80s and the final boost to the rural sector has come from a sustained growth to stabilise around 5% through the 90s. The pace of change is impressive as Bangladesh had to address issues of post-conflict democracy for close to two decades. The lessons suggest that while economic growth is needed to support social development, it is not sufficient. The focus on growth was matched by an equal focus on service delivery. But service delivery was not simply more public sector expenditures, it was based on a willingness to engage in reform of service delivery that strengthened the accountability of providers to the citizens and communities. It was also based on the evidence that without the State as a partner, it would be difficult to support the innovations of communities. Changes in policy were not a result of a well-oiled policy but of political economy clashes between stakeholders within and outside the country. Donors have been an important player in Bangladesh's successes. Decades of gains can be erased if a country's political and administrative systems do not keep pace with the demands of its citizens and the global context. If the past decades have been a challenge for Bangladesh the next decade will be a test to sustain it.  rw    015665
    In Turkey, Muslim Women Gain Expanded Religious Authority.   April 27, 2005   Christian Science Monitor
    Women have brought change to Turkey's Muslim order in recent years. Two years ago, women were appointed for the first time to lead groups of Turks making the pilgrimage to Mecca. And last year,a government body that oversees mosques and trains religious leaders, added 150 women preachers and is selecting a group of women who will serve as deputies to muftis. They'll monitor imams in local mosques, particularly as it relates to women. While these changes come from a growing demand from women for more religious education and Islamic intellectuals say they are also being forced by a new class of educated religious women who are demanding more rights. They are learning by reading and asking; for many women who come from traditional homes, religious education becomes a path to a kind of independence. It's a path that more women seem to be exploring; for example, one mufti's office has 583 women teaching courses on the Koran to women. Women now also make up the majority of students in the theology departments of several Turkish universities. In Islamic doctrine, men and women are equal. There are signs of loosening in Turkey, but Muslim orthodoxy says that women cannot lead prayers, particularly in the Arab Muslim heartland. Sunni preacher of Qatar issued a religious ruling, saying leadership in prayer is reserved for men only, and a women leading prayers might arouse men. Teaching in an Istanbul neighborhood, Seker tells the head-scarfed women that not all of the traditions they have been taught are part of Islam. She brings up the murder of young women considered to have damaged a family's honor that still take place in Turkey. There is no such thing in Islam, and to kill someone is the biggest sin. Seker acknowledges that her work might not sit well with the husbands as they feel like their throne is being shaken.  rw    013514
    Come Gather Around Together: An Examination of Radio Listening Groups in Fulbari, Nepal.   April 08, 2005   John Hopkins CCP
    Messages via mass media-based entertainment can improve family planning; audience participation in the form of listening groups may enhance their impact. In Fulbari (Nepal), a partnership between local government agencies, community leaders, audience members and program staff are complementing a mass media family planning initiative. The study demonstrated a relationship between radio listenership and behavior beyond the association with the radio program. Use of contraceptives among respondents exposed to both radio and listening groups is twice that of respondents who are exposed to neither.  rw    013357
    Pakistan: Government to Embark Upon Maternal and Child Health Plan.   April 02, 2005   Business Recorder (Pakistan)
    Pakistan prime minister Aziz said that the federal government and international agencies will embark upon a five-year programme at a cost of Rs 31.5 billion to achieve Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) for safe motherhood. The World Bank, USAID, DFID, Unicef and UNFPA have pledged to provide half of the cost. Under the MDGs the country has a target to reduce mortality by 75%, child mortality by 66% and extreme poverty by 50% by 2015. The statistics revealed that currently one mother dies every 20 minutes, while 350,000 annually bear the burden of maternal ill health and disability, 10 million children die every year. The high rates attributed to high fertility, low skilled birth attendance, low levels of female literacy, poverty, malnutrition and inadequate access to family planning services. The programme aims at gender equality, with an increase of lady health workers (LHW) to 100,000. Also 10,000 community-based Skilled Birth Attendants (SBA) to be trained and deployed nationwide during the next five years at an estimated cost of Rs 5,282 million. One SBA will serve a population of 10,000. Midwifery/LHW schools will be upgraded and a pool of tutors be trained. The government was focusing on literacy and empowerment of women where one-thirds of the representation has been given to women, while they represent 20% in Parliament. Emergency Obstetric Care services would be provided at an estimated cost of Rs 4,642 million. Another Rs 2,638 million would be spent on family planning services, Rs 7,770 million on child and neonatal health, Rs 1,813 million for management and organisation reforms, Rs 3,968 million on interventions and Rs 595 million on monitoring and evaluation framework. This amounts to Rs 34 per person per year, much below the international recommendation of Rs 180 per person per year for safe motherhood. The government expects a 50% contribution of donors. Mother is the nucleus of every society, and the ministry has needed over Rs 35 billion for improving mother and child health services across the country.  rw    013370
    Don't Lose Hope.   April 2005   Richard Grossman
    The size of the family is shrinking all over the world because women want fewer children and have realized their advantages. Thirty-five years ago only one in seven women worldwide used contraception and they had an average of 6.1 children in developing countries. This has dropped to 3.1 and worldwide is just 2.8. Many developed countries are shrinking in population. A average of 2.1 leads to a stable population. If we establish an average Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.96 now, in 50 years the world's population will decrease to 5 billion. If it is slightly higher, at 2.18, the earth will have to support over 20 billion people by the year 2050. People choosing to have smaller families for three reasons, the availability of contraception, reduction of child mortality and empowerment of women. Thanks to the media and family planning programs, most people have access to information on child spacing. Improving child survival can decrease the population growth rate. Historically, when child mortality rate is high, parents have more children to assure that some survive. Lowering child mortality result in a lower TFR and lower growth rate. School enrollment of girls has more than doubled over the last three decades. Education and literacy are important because they raise women's aspirations and their ability to find employment outside the home. Education also helps mothers learn about contraception and mothering healthy children. Because they don't need to have many kids to work the fields, people have fewer children as they shift from rural to urban economies. Older age at marriage is another factor in slowing growth and people are starting their families later. Better-educated and mature mothers are likely to have healthier and smaller families. More couples are relying on permanent surgical contraception when they have completed their families. A TFR of 2.1 or less is the goal. It is unlikely that we will reach it soon, however. Although we have not solved the problem of population, we have made great strides. There is reason to be optimistic that excess population growth can be restrained if we devote sufficient resources to the problem.  rw    013431
    Vietnam to Curb Population Growth.   March 30, 2005   Xinhua General News Service
    Vietnam is encouraging each couple to have no more than two children. Under a recent resolution of the Communist Party its population should grow gradually, and then remain stable at 115-120 million in mid-21st century. State cadres and party members must be good examples in following population policies and family planning, as well as persuading local people to do the same. Each Vietnamese woman had 2.23 children in 2004, up from 2.12 children in 2003, according to surveys. Local women in the central highlands region had most children: 3.1 per mother, and those in the Mekong delta had fewest children: 2 per mother. Vietnam now has a population of 82.1 million, including 41.7 million women. Up to 74% of Vietnamese people live in rural areas.  rw    013334
    India: Muslim Women Opting for Family Planning.   March 15, 2005   Hindustan times
    More Muslim women across Bihar are opting for family planning and approaching state-run clinics and medical camps. Economic reasons and growing awareness propelled by education is credited with the change. Muslim leaders admit it is a major development for women who were until a few years ago shying away from even voicing their opinion on the subject. Most women breaking the earlier taboo are in the 22-35 year age group. Muslim women could not have thought of sterilisation until the 90s but the situation has changed now. Doctors and staff of health centres said the number of Muslim women going for family planning had increased in the last two to three years. But a large chunk of the Muslim population still views family planning as anti-Islam. The higher-income Muslims who have small families do not admit to practising family planning but the size of their family speaks for itself. In Bihar, the birth rate among Muslims is higher than among the general population. Muslims make up 16% per cent of the population of 83 million. In rural areas, only 10.8% of Muslim couples practise family planning compared to 22.9% among others. Almost half of Bihar's rural Muslims and 44.8% of urban Muslims are considered very poor.  rw    013277
    Solomon Islands: Mothers Cry for Recognition.   March 14, 2005   Soloman Star (Soloman Islands)
    Solomons women have the responsibility for the health and education of their children and the living standards of their families. She is the foundation of Solomon Islands society. Yet she is the most vulnerable member of that society. When food is short she goes without; when there is no doctor she must deal with her frequent pregnancies and childrens crises; and when economies are mismanaged and incomes and quality of life indicators fall, she is the first to face the consequences. A substantial number of maternal deaths occur in the Solomon Islands each year. Beyond actions to ensure safe motherhood, Government (SIG) and the NGOs community must give greater emphasis to enhancing the role of women. There is no question that this is an area in which everyone must do more to provide women access to agricultural and small business credit and extension services, to remove legal obstacle to womens participation in economic life, and improve womens' access to education. An educated woman is better equipped to take advantage of opportunities; she is more likely to delay marriage to finish schooling and space her children. She is more likely to have fewer and healthier children. Womens and youth groups that have done an excellent job in bringing more knowledge to Solomons mothers and can play an even greater role. Let us create an environment in which Solomons mothers will not want so many pregnancies and give them a chance to be heard and participate in the decision making to shape a better future for our country and improve their role in the society with equality between men and women. This is a challenge to which all National Parliamentarians and people of Solomon Islands must respond. But the most critical players will be the Solomons mothers who are fighting to overcome poverty and gain more control over their destiny.  rw    013132
    Mongolia: BBC Film to Feature Changes in Rural Maternal Health.   March 11, 2005   TheUBPost
    Mongolia's strategies to reduce maternal mortality are to be featured in a BBC World documentary series. It showcases successful approaches to improving maternal health in developing countries. The film maps the progress made by Mongolia in improving maternal health since services collapsed in the 1990s, when maternal mortality rate was 214 deaths per 100,000 live births. Since then a strategic approach has resulted in a steady reduction. This has been developed and implemented through partnerships with world organizations. Improvements have the annual maternal mortality rate dropping from 169.3 in 2001 to 99.8 in 2004. As the film will show, an essential element is the use of specially-trained staff located at the local 'bag' and 'soum' levels to provide maternal health services for women in the countryside, early monitoring and assessment of pregnant women, allowing health interventions to be delivered, and ensuring that women at a risk of complications are referred to the center hospitals. This has achieved almost universal coverage, an impressive achievement for a country facing barriers of distance and poor transport. Home visits use whatever transport is available and suitable: the health nurse travels horseback. Two weeks before delivery, all women are taken to dormitories in the hospitals. Another important element has been training, essential drugs and equipment provided to doctors for preventing complications. This has resulted in a significant drop in the numbers of women dying due to blood loss. A final factor has been improved access and education about contraception and birth spacing. In Mongolia, the birth rate dropped from 5.3 live births per woman in 1980, to 2.6 in 2000. This has meant that more women have been able to space births and doctors rarely see cases of severe maternal anemia due to consecutive pregnancies and childbirth. Support is common throughout rural Mongolia; for example, almost every household donated one sheep towards the repair of the local hospital's heating system. Local governors also made their vehicles available for the transport of pregnant women when the hospital's own vehicle was unavailable. Where governors are supportive and funds available, money has been provided to attract and retain medical staff. However problems face Mongolia's remote communities. In one hospital the heating system was not working, there was no running water and poor hygiene facilities. This hospital had a doctor, but many do not, as rural hospitals find it difficult to attract and retain staff. Rates of abortion remain high in Mongolia and while the number of reported cases of HIV is low, the rates of STDs such as syphilis and gonorrhea are high and have risen since the early 1990s.  rw    013057
    Kerala Women on Top, Says State's Economic Review.   February 03, 2005   Indo-Asian News Service
    Women in Kerala have higher literacy, more access to money and a greater say in family matters. The sex ratio is 1058 females per 1000 males, higher than the country average of 933. Females make up 16.37 million of the state's 31.84 million population. The life expectancy of women is 75.9 years compared to the 61.8 Indian average. Crime against women dropped in 2003 by 3.7% Rape cases declined by 24% and molestation by 5.5%. Torture cases, showed an increase of 1.1%. Women marry later - at an average of 22, compared to the country at 19.5. Sixty-three percent of the women marry after 21 compared to 25.9% in the country. Almost half the 4.9 million enrollments in the schools are of girls, and the state also has more women, 68% up to high school and 54% in arts and science colleges. More than 66% of the state's women have access to money compared to the country average of 59.6%. Women head more than 22% households in the state compared to 10.3% in the country.  rw    012776
    Developing World Births 'Falling'.   January 26, 2005   BBC News
    In the developing countries the average number of births has fallen from 5.9 in the 1970s to 3.9 in the 1990s. In 20 countries, births have fallen beneath the number needed to maintain current population and improved contraception is behind the fall. Planned families in China saw the most dramatic drop. Algeria, Iran, Mexico, Thailand, Tunisia and Turkey have also reported declines. But in 21 sub-Saharan African countries, fertility has declined slowly or not at all. The 20 developing countries where fertility is at or below the level needed to sustain the population include China, Hong Kong, Macao, North Korea, Iran, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Thailand, Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, Barbados, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Chile. Countries recording large falls in birth rates have governments that promote the use of contraceptives. Over half of all women now use contraceptives, compared with 38% during the 1970s. The developing world has seen a sharp increase from 27% using contraceptives in the 1970s to 40% by the 1990s.  rw    012711
    The Causes of Stalling Fertility Transitions.   2005   Population Council
    An examination of fertility trends in countries with multiple DHS surveys found that in the 1990s fertility stalled in mid-transition in seven countries: Bangladesh, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Peru, and Turkey. In each, fertility was greater than 6 births per woman in the 1950s, and then declined to fewer than 5 births per woman in the early or mid-1990s, before stalling. The level of stalling varied from 4.7 births in Kenya to 2.5 births in Turkey. By 2000, a number of these countries had reached the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, and it was widely expected that countries that are still in transition will continue their declines until fertility drops to or even below replacement. This assumption has been incorporated into population projections made by the United Nations and the World Bank. Stalling is a neglected issue. A stall in fertility after democratic transition is underway has been rare in the past. A country is considered to have stalled if its fertility (TFR) failed to decline between two DHS surveys while the country is in mid-transition, that is, if its TFR is between 2.5 and 5 births per woman at the time of the most recent survey. By this definition, 20 DHS countries were mid-transitional and seven of these countries had experienced a stall. Findings suggest no major deterioration in contraceptive access during the stall, but levels of unmet need and unwanted fertility are relatively high and improvements in access to family planning methods would therefore be desirable. Socioeconomic development is considered the main cause of a decline over time in the benefits of children and a rise in their costs. These changes in the cost/benefit ratio lead parents to want fewer children, and mortality decline raises child survival so that families need fewer births to achieve the desired number of surviving children. These trends in turn raise the demand for birth control (i.e., contraception and induced abortion), and, to the extent this demand is satisfied, lower fertility results. Family planning programs facilitate this transition by reducing the cost of birth control (broadly defined to include social costs), thus raising the level of implementation of the demand for contraception and reducing the unmet need for contraception. Higher levels of socioeconomic development also reduce the cost of birth control. Other factors include real GDP per capita, child survival, and level of education, as well as the role of family planning programs as measured by a program effort index. In the mid-1990s, 36% of all pregnancies in the developing world were unplanned and 20% of all pregnancies ended in abortion (Alan Guttmacher Institute 1999). The existence of an unmet need for contraception, first documented in the 1960s, convinced policymakers that family planning programs were needed and would be acceptable and effective. It is widely believed that fertility is most responsive to improvements in human development, in particular in female education and child survival. This conclusion is strongly supported by the fact that replacement fertility has been achieved in some 17 very poor societies such as Sri Lanka and the state of Kerala in India. Although poor, these populations have high levels of literacy and female empowerment and low infant and child mortality. While the impact of GDP was not found to be a major factor, Kenya fertility has stalled at near 5 births per woman despite relatively high levels of literacy and schooling, but having low and deteriorating living standards. In some stalling countries (Kenya and Ghana) development indicators changed little, while in others socioeconomic development continued at a fairly rapid pace. However, the level of fertility relative to the level of development seems to play a role as a cause of stalls. In six out of the seven stalls, fertility was lower than expected for the level of development at the beginning. The reason for this is not known, but once this is the case fertility can subsequently be expected to move closer to the predicted level, thus making a stall more likely. Future research may show that the duration of a stall will depend on the pace of development following the stall onset. Stalls will be of shorter duration in countries where development proceeds rapidly than in countries where development has leveled off as well. Measures of unmet need and unwanted fertility showed no significant recent upward trend in the stalling countries, although Kenya experienced slight increases. In contrast to the near absence of change in the stalling countries, the non-stalling mid-transitional countries experienced substantial changes in fertility and its various determinants and these changes were all in the expected direction. That is, fertility and fertility preferences declined, while contraceptive use, the demand for contraception, and socioeconomic development indicators generally rose during the period between the two most recent DHS surveys. A country in which unwanted fertility is higher than a few tenths of a birth can especially benefit from further investments in family planning programs. It is difficult, however, to remove all unwanted childbearing because reasons other than access (e.g., fear of side effects and lack of spousal support) also play a role. Improvements in family planning services are most needed in countries such as Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, and Peru with the highest levels of unmet need and unwanted fertility. Countries in which wanted fertility has stalled well above the replacement level may need declines in preferences to complete their fertility transition. Such declines are usually achieved by improvements in socioeconomic conditions. Among the seven stalled countries, Kenya and Ghana have relatively high wanted fertility levels (3.6 and 3.7 births per woman, respectively), and their levels of development as measured by real GDP per capita, child survival, and proportion schooled are low and have leveled off. In these two countries improvements in development will almost certainly be needed for desired family size and actual fertility to fall substantially below current levels. In contrast, in Bangladesh, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Peru, and Turkey wanted fertility has already dropped to about two births per woman and any further declines in overall fertility are likely to come from reductions in unwanted fertility.  rw   This study does not seem to mention the factor of male preference. 015462
    Tunisia: Illiteracy Rate Continues to Drop .   December 21, 2004   Al-Bawaba
    Data collected within the Tunisian census has indicated a slowdown in population growth and an improvement in the standard of living of the population. It showed that the rate of literacy is at present about 80% and the rate of illiteracy has continued to drop. From 84.7% in 1956, to 46% in 1984, and 22.9% in 2004. For those between 10 and 29 years of age, illiteracy has come down from 24.8% in 1984 to 6% in 2004.  rw    012502
    UN Official Applauds Reproductive Health Advances in Cuba.   December 19, 2004   Xinhua General News Service
    "What I have seen in the island nation in terms of sanitary conditions, reproductive and sexual health, as well as education is something I have not observed in any other country I visited in the past," said Obaid, of Saudi Arabia, who is on a three-day visit to Cuba. She noted that nearly all Cuban children are in school, the health services have a universal character, and the dangerous pandemic of HIV/AIDS is kept at a low rate, thanks to a correct government strategy. Obaid said the authorities have paid special attention to all the aspects of sexual and reproductive health and the island reached the 2015 world targets.  rw    012458
    Dip in Population Growth of 0-4 Years Age Group.   November 2004   Hindu (The)
    The population of 0-4 years has gone up by 70.84 lakh between 1991 and 2001, less than half the increase of the preceding decade. The share of children below 4 in India's overall population has dropped from 12.55% in 1981 to 12.17% in 1991 and to 10.73% in 2001. Figures for Assam and Kashmir in 1991 have been left out. During 1981-1991, the fall was confined to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in the subsequent decade, it spread to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Tripura, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Large parts of the country have diminishing toddler numbers who will form the parental base 15-20 years hence. Fertility rates have been coming down. Even if there is no clear-cut `demographic transition' for the country as a whole, something is underway in the southern States. The old model of setting up more and more primary schools may have little relevance in States such as Kerala, where evidence points to decreasing enrollment rates. Public delivery systems will have to shift emphasis from quantity to quality of services.  rw    012003
    Bangladesh Sets Target to Cut Population Growth Rate to One Percent by 2010.   October 19, 2004   Xinhua General News Service
    Bangladeshi cabinet approved the draft of Policy 2004 (NPP 2004) that focuses on bringing down population growth rate to 1% by 2010 from the present 1.54% and aims to stabilize Bangladesh's population at 216 million by 2060. It has seven strategies including empowerment of women, human development and decentralization of programs. The Maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Bangladesh is 320 women out of every 1,000 live births. Infant mortality rate (IMR) has 70 infants die out of every 1,000. The new policy emphasizes women's reproductive health for 100% safe motherhood, and provides emergency obstetric services. It gives attention to increased contraceptive use, expand clinical services and maks home family planning services available. The policy proposes reproductive education for young people and parents. The policy also focuses on late marriage for girls, spacing of childbirth and awareness of sexually transmitted diseases. It addreses malnutrition, decline in arable land, pollution of environment and water, poverty, urbanization and unemployment. The draft stresses equal rights of women and men, protection for the elderly and minimum calories for growing children. To prevent people from migrating from rural areas, the policy proposes to increase employment in the agriculture sector and seeks to develop satellite towns, healthcare and education and employment in the cities. The challenge of the policy is how to translate it into action.  rw    011868
    Indonesia: Family Planning on the Right Track.   October 11, 2004   Jakarta Post
    In Indonesia family planning program has reached 96% of couples, compared to 86.3% in 1994, while the number of users rose to 60.3% from 52.1% in 1994. Indonesia joined 178 other countries in signing the ICPD in Cairo in 1994 and adopted the action plan that requires all countries to provide access to primary health and reproductive services by 2015. In a bid to reinvigorate the program, the government has deployed 73,000 midwives and 31,000 family planning workers to about 70,460 villages across the country. There are 44,000 doctors at clinics/hospitals, not to mention three million volunteers. However, the maternal mortality rate has declined from 397 per 100,000 births in 1994 to 307 in 2004, but remains worse than Thailand, which has only 44 per 100,000. Pregnant women go to midwives to get examined, but their delivery is by traditional midwives and they cannot deal with hemorrhage, the most common cause of maternal death.  rw    011818
    Low Fertility Rate Reflects Well on South Africa; Improved Health Care, Education Key Factors.   October 07, 2004  
    South Africa has the lowest fertility rate on mainland Africa, attributed to improved health care and education in the rural areas. The population is continuing to urbanise and HIV was a major factor influencing population trends. The fertility rate would be 2.77% this year, and reflects the positive impact of the reconstruction and development programme. A key element was to improve primary health care and reproductive health services, especially in the rural areas. One immediate challenge was to accelerate the economic and social integration of youngsters into society and provide them with the skills and opportunities to play a productive role in the development of the nation. It is necessary to combat drug abuse, crime and other social ills that are affecting many of the youth.  rw    011835
    Sri Lanka: Population Growth Continues to Decline, Says Healthcare Minister.   October 2004   Daily News
    Population growth in Sri Lanka has continued to decline, from 1.5% in the early 1990s to 1.1% today. Life expectancy is comparable to more developed countries, with 75.4 and 70.7 years respectively. Infant mortality has been reduced to 13 per thousand live births and the maternal mortality ratio is about 50 per 100,000 live/births. Per capita income has increased at a steady pace. Sri Lanka has consolidated on the achievements in the population, development and reproductive health fields with an acceleration of population and socio-economic change. Although HIV is relatively low, the Government is concerned of the potential threat and places high priority on the prevention and control of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. A policy on blood safety was developed in 1999. Continued reliance on open economic policies with a humane face and greater emphasis on human resource development have enabled Sri Lanka to achieve an average economic growth rate of 5% during the past decade, despite the armed conflict in the North and East of the country.  rw    011928
    A Second Baby is Too Much to Bear; Shanghainese Can't Afford to Exploit Easing of One-child Policy.   September 21, 2004   Reuters
    An easing of Shanghai's one-child policy has failed to deliver the rush of applications from parents, with couples put off by the expense of raising a child. Only 40 couples from one district had applied since April, compared with 90 last year. An official put the reason down to the high cost of bringing up a child, together with competition for jobs on the mainland. Only better-off, well-educated couples were interested in having a second child and 4.48% were reluctant to have one child. People 18-30 wanted an average of 1.1 babies. The figure in 1983 was 2.04. After 11 years of falling population, Shanghai became the first mainland city to cancel subsidies for childless couples. The new regulation allows four different categories of remarried couples to have a second child, including married couples who were previously single parents and those who were themselves only-children. A court in Shenzhen fined a couple 780,000 yuan and sealed off their house for having more than one child. They were among nine couples fined "social fostering fees" for their extra children. The couple had their first boy in 1997. Last year the woman gave birth to twin boys.  rw    011624
    Japanese Women Live, and Like It, On Their Own; Gender Roles Shift As Many Stay Single.   August 31, 2004   Washington Post
    Japan is undergoing a redefinition of gender roles as women enter the workforce and the result is the rise of financially independent Japanese women who are saying 'no' to men. Some luxury condos around Tokyo are being marketed strictly to women. The Tokyo Stock Exchange offered a workshop to get single women to invest. A jewelry firm is running advertisements where a single woman boasts she no longer needs a man to buy her gems. Women have discovered they can stay single and have fun without taking care of a man. In 2003, 54% of Japanese women in their late 20s were single, compared with 24% in 1980. 43% of Japanese men in their early thirties are unmarried. By 2020, 30% of Japanese households will be headed by singles. In Tokyo, it is more than 40%. The decline in marriage began with the economic slump in the 1990s, when men were were more reluctant to marry. But during the recession, Japanese women were courted by employers seeking cheaper labor. Japanese women lag behind women in other industrialized countries in the upper echelons of business and politics, but are well-established in the labor market. Last year, 40.8% of women were in the workforce compared with 35.9% in 1985. Japanese women have in the past been herded into marriage by tradition and financial necessity. But now a minority of single women are not waiting for marriage to build their dream houses. You can live comfortably as a single woman in Japan, but in the past it was difficult for women to have the income. The change is cited as a factor for the birthrate decline to 1.29 children, among the lowest rates in the world. Japan's population is expected to peak at 128 million in two years and then decrease 120 million by 2026 and 100 million by 2050. Will Japan have enough workers to run the economy and with fewer workers paying into the pension system that is on the verge of bankruptcy? Some Japanese men criticized women who refuse to retain their traditional roles one saying that that women who did not give birth should not receive pensions. One man said that "I want to come home and see my wife greeting me". Many single women say that traditional attitudes kept them from marrying. Single women do want to marry. One turned down a promising suitor because he expected her to quit her job to be a full-time wife and mother.  rw    011474
    Brazil's Population Almost Doubles in 30 Years.   August 30, 2004   Associated Press
    Brazil's population nearly doubled over three decades, but the birthrate is slowing. The population has soared from 90 million in 1970 to 181.8 million in 2004, but shows a drop in the country's birth rate. In 1960 it stood at 6 children per woman and dropped to 2.89 in 1991 and to 2.39 in 2000. The population will continue growing but at a slower rate. In the 1950s and 1960s it grew at 3%; this year it dropped to 1.44%. The lower birthrate is due to the wider use of contraceptives and the growing number of women entering the job market.  rw    011476
    Harvesting the Roots of a New Revolution; Some Afghan Women Find Economic Freedom, Dietary Benefits in Vegetable Crops..   August 22, 2004   Washington Post
    Women are cutting through traditions in the isolated homeland of Afghanistan's Hazara population. Confined to fieldwork and child-rearing they are relegated to the lowest rung of Afghan society. In some districts the female literacy rate has been zero, and more than 6% of pregnant women die during childbirth. The river valleys are blanketed with wheat and potato fields, but farmers grow no other crops. The daily diet consists of bread, potatoes and tea, and nearly one-third of Hazarajat's children suffer from stunted growth. But Sabera Sakhi, who runs a small social welfare program in the region's capital, is trying to promote the economic emancipation of women, the cultivation of crops no one has grown here before, and the benefits of vegetarian cuisine. She rented three acres of farmland, otained seeds and finance from a New Zealand military unit that operates a provincial development outpost and to gain local support, approached village elders and said she wanted to help women whose husbands had been killed or disabled when Taliban forces burned houses and destroyed fields. She offered each of 20 participants $50 a month to tend plots of vegetables. Within months, the women went from being the neediest members of their community to being among the top income earners. They developed farming skills unknown to local men, learned how to prepare and cook vegetables for their children, and discovered their own stamina improving in the process. The changes were suspect. At first people laughed when they saw them growing things that were not traditional and said it was shameful to register with a foreign charity. The women were gradually convinced that vegetables were beneficial to their health. Next, Sakhi plans to open a women's vegetable stall market. In Kabul, and other urban districts, educated Hazara women are as active as men in civic and political affairs. Even in the highlands, Hazara families are eager to have their daughters educated, and U.N. officials said that since the collapse of Taliban rule aid agencies have scrambled to build schools and attract qualified female teachers. But conservative custom has conspired to keep older girls from higher education. A new university built by the U.S. opened in Bamian, but of 165 initial students, only six were women, because few girls had completed high school. Of 528,000 voters who registered in the region, more than half -- 280,000 -- were women, whereas in some southern, Pashtun areas, as little as 20% were women. In interviews many Hazara farm women said they had obtained their identification cards as their elders urged, but few understood that they would be voting for a new president, and some did not know that Hamid Karzai is the president of Afghanistan. Sakhi has been trying to expose Hazara women to human rights, civic association and constitutional law. She offered a free class in legal and civic issues for 50 women There is no lack of interest, but almost no facilities. 1,600 women registered for literacy classes but there were no books. Women are not allowed to choose their husbands, and there is no place for them to turn when they have problems in their marriages. Experts predict it will take years before Hazara women can make up for the poverty and violent predations that have kept Hazarajat in isolation. But there are already signs that the vegetable program is changing community attitudes toward women, agriculture and eating habits. The salaries, and the toil of tending delicate crops have earned the participants respect among village men, a few of whom acknowledged they had come to like eating the new fangled vegetables.  rw    011323
    Turkmenistan: Reproductive Health Shows Signs of Improvement.   August 11, 2004   IRIN News (UN)
    Reproductive health services are improving in Turkmenistan, with more women utilising modern contraception as the Turkmen government in 1998 established reproductive health {RH} units. Doctors choose the best contraception for the patient. Formerly intrauterine devices (IUDs) called 'spirals' were the most common method used. UNFPA provides contraceptives while conducting training of medical personnel. Young people want to live for themselves for a while and then have children. Birth intervals are longer and the fertility rate among older women is going down. Maternal mortality decreased between 1994 and 2002 by 2.8 times. There were 98.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994, while in 2002 that figure stood at 36. Maternal deaths were mainly caused by haemorrhage and toxaemia, while infections, abortions and extra-genital pathologies were other causes. More than 99% of married women know about contraceptives and where they can be obtained. More than 60% of married women are using modern contraception methods. But the level of knowledge of secondary school and university students about STDs, family planning and contraception was very low. Among students with Turkmen as the language of instruction it was even lower. Another official said that condoms were not available at government-run pharmacies but only available at commercial shops where they are exposed to direct sunlight.  rw    011180
    Iran's Population Growth Rate Falls to 1.5 Percent.   August 02, 2004   Payvand's Iran News
    Iran has decreased its rate of population growth to 1.5% and has also controlled fertility rate and decreased the death rate of mothers and infants to 37 in every 1,000. The UNFPA provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries at their request and its functions are to develop needs in population and family planning, promote awareness of population problems and strategies to deal with them. HIV has not been studied at widespread level, and the families should be enough trained on sexual relations. The UNFPA will cooperate with Iran in the next UNFPA also considers women training as its major aim for advancing the goals of the Fund.  rw    011130
    Iran: Fall in Population Growth Could Bring Economic Benefits .   July 12, 2004   IRIN News (UN)
    Iran's population growth has declined by more than half over the past 10 years and infant mortality rates are low, at 28 per 1,000 births. Fertility rates are at replacement levels, contraceptive usage has risen to 74% and life expectancy is up to 70 years for both sexes. The improvements should not overshadow the challenges of promoting gender equality, boosting reproductive health care and addresing the needs of 13-24 year-olds, who account for a third of the population. Their needs for jobs, housing, health care and social services will shape the development outlook of Iran. If their needs are met and the replacement level fertility rates persist, they will form an invigorating labour force with fewer dependents to support, that will result in productivity savings and investments which will turn this generation into a population bonus. Such a country generates surplus wealth, allowing for greater savings which boost the economy. Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia are examples. Iran's unemployment rate is a cause for concern at 12% and housing is a major issue in cities. Rural to urban migration has created urban sprawls with rocketing house prices. Iran's conservative Islamic regime makes discussing teenage sex education difficult but Iran has made headway in the field of population stabilization. They are on the right track and Iran can provide a role model for other developing countries especially Muslim ones, as Iranian women and men have better access to reproductive health and family planning services. The attainment of reproductive rights and the empowerment couples to decide freely on the number of children they want, will lead to population stabilization and poverty alleviation.  rw    010954
    Nepal's Population Reaches 23.8 Million .   July 06, 2004   Xinhua General News Service
    With a growth rate of 2.25%, Nepal's population in 2004 has reached 23.8 million and is one of the highest among the developing countries. The fertility rate has decreased to 4.1% from 5.1%. Ramhari Aryal, head of the Population Directorate at the Nepali Ministry of Population and Environment, said: "There have been remarkable achievements in social awareness, child and infant mortality rate, literacy rate and use of contraceptives in Nepal." Average life span of men has increased to 60.1 from 55.9, and women to 60.7 from 53.4. The child mortality rate has decreased in the past 10 years. The growth in the use of contraceptives has risen from 25.1% to 39.3%, but there is still much room for improvement in population management.  rw    010939
    Foreign Donors Worried About Violence, Crime, Corruption in Bangladesh .   May 08, 2004   Associated Press
    Foreign donors expressed concern at the violence, crime, corruption and lack of justice in Bangladesh and warned that the problems threatened economic and social development. Hard-won economic gains and human development successes are imperiled. The economy is expected to see grow thanks to healthy harvests and a recovery in exports. Economic growth is anticipated to increase to 5.5% for the year. Bangladesh, a nation of 140 million, has become less dependent on foreign aid over the past decade. Less than 50% of the country's development programs are financed by aid. More girls are attending school, more jobs for women, and there is a reduction in infant mortality and the rate of population growth. However a large part of the population still lives in poverty.  rw    010496
    UN Praises Mexico Family Planning Progress.   May 04, 2004   Reuters
    The UN praised Mexico for progress in the last decade in family planning. Mexico was one of the success stories in implementing programs. The objectives include: increasing access to education, gender equality and reduction in infant, child and maternal mortality rates. Women are making their own choices about family size. Increased life expectancy and advances in the voluntary use of contraceptives were still not enough. Mexico's population would be around 170 million people, instead of 100 million, if not for family planning campaigns launched 30 years ago. The country had 21.92 births per 1 000 people in 2003, compared to 17.67 per 1 000 people in Brazil. The UN estimate the average number of children for Mexican women is now 2 instead of 6 in the 1970's.  rw   Some of the births are exported by migration to the U.S. These are not counted in determining the fertility rate. 010536
    China Joins Countries with Low Birth Rate.   April 29, 2004  
    China has joined the countries with a low birth rate. China's population reached 1.29 billion in 2003, 21% of the world population and China has been working to curb the rise of population. Its policy of controlling population and improving quality of life has made outstanding achievements. Family planning plays an important role in promoting economy, speeding up social progress and enhancing people's living standards. It gives China an overall basis for sustainable development. This policy has contributed to ease rapid population rise worldwide and its environmental and ecological fallout. The world population has doubled since 1960s. In 2003, it reached 63 billion, 95% from developing countries.  rw    010417
    A Chinese Revolution.   April 15, 2004   Push Journal
    Authorities in Shanghai announced that divorced couples who remarry can have a second child. In China, unless both husband and wife are from rural areas or one of several ethnic minorities, a woman must use an intra-uterine device after her first child, and can be sterilised after her second. But Deqing is one of 32 pilot counties that has abandoned birth quotas and targets. More than 8 million from a UNFPA programme has been poured into upgrading family planning clinics and giving more freedom of choice when selecting contraceptive methods, including condoms, pills and injectibles, emphasising quality care and meeting the needs of clients. It's planned to extend the programme across a third of the country. Condom use is soaring, and in Deqing, 10% of couples use condoms, and in the cities it exceeds 20% per cent. All of Shanghai's municipal buildings sport condom dispensers and anyone is free to take as many as they need. Neighbourhood clinics include counselling rooms, private examination rooms and a library. The commission is counting on keeping fertility rates down by providing a wider choice and better counselling. Research suggests that the preference for boys is no longer as pronounced. In Shanghai, couples prefer girls because they are easier to raise than boys. The sex ratio in Shanghai is 105 boys to every 100 girls, the normal international average. In the 32 counties where UNFPA's programme is implemented, the abortion rate has dropped 30%. Yuzhong county, has an 85% decline in abortions. The sterilisation rate for is 30% as in the US. Lower population growth remain a top priority for the Chinese Government. This initiative shows that you can have voluntary family planning that works.  rw    010317
    The Dawn of Modern Korea: 3-3-35: Once Most Desirable Figure.   April 14, 2004   Push Journal
    In the 1960s many newly independent countries believed their large and growing population was a major asset and resisted family planning. Korea is a small country and had no room for more people. In 1961 the Korean Family Planning Association was founded and in the 1960s and 1970s was producing leaflets and posters, sponsoring birth control and educating couples about contraception. Government agencies distributed condoms and paid money to people who chose to be sterilized. In 1966 it launched its 3-3-35 campaign with the message: "Bear 3 children with 3 years between each child, and stop at 35!" In the 1960s the average Korean woman gave birth to six children, and to reduce that number to three was an ambitious task. By 1970 the number dropped to four. Posters of the 1970s stated: "It doesnt matter whether youve a son or daughter: have two kids and bring them up well!" (Aimed at shattering the preference for sons). By the 1980s it became clear that it was an affluent developed country. The number of children continued to decrease and eventually reached its current level of 1.42 births per woman. By comparison: in the U.S. the number is 2.1. Within four decades Korea has transformed itself to a country with a very low birth rate.  rw    010302
    Bhutanese Queen Distributes Condoms in Anti-aids Drive.   March 31, 2004   BBC
    Queen Ashi Wangchuck, the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in Bhutan, visited Gom Kora in Trashiyangtse to highlight the risks of HIV/AIDS, early marriage, unwanted pregnancies and substance abuse. She distributed audiocassettes with messages on HIV/AIDS, pamphlets on reproductive health, and condoms to thousands of people. Her tour will take her to some of the remote villages in Mongar, Trashigang and Trashi Yangtse. In her capacity as the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in Bhutan she will carry out awareness campaign on population planning and reproductive health. Issues like HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and health and hygiene will also be covered during the tour.  rw    010173
    Smaller Families Spur Higher Hopes in South America.   January 08, 2004   Boston Globe
    Birth rates in developing countries have declined over the last several decades, thanks to economic growth, urbanization, medical improvements, and expanding educational opportunities. In Bolivia in 1970 mothers had an average of 6.5 children, last year it was 3.9. Bolivia's government has taken an active role, often bucking opponents of social change. In 1995 the government announced that family planning would be mandatory for all hospitals and clinics. Hospitals would have to offer sterilization surgery, and clinics would be required to stock IUDs and condoms. To secure industrial jobs, parents increasingly send children, including girls, to school which resulted in more women entering the work force. Educated women want educated children.  rw    009512
    China's Quiet Revolution in Reproductive Health.   January 07, 2004   United Nations Population Fund
    The Population and Family Planning Commission, working with the Ministry of Health and the China Family Planning Association, has abandoned quotas and targets for family planning. Services in family planning clinics and health care centres have been upgraded. Women and men have freedom of choice when selecting contraceptives. There has been the introduction of training for health care providers, modern diagnostic equipment and supplies and better counselling. The impact can be seen by the increases in condom use. In Deqing, 10% of families use condoms; in large cities over 20%, because of awareness of STIs and HIV/AIDS. Catholics for a Free Choice, a group of UK Parliamentarians and an assessment team from the State Department, found no evidence that UNFPAs funds was used to provide coercive abortions and sterilisations. The US administration decreed that China had violated the Kemp-Kasten amendment, which bars agencies from receiving US funds if it participates in coercive sterilisation or abortion. This cost $34 million in US appropriations in 2002 and 2003. Funds for UNFPA were provided by European donors. In the counties where UNFPA's program is implemented, the abortion rate has dropped by 30%, in Yuzhong county, by 85%.  rw    009521
    Pakistan: 'Country Passing Thru Demographic Transition'.   December 27, 2003   Dawn (Pakistan)
    Pakistan is passing through a demographic transition as the decline in fertility shortens the period over which the per capita income doubles. This transition needs employment growth and human resource development as in some East Asian countries. Pakistan has seen a sharp decline in fertility since the mid nineties. Literacy and education have progressed despite rapid population growth. Provincial lobbies have tried to influence the census count to gain more seats in the legislatures and more jobs in the federal government. It was proposed that the 1998 census count be used to determine provincial shares for the next 30 years. Studies found the census better than the previous count because of army supervision.  rw    009472
    Viet Nam: Population Fight Not Over Yet.   December 26, 2003   Vietnam News Agency
    Viet Nam has reduced its population growth and its baby boom generation is approaching the peak of its child-bearing years. If the country keeps following the voluntary two-child policy the population will reach 100 million people by 2025, 15 years later than past estimates. Slow population growth translates into savings in health, education and social services. The country has managed to bring the birth rate down from 3.8 children in 1989 to 2.28 children in 2003. Problems remain in rural and mountainous areas, and in improving skills and education. The physical, mental and intellectual state of the Vietnamese people was not sufficient to service the drive towards modernisation. Viet Nam ranked 109 among 175 countries in the UN human development index last year. The country has more than 84% of people over 15 who do not hold any technical qualifications, 3.8% with vocational secondary education and 4.2% with college education. 30% of children aged under five are malnourished.  rw    009473
    Malaysia Reudces Maternal Deaths   October 21, 2003   Bernama (Malaysia)
    Over half-a-million women die each year from pregnancy and childbirth. For each death, 20 to 30 more suffer illness and disability which may last a lifetime. Malaysia plans on sharing its strategy in reducing maternal deaths to 0.3 in 2000. Hospitals were upgraded, midwives and nurses trained to recognise complications and refer patients to the health centres. They were given transportation, communication facilities, skills training, supervision and equipment. Family planning was integrated into rural health services. Meeting the need for contraception services could reduce maternal mortality by 20%. 008444
    Bangladesh to Promote Permanent Methods for Birth Control.   August 25, 2003   Xinhua General News Service
    Bangladesh needs permanent, long term birth control programs. The total fertility rate (TFR) was brought down to 3.3 in 1996 from 6.3 in 1976. The current 140 million population doubled from 75 millions in 1971 and, can be kept around 220 million by 2065 only if the TFR is brought down to 2.2 by 2010. Media support is required to encourage people to take sterilization instead of the temporary methods. The government has taken steps to popularize sterilization and 200,000 people have been targeted for 2003 and the rate of the contraceptive users would be raised to 60% from the existing 54%. Bangladesh bought 219 million condoms, 112 million pills, 10 million injections and 0.2 million intrauterine devices last year. Family planning was launched in 1962, but it began to take momentum in the late seventies.  rw    007760
    Chinese Women Healthier, More Educated, but Poverty Still Biggest Challenge.   August 14, 2003   Associated Press
    Women in China comprise 44% of the students in colleges and universities, totaling 3.97 million - an increase of 2.67 million from five years ago. The average life expectancy is 73.6 years, 3.8 years more than that of men and the turnout of women in local elections has increased to 73.4%. The marriage law of 2001 gives victims protection and punishes abusers. In divorce cases, victims of abuse can sue for damages. Poverty remains the biggest barrier especially in rural areas and work needs to be done for women's political participation, employment and protection of female workers' rights. Sexual harassment has been a problem because the laws require plaintiffs to produce direct evidence. It is important for employers to provide education to prevent such violations.  rw    007620
    Tunisian Birth Rate Falls, Per Capita Income Rises With Successful Family Planning Programs.   August 14, 2003   Wall Street Journal
    Since the 1960s, the fertility rate in Tunisia has fallen from 7.2 children per woman to 2.08. Family planning programs began after the end of the French rule, including birth control, outlawing polygamy, raising the legal marriage age, limiting subsidies to families for only the first four children and conducting sex education classes among men, women and children. The government spends 18% of its $21 billion GDP on social programs, including $10 million on family planning and birth control education. In addition, Tunisia legalized abortion in 1966. The birth rate decline has resulted in economic benefits. The per capita income has risen from $1,430 in 1993 to $2,070. However in other Muslim nations there are social and religious hurdles to overcome to get where Tunisia is today.  rw    007631
    Brazil to Distribute Millions of Condoms to High School Students.   August 14, 2003   Associated Press
    As many as 3.4 million condoms will be distributed to high school students in 5 cities to fight the high number of teen pregnancies and AIDS. 105,000 students who are sexually active will be provided 8 condoms each a month. By 2006, it is hoped 2.6 million teens will be served by the program. Teenagers gave birth to 210,946 babies and underwent 219,834 abortions from 1999 to April 2003. Brazil already provides a cocktail of expensive anti-AIDS drugs to anybody who needs them. Brazilians are able to talk openly about sex. Though Brazil is the country with largest number of Catholics in the world, condom use is fairly well accepted by the general population. 007645
    Pacific Northwest Birthrates and Teen Births Hit All-time Lows.   August 07, 2003   Northwestwatch.org
    In the Pacific Northwest, teen birthrates are at an all-time low and natural increase is at the lowest rate since the 1930s - says a report from the Northwest Environment Watch. The province of British Columbia in Canada shows the lowest, followed by the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. The success is attributed to a trend toward delayed childbirth and a scarcity of women in peak childbearing ages. Slowed migration has also cause the population growth rate to drop. About 38% of births in the Northwest states result from unintended pregnancies. Recommended are efforts to reduce child poverty and prevent sexual abuse (proven precursors to teen births), make contraceptive services more available and affordable, and expand access to emergency contraception. Population growth from natural increase is one among seven critical indicators of regional livability that will be included in Northwest Environment Watch's annual progress report. 007650
    Vietnam: Cranes, Rice and People.   August 2003   Patrick Burns
    CRANES IN DECLINE. The number of Sarus Cranes coming to Viet Nam has fallen to 100 due to canals that prevents the growth of the Chinese water chestnut upon which the cranes feed. Other problems include the encroachment of mimosa trees, along with illegal firewood collection. The marshlands used to total about 2,500 acres are now down to 500 acres. The Sarus crane is the world's tallest flying bird and 60% of the world's population of the eastern sub-species lives in the Tram Chim National Park part of the year. Another 8,000 to 10,000 Sarus crane live in India, and another subspecies, with a population of about 5,000 birds, is found in Australia. __ RICE PRODUCTION IN THE PLAIN OF REEDS. The Tram Chim National Park is the last wild remnant of the Plain of Reeds, once an enormous wetland eco-system in one of the poorest areas of Vietnam. Prior to 1985, it was farmed in floating paddy rice but this system has been replaced by modern hybrids and methods which produce. Prior to 1980 Vietnam imported rice, today Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter. Marginal rice lands are being converted into fish ponds and fruit orchards, a new export business. 80% of Vietnam's 80 million people live in rural areas and 9 out of 10 remain poor. __ FAMILY PLANNING IN VIETNAM. Vietnam's population growth rate is rapid due to past high fertility, but birth rates are now within striking distance of replacement. Reforms are credited with the dramatic improvements seen in Vietnam's economy over the last 15 years and part of the reform has been to embrace a "One or Two Child" norm. Financial incentives are offered for sterilizations and those who have larger families are required to pay the health and education costs of the third child. All acts of preventing or forcing the implementation of family planning are prohibited. The most common method of contraception is the IUD, because officials do not think the weak health care distribution system can provide other reliable and affordable contraception. Contraception shortages remain a problem, as does nonuse by a large number of youth migrating to the cities. Vietnam has one of the highest abortion rate of any country in the developing world.  rw    007624
    Brazil's Success Story.   July 2003   Patrick Burns
    Brazil has a low fertility rate (TFR = 2.1 or less as of 2003) and that this low fertility was achieved remarkably quickly. In 1989, the TFR of Brazil was 3.4 (about the current average in the less developed world today, excluding China).

    One of the secrets to Brazil's rapid fertility decline was that the owner of a large TV Brazilian station (TV-Globo) came to believe that encouraging small families was key to Brazil's future economic development. TV-Globo ran ads "normalizing" small families, and even worked family planning messages into their popular soap operas. The education worked!

    Today, with energy self-sufficiency a near-reality and family planning programs firmly in place, Brazil's chief complaint is that the U.S. (as well as Europe) continues to have strong agricultural protectionist policies that keep out their products (such as oranges). 007007

    Good News In Malawi.   April 18, 2003  
    The average Malawi woman has six children, down from 7.4 in 1997, demonstrating a rapid rate of fertility decline. The country with highest fertility is Niger, with 8 children per woman and a total population of 11 million. Kenya which once had a rate of 8.1 has fallen to 4.3 thanks to increased use of modern contraception and in 2002 had a population of 30 million. The leading donor to Kenya's family planning is the U.S.  rw    006546
    Mixed Messages.   February 10, 2003   Washington Post
    The Kaiser Family Foundation reported more sex on TV, even during the family hours. But more shows mentioned safe sex; including the risks and responsibilities. These are shows where sex talk is ubiquitous and occasionally laced with angst, or maybe a condom joke. Teen pregnancy rates are at their lowest since the 1970s. Sexual activity by teens is down and contraceptive use is up. The number of college students who say it's "all right to have sex if two people have known each other for a long time" has plummeted to one-third. Mr. Bush increases money for very few programs, but he doubles funding for abstinence-only education. There is no study showing that this type of sex education is effective. There is evidence that a different kind of program works - such as Teen Outreach Program or Pathways/Senderos in Connecticut, which emphasize abstinence before marriage but provide accurate information about contraceptives and have proven success rates. These are the kinds of programs that make policymakers uncomfortable, because much like the television networks, they send mixed messages.  rw    005429
    Population Control Helps Poverty Reduction in Asia-pacific.   December 17, 2002   Xinhua General News Service
    Largely due to population control, poverty has been reduced in most of the Asia-Pacific region. According to a study of 18 Asian countries, their poverty rate fell from 65% in 1960 to 17% in 2000 with China showing the greatest reduction. The target of halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015 is likely to be reached in the Asia-Pacific region with effective birth control. The link between population and poverty is obvious at both the macro and the micro levels for most countries in the region.  rw    005020
    China Signs Population Agreements with Thailand, Indonesia.   December 16, 2002   Xinhua General News Service
    China has signed bilateral population agreements with Thailand and Indonesia, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of reproductive healthcare and family planning and efforts in addressing population issues. The agreements include bilateral exchange of government officials and experience, organizing training courses for officials and experts, conducting joint research and marketing for reproductive healthcare products and cooperation in addressing HIV/AIDS. China will adopt a people- centered approach andd will promote women's status and living standards of all Chinese.  rw    004994


    Pakistan to Reduce Population Growth Rate.   The Pakistani government plans to reduce the country's population growth rate from 2.1 percent to 1.9 percent by 2002, according to Secretary of the Ministry of Population Welfare Khawaja Ijaz Sarwar. He said that, to ensure the country's progress and development population growth should be managed by strengthening strengthen the existing health infrastructure. The United Nations Funds for Population Affairs (UNFPA) is helping with the funding. 12,000 village-based workers are working and another 45,000 are coming from the Ministry of Health. By 2003, the total number of health workers would reach 100,000. In a separate article, Pakistan's military-led government on Friday inaugurated a national commission for protecting the interests of women and raising their status in the male-dominated society. The examination of violence against women was recommended as a first task. A 21-member Commission on the Status of Women, made up of female scholars from the country's four provinces as well as senior officials was inaugurated, said Minister for Women's Development, Attiya Inayatullah. She said priority attention should be paid to education and reproductive health care, including access to family planning. Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, Zubaida Jalal, said the commission "manifests the government's commitment to uplift women and bring them into the mainstream."   September 01, 2000   World News 008179

    Success in Kenya .   a Kenyan 'guiding Light,' with Moral Lessons . . . "Ushikwapo Shikamana" is a soap opera in Kenya aimed at getting people to talk more openly about social issues in Kenya, such as family planning, AIDS, drug abuse, female genital mutilation, and forced marriage. It focuses on social issues like AIDS, drugs, and family planning. It's title means "If assisted, assist yourself." Population Communications International, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in New York, has sponsored the show since 1998 here in Kenya and has used the soap opera medium in Brazil, Mexico, India, and just this summer in China. In countries like Kenya, contraception and other sensitive subjects, like whether girls have the right to be educated, can often be best tackled through fictional drama. Once they have seen the show, women are more likely to discusss touchy topics with their children and husbands. The soap's action takes place in three settings: Langoni, the prototypical rural village; Kanyageni, an urban slum; and posh Ulimboni. In Langoni, men control the women and girls, with female circumcision, early marriage, and lots of children the norm. Kanyageni faces problems of crime, drug abuse, prostitution, and poor housing. The characters all have connections back to Langoni.   August 21, 2000   Christian Science Monitor 008150

    India - Himachal .   The fertility rate in Himachal has declined to 2.14 in 1998 from 2.97 in 1992 and the growth rate is expected to reach zero by 2015. The region has large Gujjar population which was basically a nomadic tribe with a migratory lifestyle. The state had enacted a law which debars candidates having more than two children from contesting Panchayati Raj institution elections. The state had also introduced incentives for panchayats which recorded the lowest birthrate in the form of a cash award of Rs one lakh for local development work annually. Chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that female education should become the focus of population control efforts and added that Himachal had the unique distinction of making education for girls free till the university level. The mean marriage age for girls was 20.5 years in Himachal and the sex ratio had increased to 1019 in 1999 as compared to 976 in 1991. The state is spending Rs 140 crores in the health sector. "There are 3100 health institutions in the state providing family planning services, but the difficult topography, inhospitable terrain and want of communication facilities were affecting accessibility to the services," Dhumal said.   July 27, 2000   Times of India /Population Connection 008154

    India, in General .   For years, India's family planning program has focused primarily on sterilization and on the number of sterilizations performed. Until recently, there has been little incentive to promote temporary contraceptive methods such as pills and condoms. Limited information and distribution campaigns for these methods resulted mainly in their discontinued use. This also helps explain the low impact of temporary methods on fertility in India. Because of the emphasis on sterilization, family planning is generally perceived as a means of stopping childbearing rather than as a means of spacing births. In recent years, however, the Indian government has increased efforts to promote temporary methods of contraception as well as improving their distribution through a variety of sources. But to promote these methods properly, issues regarding preconceived notions about contraception have to be identified and addressed. It has been found that women regularly exposed to electronic mass media are less likely to report method problems or opposition to family planning. This suggests the importance of education and motivation activities.   2000   International Institute for Population Sciences 008155

    Empowering Women in Nepal .   USAID's program is helping to unleash the vast human resource potential in Nepali women. Each year over 100,000 women are taught to read, write, and count, of which nearly 50,000 also learn about their legal rights and how to advocate for social change in their communities. Many of these same women are participating in the more than 1,600 savings and credit groups that have been formed with USAID's assistance; nearly 15,000 of them have invested in small businesses that are providing increased household income.   2000   008157

    Success in Thailand .   U.S. population assistance to Thailand, which ended in 1990 when the Thai government assumed primary responsibility for financing the family planning program, was instrumental in helping couples reduce their average family size to 2.1 children per woman-about one-third its 1960 level.   2000   008166

    Sri Lanka .   In Sri Lanka, 90% of whose women are literate, population growth is only 0.65% a year   2000   008169

    Ten Countries Making the Most Progress in Access to Contraception, 1982 to 1994 .   Bolivia, Iran, Mongolia and Oman have made major policy changes endorsing family planning and initiating national programs where none previously existed. Botswana and Kenya were among the first African countries to initiate family planning programs and have been unwavering in their commitment. Improvements in access in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela reflect the increased availability of contraception from private and public sources   2000   008171

    Uganda .   An organization called Pathfinder has been successful in bringing down the fertility rate in the country to 6.9, a substantial decline from the 1989 rate of 7.3. The use of modern contraceptives has increased from 2.5% in 1989 to 7.8% in 1995 and ranges from 35% of women around Kampala to a rural average of 5%. Contraceptive prevalence has tripled over the past five years. Pathfinder enables women to receive contraceptive services in their own homes from trained providers who live nearby. Much remains to be done, however, as the current unmet need for family planning is estimated at 29%. Infant and child mortality rates are high and maternal mortality is estimated to account for 17% of all deaths among women aged 15-49. Life expectancy may only be 37 due to AIDS and other SIDs. In 1986, the Busoga Diocese, Church of Uganda, founded the Family Life Education Program (FLEP), the first community-based family planning project in rural Uganda. As the demand for family planning and reproductive health services in this country has grown, FLEP has become an organizational model, providing an excellent example of how influential a small NGO can be in rural settings. In 1980, the Busoga Bishop launched the Multi-Sectoral Rural Development Project (MSRDP), aimed at improving the lives of those in the diocese's rural communities with development projects that addressed health, education, agriculture, and sanitation together. Many rural people associated contraception with prostitution, and many believed that the joy of having a lot of children was a good substitute for financial wealth. Yet by 1993, FLEP had become so successful that the Church granted it the status of an independent NGO, and in 1997 it was officially registered with the Ugandan government. FLEP employs information, education, and communication (IEC) specialists to train local drama groups as well as village health workers to write and produce songs and dramas that make family planning information more accessible to local audiences.   2000   Pathfinder 008172
    Morocco: Moudawana Improving Women's Situation Further.   2000   Morocco Time
    Morocco is moving to lifting of some of the reservations towards the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Morocco has made the promotion of women's condition an objective and an inter-ministerial commission had been created in 2000 to carry through the government's strategy to the equality between men and women. The Moroccan government has also adopted a gender-oriented approach, particularly in the fields of education and health, the objective being to integrate this process in the preparation of annual state budgets.  rw    013022


    Mexico: Family Planning Gains .   The local Mexican institutions and U.S.-based nongovernmental agencies have partnered to create success stories in Mexico's family planning. The birth rate has gone from 7.2 children, in 1965, to 2.5 in 1999. Credit can be given Mexican agencies like the National Population Council and the nonprofit Mexican Foundation for Family Planning, or Mexfam, an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Media campaigns urge delay of marriage and pregnancy and emphasize the advantages of spacing the births of one's children. Vasectomy or tubal ligation are freely available. 70% of women of childbearing age have access to contraception. To avoid conflict with the Catholic Church, media ads list the advantages of a small family without direct mention of contraceptives. Sex education has even come to Mexico's public elementary schools. Much of the funding comes from U.S. government agencies, but the expiration of a bilateral agreement this year cut off the flow because a few members of Congress vehemently oppose not just abortion but even certain contraception methods. Denying help to agencies that provide proven family planning information and assistance is a sure way to curb progress.   December 27, 1999   Los Angeles Times 008160

    Lebanon .   "The Arab region began to sit up and take notice of population issues" following the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, which educated countries about depleting natural resources and other negative effects of worldwide population growth. In Lebanon, family planning lessons have become part of school curricula, reproductive health guidelines have been established, and contraceptives have been made available at various health centers in the country.   November 19, 1999   Maha Al-Azar, Beirut Daily Star 008177

    China's New Story .   In the case of China you have the one-child policy. We have a program now in 32 [Chinese] counties where there are no targets and no quotas. The population has been informed that they can have as many children as they want. The outcome is not that women or couples have unlimited numbers of children. If you visit some of these villages, they say, "Why would we have more than two children?" Some only wanted to have one child. In the counties that we have been working in, they have been quite unconcerned whether it's a boy or a girl because they can have as many children as they want.

    11 million Chinese tune in to watch "Ordinary People," the No. 1 soap in the nation and No. 3 show overall. Can a young woman from a small town ever find happiness, love, success - and, of course, a small family - in the big China? "Instead of imposing government policies, we are trying to change attitudes." says Chen Sheng Li of The State Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China. The soap opera-tion of PCI and other groups has become a potent and popular tool of family planning in many diverse countries.   November 11, 1999   Interview with Nafis Sadik./Boston Globe 008164

    South Korea .   Per Capita income: $6251. Cropland per person: 0.05 hectares. Infant mortality rate 6 per 1000. 100% enrollment in secondary school, male and female. To end the poverty and the baby boom that followed the 1950-53 Korean War, a family planning program in 1961 was instituted that was aimed at persuading Koreans to "stop at two" children. Birth-control workers were given regional quotas for births and sterilizations. Married people with children were urged to volunteer for sterilization. Many thousands did. Contraceptives were distributed. The birthrate dropped dramatically from 4.51 per woman in the 1970s to 1.56 in 1997.   November 06, 1999   Los Angeles Times 008176

    Malawi .   Malawi abolished family planning services in the early 1960s because messages of reproductive health were construed as challenging firmly-held cultural beliefs which say having many children is a step to riches. In 1982, however, authorities were persuaded to consider restarting family planning services but now under the guise of Child Spacing later renamed Maternal Child Health. It was introduced in government hospitals in 1992 when contraceptive prevalence was 1%. The prevalence gradually improved to 7% in 1994. Malawi still has a long way to go because of misconceptions and myths. Contraceptive methods are not targeting young people between 15-25 years, estimated to constitute 47 percent of the country's population. 36% are willing to delay pregnancies by 2-3 years but by not using family planning methods.   November 04, 1999   All Africa News Agency 008175

    German Organization Links Health and Family Planning in Bangladesh .   Health workers help with simple illnesses, send difficult cases to a doctor, and advise mothers on nutrition and birth control. GTZ also tries to make the people help themselves, resulting in the digging of a fish pond, credit for cattle breeding and building simple but hygenic toilets. These things contribute to a decline in population growth, says Helga Piechulek of the German Development Cooperation (GTZ). Seventy per cent of the infants who die in poor countries fall prey to gastroenteritis, pneumonia, malaria or malnutrition. Maternity deaths are also high if women become pregnant at 15 and produce one child every year. When the infant mortality rate falls, they need not fear losing a child any more. Family planning is no longer taboo. The average children per woman has dropped from 7 children to three in 20 years. The growth rate has dropped from 2.7% in 1980 to 1.6%. Although population growth rates usually drop from increase prosperity, Bangladesh has remained extremely poor.   November 01, 1999   Deutsche Presse-Agentur 008159

    Holdups: Male Preference, Violence to Women, and Others
    Commentary by Bill Ryerson on Population Article in Mother Jones Magazine.   May 11, 2011   Bill Ryerson of Population Media
    Mother Jones should be congratulated for their May/June 2010 cover dedicated to the population crisis.

    In the late 1960s the issue was at the forefront of public concern, but has since seen a decrease in responsible reporting the importance of addressing the dramatic growth we are faced with. We cannot tackle climate change, poverty, food and water shortages, and the energy crisis - without also addressing the population factor.

    When the lead article, by Julia Whitty, says that "Two hundred million women have no access whatsoever to contraception," this is false and represents a common misunderstanding. Lack of access is only minor reason for non-use in most countries. The term "unmet need" does not mean unmet demand for contraception, but rather describes the estimated 215 million women who don't want to be pregnant and are not using contraception, and -- most of them don't want or intend to use family planning because: 1. they have heard it is dangerous, 2. their male partners are opposed, 3. their religion is opposed, or 4. they don't think it will work because they think God determines how many children they will have.

    An increase in contraceptive use can only be accomplished using communications to overcome these informational barriers. Also, about 1.6 billion adults in the world do not practice family planning because of societal demands for large families. People must be provided with informed choice based on knowledge of the health and economic benefits of delayed and spaced childbearing.

    Whitty also claims that those concerned about national population issues are nativist/racist. While there are some racists involved in population and immigration debates, their racist arguments are not condoned or supported by the mainstream population stabilization movement. Diversity has made and will continue to make the US strong and vibrant. However, we must also mind our domestic carrying capacity and limit our population size if we are to have a healthy and prosperous future with some semblance of biodiversity remaining.

    For example, in Australia, where population is mainly driven by immigration, there are legitimate concerns about limitations of water and other resources making national sustainability impossible if population growth continues at 2.1% a year- doubling in just 33 years. The U.S. population, currently at 309 million, grows at about 1% per year, which would double in only 72 years. We are the third most populous nation on the planet.

    There is a tendency to assume that anyone concerned about limiting immigration is racist without looking at their motivations. There are also those who say that anyone concerned with global population issues must be driven by racist concerns. But as a driving factor in determining whether human civilization is sustainable, the population issue is too important to be ignored, and the name calling against those working toward true sustainability on the planet needs to stop. 024424

    Swaziland: A Culture That Encourages HIV/Aids.   August 20, 2010   IRIN News (UN)
    Cultural beliefs among Swazis actively encourage the spread of HIV/AIDS. The study by UNFPA and Swaziland's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare echoes warnings by local NGOs that "AIDS cannot be stopped unless there is a change in people's sexual behaviour."

    "Swazis are traditional people, and their sexual behaviour is inbred and totally against safe sexual practices, like condom use and monogamous relationships. The report,found that maintaining a centuries-old cultural belief in procreation to increase the population size, was having devastating consequences in the age of AIDS.

    The study shows that Swazis believe it is ideal if a Swazi woman has a minimum of five children. "Nothing must stand in the way of procreation. This belief had come about when the population was a tenth of its present size. Swazis still believe that a woman's role is to bear children continuously, and that a man's role is to impregnate multiple partners, which is why polygamy is so strong here. In the minds of young men, who may not ever get married they can still have many children from multiple girlfriends.

    A survey of nearly 2,000 women found that 42% tested HIV positive in 2008, up 3% from 2006.

    In 2000 life expectancy was 61 years; now it is 32 years.Women report that they have been subjected to continuous childbirth by their husbands or in-laws, against their will.

    In Swazi culture, decision-making has traditionally been a male prerogative and Swazi men strongly defended the practice of "kungena", or wife inheritance, whereby a widow becomes the wife of the deceased man's brother, a practice found to spread HIV.

    Another cultural factor was gender preference - often insisted upon by in-laws that a woman bear a boy. In traditional law only a boy can lead a family into its next generation.

    Swaziland is mainly rural, but in the northern Hhohho Region, where the capital, Mbabane, is located, the fertility rate is 3.6 children per female, compared to 4.3 children in the underdeveloped southern Shiselweni Region. The fertility rate among women whose education finished at primary school was 5.1, but only 2.4 - less than half the number of children - among students who advanced to tertiary education. The poorest Swazi women have a fertility rate of 5.5, while the figure among the richest is only 2.6 children.

    "The rich/poor fertility divide is testament to the lack of a government social safety net - like a good pension scheme for the elderly - so, for those without assets, their only security comes from lots of children, who together can support their parents when they are older," said Tanya Kunene, a social welfare officer in Manzini Region.

    The study found that, like many traditional societies, Swazis lived in isolation and were generally suspicious of other cultures - practices like monogamy.That may be changing. According to the study, some survey participants "called for the recognition of multiculturalism in Swaziland, which would create tolerance for other cultures co-existing with our own", and thus make "foreign" practices found to be effective in curbing HIV/AIDS more acceptable.  rw 024590

    Save the Children: Policy Brief on Population.   March 2010   Save the Children website
    Population's rapid growth receives too little political and public attention. At only 2.5 billion in 1950, it is now at 6.8 billion, and is predicted to stabilise between 7.8 and 11.7 billion around 2050 (median 9.1 billion). Because of the high impacts, it is important to stabilize at the lowest level possible.

    Rapid population growth in the world's poorest countries is a major obstacle to poverty reduction. Rapid population growth rates and high fertility rates correlate closely with high rates of maternal and child mortality, and most of the countries that are furthest from achieving the Millennium Development Goals have high rates of population growth.

    Success at reducing fertility rates does not require coersion. The forced sterilisation policies pursued by India and China in the 1970s were an outrageous violation of women's rights. In International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994 concluded that strengthening women's sexual and reproductive rights and social status; improving maternal and child health, nutrition and education; and increasing access to and the use of modern family planning, would work the best, empowering women tend to choose to have fewer children and to space their pregnancies. This has positive effects on the health of mothers and children alike and on the development prospects of poor communities and countries.

    While total fertility rates have fallen across the developing world from an average of 5.6 children per woman in 1970 to 2.4 in 2005, almost all of the 50 least developed countries have much higher rates, in most cases more than five children per woman. By 2050, Uganda is expected to grow from 27 to 130 million; Niger from 14 to 50 million; Iraq from 29 to 64 million; and Afghanistan from 31 to 82 million. Jeffrey Sachs noted: "not only will the world's population continue to soar in the medium and high forecasts, but it will soar in precisely those parts of the world that are struggling the most today with extreme poverty, disease, famine and violence."

    The Millennium Development Goals (MGD), agreed in 2001, made no reference to population growth, and the 2005 Commission for Africa report said almost nothing on the subject, despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence of the damaging impact that rapid population growth has on poverty reduction efforts.

    MDG 1 called for halving, by 2015, of the proportion of people living on less than US$1 a day. But the number of Africans living in poverty has increased by more than 100 million between 1990 and 2005 - partly as a result of population growth. In much of Africa rising populations have diminished the poverty-reducing effect of economic growth. MGD 1 part 2 calls for a halving of the proportion of people who are hungry. The slow pace of the decline in malnutrition is far too slow to achieve the goal, and the trend looks set to be reversed by food price rises and the economic downturn.

    Where women lack rights, where they lack the status or the power to insist that their partners use contraception, or where modern family planning is simply not available, closely-spaced children and high fertility rates are very common. Children born less than two years after the next oldest sibling are more than twice as likely to die as a child who is born following a three-year gap.

    High fertility strongly increases a woman's lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. 210 million women each year suffer life-threatening complications and a further 536,000 die in pregnancy, during childbirth or in the six weeks following delivery. Of these, 67,000 maternal deaths result from unsafe abortions, carried out in unhygienic conditions and/or by unskilled providers. Many of these deaths could be avoided if women had access to modern family planning and, most importantly, felt sufficiently empowered to insist on its use.

    380 women become pregnant each minute; half of these do not wish for or plan their pregnancy. When women have rights and the use of family planning maternal and child deaths are drastically reduced, simply by preventing unplanned babies from being born. 125 million women worldwide would like to control their fertility, but are either not using or unable to insist on using, modern contraception.

    About 14 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year, many lacking the social status or power to control their fertility. Many are forced into an early marriage. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, especially amongst the poorest social groups, see the highest rates of adolescent fertility. Girls aged 15-19 from the poorest groups are three times more likely than their better-off peers to give birth in adolescence, and bear twice as many children during their lifetime. They are also 2-5 times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications as women in their 20s, and their babies are less likely to survive as well.

    Population growth can increase the risks of political instability and conflict, due to poverty, rapid urbanisation, reduced supplies of farmland and water per capita, and pressures on already overstretched infrastructure and services.

    The responsibility for the current climate crisis rests squarely with developed countries, whose consumption patterns are pushing the world's fragile eco-system beyond its limits, inflicting huge global costs - not least on the world's poor. But the necessary global transition to a low-carbon, less resource-intensive, less polluting economic future will not be infinitely harder to achieve in a world of 10 billion rather than 6.8 billion people.

    The link between population growth and poverty is two-way: poverty often leads to higher fertility and population growth, while high fertility and high population rates can entrench poverty. The key is to replace this vicious circle with a virtuous one, where women's rights, and their capacity to exercise choice, alongside access to better healthcare and nutrition, and modern family planning, allow the poorest women to make informed decisions about family spacing and size. When they are able to do so, they consistently make choices that are good for their health and that of their children.

    In developing countries where the birth rate has fallen, between 25 and 40% of economic growth is attributed to the demographic change. This dividend includes the benefits of improved health and nutrition (healthy and well nourished people are more productive) and the freeing up of resources for investment in education and skills.

    Save the Children calls for donors, international development agencies and developing country governments to make a commitment to the rights of women and girls, and to tackling a range of structural inequities that prevent the realisation of these rights, and to improve access to and use of family planning.

    A new target was added to the MDGs, calling for universal access to reproductive healthcare by 2015. On current trends, this target will not be met - in fact, national and donor resources for family planning have fallen since the mid-1990s. This must change: investment in these services must become a high priority for development spending. Comprehensive family planning services should also include the right to safe abortion and the necessary services to ensure this. 024481

    Pakistan: Girls to Die Unless Their Schools Close: Taliban.   December 27, 2009   Weekend Australian
    The Taliban has ordered the closure of all girls' schools in the Swat district of Pakistan and warned parents and teachers of dire consequences if the ban is flouted.

    The militant group set a deadline of January 15 for its order to be obeyed or it would blow up school buildings and attack schoolgirls. It also told women not to set foot outside their homes without being fully covered.

    They said female education is against Islamic teachings and spreads vulgarity in society. Teachers had little choice but to comply. The Taliban have destroyed more than 125 girls' schools in the area in the past year.

    Swat has become a heartland for Pakistan's Islamic militancy. More than 200 government soldiers have been killed but the militants are still well entrenched.

    Mullah Fazlullah has long been exhorting people to stop sending their daughters to schools, which "inculcate Western values". Hundreds of girls and women teachers have quit schools.

    The militants have prohibited immunisation for children against polio, claiming that the vaccination is aimed at causing sexual impotence.

    About 50% of girls have stopped attending school because of the threats. The inability of the authorities to provide protection had emboldened the Islamists, who burned schools "whenever they want".

    In the past two years a further 100 schools have been burnt down in Waziristan and other tribal areas, leaving tens of thousands of children between the ages of five and 15 without education.  rw   Karen Gaia says: not all of Islam is against education of girls. Bangladesh, for example, educates its girls. 023500

    Female Feticide in India: Health Department Targets Temples.   September 23, 2009   Times of India
    The declining female-male ratio in the state of Ludhiana continues to be a cause for concern. This is difficult to understand while girls are being worshipped and people are fasting to please goddesses during Navratras.

    To bridge this gap, health department has come up with the idea of spreading the message to stop female foeticide.

    Placards are being placed at major temples in the city to spread the message to stop female foeticide

    In Punjabi they read: "Together we should worship and sing hymns of mother goddess, take oath to stop killing unborn girls and we should ask the goddess to give wisdom to everyone so that girls get due respect."

    In Punjabi, there are 876 females for every 1,000 males, according to 2001 census

    The banners will also be placed at community centres. 024167

    Sex Selection Skews Sex Ratio .   August 21, 2009   InterPress Service
    In Vietnam there are laws against domestic violence and discrimination, and very high female literacy, yet its sex ratio is skewed: 100 girls to 112 boys at birth. The "average" is 105 boys to 100 girls.

    People prefer sons. "If you have sons and they have children, they will carry on the family name." People who want boys do abortion when they are pregnant with girls.

    Families in Vietnam are restricted to two children. This ordinance was reinstated in November 2008, after being rescinded in 2003, originating in the 1980s thanks to government fears of a population boom and strains on resources.

    The highest skews gender ratio is 120:100, in the northeast.

    "Confucian values" which prize sons over daughters and men over women have been blamed in part. Vietnam traditionally has been a patrilineal society, with sons responsible for caring for parents in old age. Daughters, who marry and leave, are considered "outsiders". "In the household, the decision making process is very traditional. Nothing has changed."

    The authorities seized 30,000 sex-selection books in early July and shut down seven websites that were advising couples how to have sons.

    Revealing the sex of the foetus is illegal but doctors find creative ways around direct statements.

    The abortion rate in Vietnam is one of the highest in the world.

    Vietnam's gender imbalance "holds the potential for increased levels of antisocial behaviour ultimately presenting a threat to stability and social order," a 2007 UNFPA report has warned. Some experts have worried that this may lead to an increase in the trafficking of women. 024128

    Afghanistan Women Outraged at Proposed Family Planning Law.   July 24, 2009   Guardian (London)
    Afghanistan women were optimistic after the Taliban were toppled in 2001, but today, despite the money poured into reconstruction and development, it is one of the five poorest countries in the world. There is 40% unemployment - nearly 80% in some parts of the country. A third of children under five are malnourished. Life expectancy is 43 - and it is one of only three countries in the world where women die earlier than men.

    A new law, the Shia Family Planning law, which if brought in, could have drastic repercussions for women. The Afghan constitution allows Shias to have a separate family law from the Sunni majority based on traditional Shia jurisprudence.

    It sanctions marital rape and says a woman could leave her house alone only "for a legitimate purpose" and says she could refuse sex with their husbands only when ill or menstruating.

    The law has succeeded in instilling fear and insecurity among an already traumatized female population. Sunni Muslims may be affected as well as Shia.

    A doctor says he is seeing more female patients who were depressed since news of the law emerged. "They have the kind of hopelessness that comes with knowing your life is incredibly repressed."

    Even in remote areas there has been a huge outcry here from the women over the law: demonstrations, protests on the radio, grass roots organisations very quickly coming together.

    Technically, women received the right to vote in the early 1960s, and everyone talks about Kabul in the 1970s, when women wore miniskirts and were the smartest ones in the medical schools. But Afghanistan is scarred by decades of war and occupation. 024102

    World Must Act Now to Avoid a Contraceptive Crisis, New Report Says.   July 13, 2009   PLANetWIRE.org
    Now that the world is focusing on the global economic crisis, contraceptive services is in danger of marginalization and neglect. This is doubly sad because contraception is one of the most trusted, most cost-effective and proven poverty-reduction interventions.

    This was the gist of a report by International Planned Parenthood Federation - Contraceptives at a Crossroads: Averting a Global Contraceptive Crisis, which came out on World Population Day, July 11. The report described systemic problems that bar individuals and couples from access to reproductive health supplies such as contraception and condoms.

    Unless governments and donors act, the health and human rights benefits that family planning and contraception services have delivered over the years will be reversed, and global development efforts will not be achieved.

    Women want to space their children, and women who work a lot don't want to be pregnant all of the time.

    The World Bank in 2008 reported that tens of millions of unplanned pregnancies occur because women lack access to contraception. "Giving women access to modern contraception and family planning...helps to boost economic growth while reducing high birth rates so strongly linked with endemic poverty, poor education, and high numbers of maternal and infant deaths."

    The report recommended matching donations between wealthy and developing countries to increase funding for reproductive health supplies which should be incorporated into national health plans. Governments should collaborate more with the private sector to ensure supply availability and to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. 024061

    In Kenya, Patients Held Hostage to Medical Bills; Some Poor Kenyans Can't Afford to Seek Treatment, as Public Hospitals, Strapped for Funds, Detain Patients Who Are Unable to Pay Their Bills, Sometimes for Months.   June 27, 2009   Los Angeles Times
    Author: Edmund Sanders

    A widowed and HIV-positive patient admitted herself to have her baby delivered in a hospital, even though she had no money to pay the bill, to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus during childbirth. After labor, both mother and baby were shunted into a locked, guarded room with other indigent patients. They were given one meal, sometimes two, a day, but no clothes or diapers for the infants. In the poor conditions the baby died, even though it was born free of HIV.

    Such horror stories are common and are spurring outrage in Kenya. Government inaction makes the practice de facto public policy, even though its legality has been questioned.

    Poor Kenyans who are seriously ill or dying often avoid hospitals, even though they might provide treatment or dispense painkillers and help control public contagion.

    Because of this, terminal AIDS and cancer patients often end up going back to their families in their homelands, where they face a painful, lingering death with little more than family members or traditional healers to comfort them.

    Similar problems exist in Nairobi. Bodies of accident victims, for example, are held until the family can pay the expenses. 024033

    Africa: The World Financial Meltdown - What Now for Women?.   June 26, 2009   Pambazuka News
    Africa's achievements in human rights and development could be reversed, as the global economic crisis takes its toll on the continents's fiscal revenues and

    household incomes. This would worsen the condition of women already struggling against an 'entrenched patriarchy'.

    Despite making commitments to gender equity, many countries lack the funding to implement policies and legislation. As aid dries up, programmes focused on women are likely to decline. At a domestic level many households will prioritise the education and welfare of sons over daughters, with long-term consequences for overall development. Investment in women's livelihoods should be 'a central focus of governments' economic recovery policies.

    In 2007-2008, many African countries enjoyed relative economic growth and increased investor confidence like never before. However at the end of 2007, the world experienced an increase in commodity prices like fuel and food, followed by the global financial crisis. Now commodity prices have dropped, with negative effects on export earnings, fiscal revenues, and household incomes. 024040

    Over 30,000 Women Die Every Year of Pregnancy Complications.   March 20, 2009   Pakistan Newswire
    A recent study suggested there is a small drop in maternal death rate in Pakistan. About 375,000 women suffer every year from pregnancy related complications. Inflammatory diseases are the major concerns, which make womens' lives miserable.

    The conditions are preventable and no women should suffer them. More than 80% are delivered at home with unskilled birth attendants. In a majority of healthcare centres, emergency obstetrical care is not available on twenty-four hour basis. Delay in medical treatment in emergency cases is the major contributory factor to cause womens' death and pregnancy related morbidity.

    More than seventy five thousand villages all over the country have no proper road network. People living in mountains, forest areas and small islands have no access to available emergency obstetrical care. A majority of Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) are not functional. With a few exception EmOC is not available on a twenty-four hour basis in tertiary care centres. The health of the women was never considered an important issue. In the name of culture, tradition and religion they were never given equal status.

    A system based on gender inequality will not adopt policies for the well-being of women who are poor, powerless, pregnant (most of the time without their consent) and weak as a class. It is disturbing to note that religious political parties and traditional political parties have little time for women.

    Political institutes have a great number of women but most of them are not interested on the issues related to women's health and rights.

    The health of the nation was never a priority for our governments and the country has no health care structure. This is one of the unhealthiest nations with a very poor healthcare system.  rw   Karen Gaia says: Reproductive health care, along with availability to contraception, is the number one key to lowering fertility rates. As has been shown in Bangladesh. 023744

    Pakistan: Peace Deal with Taliban Setback for Women.   February 23, 2009   Inter Press News Service
    The ceasefire reached by the provincial government in Pakistan's N.W.Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Taliban involving implementation of Islamic law, is seen as a setback for women's rights in the area. The worries are well placed.

    Women in Swat are not allowed to work except in totally segregated environments. Women are likely to come under greater pressure and their tribulations will certainly increase." Muslim Khan, spokesperson for the Taliban (TTP), insists that "women will benefit the most from the enforcement of the shariah" ... "Women are not supposed to work in factories, or fields. That is a man's work and we will not allow them to shrug off their responsibility."

    Over the past two years, the valley of Swat, 160 km from Islamabad, has been under the control of the militants defying the over 20,000 Pakistan army troops deployed there. Washington fears that the enforcement of shariah laws in Malakand could facilitate the movement of al-Qaeda and Taliban in an area which is known to have become sanctuary for militant groups.

    The ruling Awami National Party has defended the accord as it will improve law and order in the former princely state which acceded to Pakistan in 1969.

    "In every village, in Swat, we have appointed one or two religious leaders who resolve people's conflicts in the light of Islam. Nearly 75% of the cases pertain to women's right to property, divorce and consent of a woman in marriage.

    But if the courts are to provide justice, they must try the militants and the security forces, for the atrocities committed in the last two years, some 3,000 local people have been killed.

    But implementation of secular laws in Pakistan's tribal areas has been notoriously difficult. The new accord has demanded that the Taliban lay down their arms first.

    The TTP has demanded that the security forces leave Swat. The TTP has also asked for a general amnesty for themselves.

    For the past two years the TTP has been enforcing its own radical brand of Islam on the people of Swat, severely punishing anyone who disobeyed.

    In Afghanistan, during Taliban rule women were not allowed to work or leave their homes unless enveloped in a burqa, or accompanied by a male member of the family. Female education has been banned and over a hundred schools, most of them girls' schools, demolished.

    The Taliban shot dead a woman councilor who spoke against the Taliban and beheaded a local dancer. Asked if they were ashamed of such atrocities committed against women, Khan said: "We needed to teach women a lesson."

    With the signing of the accord, however, educational institutions are being allowed to reopen, and both girls and boys will return to their schools or what is left of them. The Taliban left no stone unturned to destroy the rich cultural diversity of the Pakhtuns and enforced their code of life which was not necessarily Islamic.

    The local people wait with bated breath to see which way the wind blows.

    The fact that the institution of the jirga [tribal council] excludes women from all decision-making belies its undemocratic nature. This suggests that women shall not be consulted in the process of accessing justice either before or after the imposition of shariah.

    There are many contradictions between shariah and the customary law in the north-western regions.

    How shall the shariah magistrates renounce their own code of honour when it comes to issues of a woman's inheritance or choice in the matter of marriage or divorce. There are concerns over barbaric customs in which a woman must be killed for perceived transgressions of the moral order. The area is also known for the prevalence of a custom in which young girls are given away to men in dispute settlement.

    Part of the rights enshrined in Islam is that a woman is free to receive an education and to participate productively in society. Will not the imposition of shariah tear asunder the fabric of Pakhtun society where women are largely confined and supposedly 'protected' in order to retain the 'honour' of the men in the family?  rw 023607

    Nepal: Free Maternity Services Begin.   January 15, 2009   Kathmandu Post
    The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in Kathmandu introduced free delivery services. This move would go a long way in checking the high maternal mortality rate in the country which at present stands at 281 per 100,000 live births. The government has introduced the programme so that nobody would die due to unaffordable service.

    Around 800,000 pregnancies are reported each year in Nepal. Approximately 17% to 20% take place in hospitals or health care centres. The government has been providing Rs. 1,500 for the mountain regions, Rs.1000 for the hills and Rs. 500 for Tarai areas as transportation cost to women who travel to hospitals or health care centres for child delivery since last two years.

    The government has allocated a budget of Rs 390 million for providing free maternity services and another Rs. 170 million for transportation costs to be paid to women. The government has earmarked Rs. 1,000 for simple deliveries, Rs. 3,000 for complicated deliveries and Rs. 5,000 for deliveries requiring surgical operation.

    The Health Ministry has also started providing free of charge all 'essential' listed drugs.  rw   Karen Gaia says: When I was trekking in a roadless Nepal area a few years back, we saw sick people being carried out in a basket on someone's back, sometimes two or three days to the airport or bus service. In the monsoon season, this is very risky business due to the numerous mud slides and slippery slopes. 50% of the population lives in mountains, most of them without roads. 023569

    Pakistan: Urgent Need for Better Family Planning - Experts.   January 06, 2009   IRIN News (UN)
    Pakistan's increasing population is placing strains on resources, development and security, say experts who are calling for more effective family planning.

    In 1950 Pakistan had a population of 37 million and was the world's 13th largest country. By 2007 it was the sixth with 164 million people.

    A proportionate increase in the number of young people of working age relative to children and the elderly played a significant role in the development of Asia's top 10 countries but if a country cannot use the youth productively, and there are a lack of opportunities it leads to frustration, increased crime, etc.

    Forty percent of Pakistan's population is below 25. Last week, Some experts blame the country's stagnating family planning programme for developmental and security challenges. Some link the country's stagnating family planning (FP) programme to developmental and security challenges.

    A quarter of married women who want to end childbearing, or space their births, do not use contraception. Pakistan saw a surge in contraceptive use in the 1980 and 1990s but has reached a platea. Lady health workers make house to house visits in an effort to detect problems faced by pregnant women but this too was hijacked. Because its forte was outreach and had a well laid out infrastructure, the same women were used for other programmes, including campaigns on TB, malaria and polio.

    There is no need for a Ministry of Population. If a woman comes for child immunisation, take that opportunity to counsel her on spacing her pregnancies.  rw 023558

    Cambodia: If This Isn't Slavery, What Is?.   January 04, 2009   New York Times*
    Pross was 13 when a young woman kidnapped her and sold her to a brothel in Phnom Penh. The brothel owner, a woman, beat Pross and tortured her with electric current until the girl acquiesced. She was kept locked deep inside the brothel, her hands tied behind her back except when with customers.

    Pross was painfully stitched up so she could be resold as a virgin. In all, four times.

    Prostitutes work voluntarily in many brothels in Cambodia and elsewhere. But there are also many where teenage girls are slave laborers.

    Young girls and foreigners without legal papers are vulnerable. Pross was never paid, and she had no right to insist on condoms. Twice she became pregnant and was subjected to crude abortions.

    The second abortion left Pross in great pain, and she pleaded with her owner for time to recuperate. That's when the woman gouged out Pross's right eye with a piece of metal. The owner discarded her, and she is now recuperating with help. The Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia is fighing sexual slavery. The foundation is working with Dr. Jim Gollogly of the Children's Surgical Center in Cambodia to get Pross a glass eye.

    The Obama administration will have the Wilberforce Act, just passed by Congress, which strengthens sanctions on countries that wink at sex slavery.  rw 023496

    Hundreds of Girls in Kenya Flee Rituals of Female Genital Mutilation.   December 21, 2008   The Sunday Independent
    Hundreds of girls between 7 and 17 are seeking refuge in church compounds in western Kenya to avoid the ritual removal of their clitorises, a practice that remains common despite it being illegal.

    Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a major problem and that the 350 girls who had sought refuge at the two churches were a small group.

    "It is possible that several hundred girls aged 15 to 16 may have been circumcised."

    The majority of the girls were brought to the missions by their parents, who resisted pressure by their communities, elders and grandparents to have their daughters circumcised.

    Substantial work has been done to sensitise girls and the community to the dangers of FGM, more needs to be done to ensure that those who encourage the practice face the law. The district advisory council is doing everything to ensure the girls are safe and consultations are ongoing to make sure that they can resume learning when schools open.

    District officers should ensure the girls are not beaten or circumcised when they return home, and the law should deal with errant fathers and community leaders.

    Evidence shows that female circumcision is still common, particularly in rural areas and among women who have received less education.

    FGM in the two Kuria districts range between 75% and 90%, with the age at circumcision between 12 and 14.

    The community is hiding under history, tradition and cultures that state that the girl is likely to become pregnant if she is not circumcised and that will bring shame to the family. Girls who do not undergo FGM face severe stigma in their communities.  rw 023476

    Nigeria: States Do Little to Prevent Female Genital Mutilation.   November 21, 2008   The Irish Times
    The practice of removing parts of a girl's genitals before she can be considered an adult pre-dates the advent of religions, and is deeply rooted in Egypt, Sudan, Togo, Kenya and Nigeria. It can lead to severe bleeding, neurogenic shock, infection, septicaemia and death. It also leads to ongoing medical, gynaecological and psychological problems. The UN has characterised it as torture. In many states it is either outlawed by domestic law, or international conventions against torture. The Nigerian constitution outlaws inhuman and degrading treatment.

    However, it is estimated as being prevalent in about 25% of Nigeria. The Nigerian government is ineffective in its enforcement of its policy.

    The risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation has formed the basis for claims for asylum status. The first state to recognise this was the US, where a girl from Togo was granted refugee status and other countries have also granted asylum on this basis.

    The High Court has ruled that female genital mutilation falls within the definition of inhuman and degrading treatment. Protection can come in the existence of laws to which women can appeal for protection, or the possibility of relocation within the country to a place where the practice is not carried out. Relocation is often not an option for a young person in Nigeria. A young woman in Nigeria comes under the control of her parents until she marries, and is then under the control of her husband and his family.

    The European Court of Human Rights found that this has to be a reasonable option in all circumstances. This took into account the personal and economic circumstances of the applicant, and his or her ability to move around. The European Court will now be looking at whether it is reasonable to expect a family to relocate in all circumstances, and whether it will be safe. If it finds it is not, it will mean that the family cannot be sent back.  rw 023361

    Philippines: Too Many Babies? the Food Crisis Revives Worries About Population Growth.   April 24, 2008   Economist
    Amid panic over soaring rice prices and worries about whether the Philippines can secure enough supplies, the results of the latest census have diverted blame towards overpopulation. The figures put the population at almost 89m when the census was taken last August, up from 77m in 2000. It has been growing at just over 2% annually. That is below the 2.3% annual growth of the 1990s and the 3% of the 1960s. But it is faster than expected. Some analysts think the census undercounted among poorer Filipinos. The population may now be up to 93m.

    Every hour, the country has an extra 200 little mouths to feed. And increasing numbers are being born into poverty. Government figures show that the number of people living on less than $1 a day has risen by 16% since 2003, to 28m. More people mean more houses, which means less land to grow crops. The government imposed a temporary ban on building on farmland, as it revives its attempt to achieve self-sufficiency in rice.

    Senior officials are pressing President Arroyo to agree to a big expansion of state-provided contraception and other family-planning help. But Mrs. Arroyo is a Catholic and wary of upsetting the influential bishops. She relies on their support to resist pressure for her resignation following corruption scandals.

    For years poor Filipinas relied on contraceptives supplied by USAID, America's agency. However, its programme has been wound down and the government has put only modest provision in its place. Despite a ban and the risk of up to six years in jail, 500,000 Filipinas have abortions each year.

    The debate over whether population growth is the prime cause of poverty has raged in the Philippines for years. The Catholic bishops point that corruption and misgovernment are mostly to blame. The Philippines has more than enough land and other natural resources to support its population if it were not so incompetently run. But fast population growth only makes things worse. And figures from the UNPF show that making contraceptives widely available does seem to bring down population growth.  rw 022983

    Birthrates Help Keep Filipinos in Poverty; Contraceptives, Rejected by Government, Are Unaffordable for Many in Majority-Catholic Nation.   April 21, 2008   Washington Post
    A fast-growing segment of the Philippine population is the very poor people with large families. There is a compelling link between family size and poverty. It increases in lock step with the number of children, as nutrition, health, education and job prospects all decline.

    Birth and poverty rates here are among the highest in Asia. And the Philippines, where four out of five of the country's 91 million people are Roman Catholic, also stands out for its government's rejection of modern contraception as part of family planning.

    The government has supported only what it calls "natural" family planning. No government funds can be used to buy contraceptives for the poor, although anyone who can afford them is permitted to buy them. Local governments can also buy and distribute contraceptives, but many lack the money.

    Distribution of donated contraceptives in the government's clinics ends this year, as does a contraception-commodities program paid for by the US. For years it has supplied most of the condoms, pills and devices used by poor Filipinos.

    "Family planning helps reduce poverty," President Arroyo said in a 2003 speech that detailed her approach to birth control. But she said then and has since insisted that the government would support only family planning methods acceptable to the Catholic Church.

    Women not wanting to get pregnant, Arroyo advised, should buy a thermometer and recording charts and abstain from sex when they are outside the "infertile phases of the monthly cycle."

    Arroyo, 61 with three grown children, said in 2003 that when she was a young mother, she took birth control pills. She later confessed to a priest.

    Health workers fear retaliation and harassment from officials in the national and city government, as well as from the Catholic Church.

    In 2005, Catholic bishops announced they would refuse Communion to government health workers who distributed birth control devices.

    The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines declined requests for comment on its family planning policies. "Chemical agents and gadgets that make up the contraceptive methods of birth control have caused damage in family relationships, disrupting the unity and openness that build family life, and even the hideous murderous act of abortion," said Archbishop Paciano Aniceto.

    In recent weeks, public alarm over the soaring price of rice has focused attention on the fast-growing population. Despite increasing rice harvests, farmers here have been unable to keep pace with domestic demand. In 1970, the population was about 36 million and growing at about 3% a year. But with an aggressive family planning program that provides the poor with free contraceptives, Thailand has reduced its population growth rate to 0.9%. In the Philippines, the rate has declined sluggishly to about 2.1%.

    There are now about 26 million more people in the Philippines than in Thailand.

    The Philippines produces 16 million metric tons of rice a year and needs to import 2 million tons. If the Philippines had pursued what Thailand has done, the Philippines would be a net exporter of 3 million metric tons.

    The Philippines could have lifted 3.6 million more people out of poverty if it had followed Thailand's population growth. The evidence from across Asia is that good population policy contributes to significant poverty reduction. There appears to be widespread public support in the Philippines for modern contraceptives.

    About 90% of respondents supported government funding of contraceptives for people who cannot afford them.

    Poor families have more unwanted pregnancies than richer families. The problems the poor face will increase sharply this year as the Philippine government and USAID end the distribution of donated contraceptives.

    The government's plan for "contraceptive self-reliance" anticipates that condoms and other products will be available in shops or will be given to the poor by local governments.

    But access to contraceptives will be restricted for most of those who cannot pay and for many who might be willing to pay.

    Abortion is illegal , but a 2006 study found that there were about 473,000 a year, which accounts for about a third of women with unwanted pregnancies. About 80% of abortions had complications requiring medical treatment.

    The natural method to control population growth does not work.

    USAID has increased its budget, from about $12 million to about $15 million a year, to provide technical assistance to 700 local governments and "to help the private sector to grow the market" for contraceptives.  rw 022987

    Nigeria: State Outlaws Condom Advocacy.   April 07, 2008   UN Integrated Regional Information Network
    It is now illegal to encourage the use of condoms in Nigeria's Anambra State. The state government has also banned the advocacy and distribution of other forms of contraceptives. "Instead of teaching children how to use condoms they should be taught total abstinence," the state commissioner for health, Amobi Ilika said. Many sociologists, family planning and AIDS support groups disagree.

    More than 3 million people, 3.9% of the adult population, are living with AIDS in Nigeria. The rate is rising by 300,000 people a year, according to a joint UN program.

    Condoms are available throughout Nigeria because the federal government, in partnership with family health organisations, has programmes to distribute and sell them.

    Many religious groups back condom use, having recognised that abstinence has failed to yield the desired results.

    Anambra State has a history of political instability and violence and is now making "a desperate attempt to uphold morals".

    Commissioner Ilika also railed against abortion. He said. "All fetuses must be allowed to live no matter the circumstances that led to the pregnancy, even rape."

    He added that medical practitioners in the state will face stiff penalties if they are caught carrying out any 'anti-life' activities. "The state government will withdraw the license of any medical personnel who flouts this directive".  rw 023052

    Philippines: Family Planning Cleared for Class.   February 12, 2008   Manila Standard
    The Quezon City council has passed an ordinance allowing public schools to teach the basics of family planning amid the growing number of unwanted pregnancies.

    However, the approved version is far from the original. The final measure can be applied only to high school students and above.

    It is hoped that the ordinance is acceptable to the religious sector which is against the original proposal of exposing elementary pupils to human reproduction.

    Bishop Honesto Ong-tioco said the ordinance was "crafted" to appear as a reproductive health and population management law but actually pushed for the use of abortifacients, branding them as "safe" methods.

    "I admonish you to defend the sanctity of human life and the family that are now in tremendous danger," Ongtioco said.  rw 022705

    Bahrain Accused of Population Cover-up.   February 12, 2008   Arabian Business
    A leading Bahraini MP accused the government of nationalising expatriates and covering up the kingdom's soaring population. Bahrain's population is made up of majority Shi'ite Muslims, but the kingdom is ruled by a Sunni dynasty. The government has been accused of naturalising Sunni Muslims in an effort to change the demography.

    Sheikh Ali Salman called for the sacking of Cabinet Affairs Minister, accusing him of either failing to keep track of population growth or hiding the figures. In response a written response, revealed Bahrain's population to be 1,046,814, of which 529,446 are nationals.

    We thought the population was just 750,000," Sheikh Salman said in parliament. Bahrain's local population should be 447,531 today, given the population's annual growth rate of 2.7%. "We are shocked to see it at 529,446. This shows that the increase is the result of criminal political naturalisation," he added.

    Naturalisation had robbed Bahrainis of at least 10,000 jobs.

    The population growth had impacted the quality of education and healthcare, increasing the average number of students in classrooms and how long people had to wait for hospital appointments.

    Responding, Sheikh Ahmed said the expanding local population was due to a rise in the birth rate, which stood at 3.6% and not 2.7%.

    He said the growth in the expatriate population stood at 8.8% and that the high number of foreign workers were needed for the kingdom's economic development.  rw 022714

    Zambia: Injectable Contraceptive Depo Provera Safe, U.S. Embassy Maintains.   February 06, 2008   Times of Zambia
    The US embassy said Depo Provera, an injectable contraceptive, is safe, as it meets the regulatory standards.

    The embassy was concerned about the rumours that the contraceptive was not safe. Depo Provera had met the FDA standards and it was unfortunate that an impression had been created that it was unsafe.

    An invalid test was conducted by a Zambian laboratory technician and this led to the rumours. The drug was designed to be tested with human blood, but this was done with something else, which led to adverse results. Health Minister Brian Chituwo announced the withdrawal of the contraceptive on suspicions that the drug had an HIV/AIDS virus.  rw 022665

    Filipino Women and Men Sue Manila Mayor for Ban on Contraception.   January 30, 2008   Center for Reproductive Rights
    Twenty Manila women and men filed a case against the mayor of Manila, arguing that the city's eight-year ban on contraception has severely and irreparably damaged their lives. This ban is another example of a trend led by policymakers who adopt policies based on ideology instead of the health and well-being of the people. Relying on the study Imposing Misery conducted by the U.S.-based Center for Reproductive Rights and Philippines-based Likhaan and ReproCen, the plaintiffs paint a grim portrait of women's lives in Manila under Mayoral Executive Order 003 (EO 003), which effectively bans among other things condoms, birth control pills, and sterilization in public health centers. Families driven to extreme poverty due to unintended pregnancies. One of the plaintiffs who makes between three and six dollars a day, was able to take birth control pills before the ban went into effect but has since had six children.

    After her fourth child, one woman was advised not to have any more children due to a rheumatic heart condition. When she requested a sterilization , however, she was refused despite the medical risk.

    Many women have been forced to abstain from having sex with their partners in order to avoid pregnancy.

    Affording basic necessities, such as food, has become an enormous challenge. One plaintiff says that she must choose between contraceptives and feeding her family. This is a violation of human rights with consequences for both families and the larger community. For nearly a decade, the government has prevented women from deciding when to have children.

    They are asking the Court of Appeals to revoke Executive Order 003, which instructs city officials to "uphold natural family planning. The policy has been applied to prohibit the dispensing of family planning services in all city hospitals and health centers.

    The plaintiffs argue that the ban not only violates the Philippine Constitution, but also violates the UN Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Philippines ratified this treaty without reservation in 1981.  rw 022754

    Against the Trend, U.S. Births Way Up.   January 16, 2008   Associated Press Online
    The US is reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years. The nearly 4.3 million births in 2006 were mostly due to a bigger population, especially Hispanics. That group accounted for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. births. Data shows that the US has a higher fertility rate than Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan.

    Experts believe the reasons are: a decline in contraceptive use, a drop in access to abortion, poor education and poverty.

    Hispanics have fertility rates about 40% higher than the U.S. overall. Americans, especially those in middle America, view children more favorably than other Westernized countries.

    Demographers say it is too soon to know if the sudden increase in births is the start of a trend.

    To many economists and policymakers, the increase in births is good news. Countries with much lower rates face future labor shortages and eroding tax bases as they fail to reproduce enough to take care of their aging elders.

    But the higher fertility rate isn't all good. The CDC reported that America's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years.

    Births are more common in nearly every age and racial or ethnic group. Total births jumped 3% in 2006, the largest single-year increase since 1989. The recent birth numbers are a result of many women having a couple of kids each, rather than a smaller number of mothers, each bearing several children.

    The 2006 fertility rate of 2.1 children is the highest level since 1971. The fertility rate among Hispanics 3 children per woman has been a major contributor. The high rate probably reflects cultural attitudes toward childbirth developed in other countries. Fertility rates average 2.7 in Central America and 2.4 in South America.

    Fertility rates often rise among immigrants. The rate among Mexican-born women in the U.S. is 3.2, but the overall rate for Mexico is just 2.4.

    Some complain that many illegal immigrants come here purposely to have children.

    "The child is an automatic American citizen, thus entitled to all benefits of American citizens."

    Fertility rates were also relatively high for other racial and ethnic groups. The rate rose to 2.1 for blacks and nearly 1.9 for non-Hispanic whites in 2006.

    Fertility levels tend to decline as women become better educated and gain career opportunities. Experts say those factors, along with the legalization of abortion and the expansion of contraception options, explain why the U.S. fertility rate dropped to 1.7 in 1976. The fertility rate climbed to 2 in 1989 and has hovered around that mark since.

    Other factors include: declines in contraceptive use here; limited access to abortion in some states; and opportunities for mothers to return to work. It is more common for American women to have babies out of wedlock and more common for couples to go forward with unwanted pregnancies. New England's fertility rates are more like Northern Europe's. American women in the Midwest, South and certain mountain states tend to have more children.

    The influence of religions in those latter regions is an important factor.  rw 022544

    China: Family Planning Blues.   January 15, 2008   Chinadaily.com.cn
    China's family planning policy has huge demographic and economic underpinnings. Yet, the rich are known to violate it. They sabotage the economy, and the rule of law. How to stop the rich from getting away with violation of the family planning policy. The Beijing government plans to make the rich pay more dearly for having more children than the law permits.

    The capital's population must be kept within 18 million by 2020 for the city to be properly developed. But the target could be difficult to meet if the policy is not strictly observed.

    More than 400 million births in China have been prevented since the policy was enacted in the 1970s. The policy helps ensure a sustained social and economic development.

    A 2007 survey conducted in major cities showed that many of celebrities and rich people have two children, with 10% having three. This evokes increasing complaints from the public. The fines are not heavy enough. The link between the fine and their annual income should be a more important factor. But how to effectively implement it is another challenge.

    Many rich people either ignore the penalty or are slow to provide the money. One violator only paid $14,000 of his fine of $106,000. The suggestion is to have the names of the offending rich people recorded and deprive them of the opportunity to compete in titles such as "honorary citizen", for a majority of them do not wish to see their reputation tarnished. Respect for the law must be the real answer.  rw   Karen Gaia says: China needs to work on male preference. When females are valued, the fertility rate will go down. 023572

    90 Million Filipinos.   January 08, 2008   Manila Standard Today
    According to a census an additional 1.7 million babies will be born in the Phillipines in 2008, at the current population growth rate of 1.94%.

    The current population level puts the Philippines in 12th place in terms of population worldwide. The good news is that the growth rate seems to have slowedbut not fast enough to ease the strain on national and family resources. Each fertile Filipina is expected to give birth to at least three babies in her lifetime. China has been implementing a one-child policy to stem the growth of its population. In many affluent societies, population growth has been in the negative figures for years. These countries are experiencing growth through migration, as in the US.

    The decrease in population growth rate is mostly due to individual choice in this country. The government has failed to put in place a population management campaign, mostly because of opposition from the Catholic Church.

    The Arroyo administration's failure to implement a population control program is par for the course. All previous administrations that attempted to control population have bowed to the Church's stand against all forms of contraception.

    Even the US government has all but accepted defeat. After 30 years of supporting programs to slow population growth, Washington announced that it was sending its final shipment of contraceptives to the Philippines.

    The Department of Health has given up as well, saying that contraceptive distribution programs will now be paid for by the local governments that can afford them. Only localities that can't pay for population control programs will be subsidized by the national government.

    For some reason, few politicians have dared to challenge the Catholic hierarchy when it comes to population policy.

    Advocating a population control program will lead to lost votes, despite the waning influence of the Church in nearly all other aspects of daily life. Many politicians have used the "pro-life" tag even without real "pro-choice" opposition, muddling the situation even further.

    The only champions of choice are underfunded NGO's that support women's rights. And not all do so openly, not even the large party-list groups, who fear a backlash from the Church.

    The devolution of contraceptive distribution programs could change the population policy in the years to come. Local governments, especially those affluent enough to ignore the Church and its power to influence the vote, could provide the breeding ground, as it were, for a national population control policy.

    Local governments see the cause-and-effect relationship of population and poverty. Local officials need to provide jobs, health services, education and other benefits that the cash-strapped national government simply cannot subsidize. It will take an enlightened local official who is willing to take the political risk of saying that a realistic population policy is required, and back that up with sustained funding for contraception. Then, perhaps other localities will implement their own population control campaigns. Ninety million Filipinos is a lot of people to feed, shelter and educate. If the Church and the national government will not do it, somebody elsesomeone not beholden to the Catholic vote, if it truly existswill.  rw   Karen Gaia says: The only complaint I have about this article is the use of the the term 'population control'. It has negative connotations that seem to contradict the purposes of the pro-choice proponents. 022497

    Are U.S. Policies Killing Women?.   January 01, 2008   Ms. Magazine
    U.S.reproductive-health policies are having a negative effect outside of our borders. U.S. administrations have maintained a global gag rule against providing counseling or referrals for abortions at U.S.-funded clinics in developing nations.

    It's a rule that reduces the limited availability of other family-planning services and has led to a pullback in overseas delivery of contraceptives. In some areas, the largest distribution centers for contraceptives have experienced decreased access for over 50% of the women they serve.

    The Bush administration has refused to release more than $200 million in funds appropriated for UNFPA. The administration continues to push its abstinence- only-before-marriage agenda, diverting 30% of its HIV/AIDS prevention funding to abstinence-only programs.

    At the Global Safe Abortion conference, conferees were reminded that legalizing abortion doesn't increase its numbers it just saves lives. The ratio of maternal mortality has been declining at 1% annually. But it needs to decline by 5.5% a year. It would require just about $6.1 billion more in annual funding to achieve that goal.

    The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pulled $90,000 in planned support for Women Deliver because conference materials referred to "sexual and reproductive rights" and abortion. Abortion was legalized nationally in the US by a judicial decision, not by elected officials. The U.S. population continues to be deeply divided by the difficult ethical issues surrounding abortion. The US does not use tax dollars to provide or promote abortion abroad.

    Economics and politics and even social conscience aside, we know that only by empowering all women can we ensure the future of the world.  rw 022726

    Niger: Population Explosion Threatens Development Gains.   December 11, 2007   UN Integrated Regional Information Network
    If Nigeriens remain uninformed about family planning and keep reproducing at the current rate the population will more than quadruple by 2050, imposing unmanageable demands on the economy, social services and the environment. The current rate of population growth is 3.3% every year. If that growth continues, there will be 56 million people in Niger by 2050, compared to 13.5 million today. In 1960, it was just 1.7 million.

    The average number of children per mother is 7.1. Women said they would like nine and men said 12, but some families said 40 or 50 children. It a society that encourages procreation.

    Just 5% of Nigeriens use family planning and contraception. People aren't informed about the negative consequences of having so many children.

    The 85% of Nigeriens who rely on rain-fed, subsistence agriculture to feed themselves are going to be hardest hit as millions more people compete for the same amount of farmland to grow food.

    The Sahel has recently been identified as one of the regions most likely to be adversely affected by climate change.

    The increase in the population will continue to accentuate the cereal production and wood-for-fuel deficits which started in the 1980s. Niger's population will quickly overtake the government's ability to provide health, education, jobs and even water points, tasks that it is already failing at today.

    94% of Nigeriens live on 35% of the land. The most populated areas are along the southern border with Burkina Faso and Mali.

    The Maradi region holds 20% of the population, 2,235,748 people, living on 3.3% of the country's land.

    Niger's desert and mountain north accounts for 53% of Niger's territory but only 3 percent of the population, 321,639 people.

    Niger plans this year to curb population growth which the INS says would reduce the population in 2050 to 33.3 million, still almost three times its current level.

    The government wants the number practising family planning to increase from to 15% or 20% by 2015. The INS says 20% of women claim to want it.

    The plan calls for information campaigns to educate religious leaders and women about the availability and importance of family planning.

    Currently, every second girl is married and likely to be procreating before the age of 15. Raising the marriage age to 18 would take up to four years off a woman's reproductive life.

    By 2015 population growth should have slowed to 2.5% and the average number of children per woman should be five.

    Diadi Boureima, deputy representative of the UN Fund for Population Affairs (UNFPA) in Niger, said the task was a critical one.

    If the demographics continue, Niger cannot develop. All the resources the country has will be going into social services and nothing will be left for investing in the economy. The government is acting accordingly.  rw 022551

    U.S. Teen Births Rise for First Time in 15 Years, Surprising Health Officials, Renewing Debate.   December 05, 2007   Associated Press
    The zero-population-growth nations are the most prosperous on the planet. Population generates air pollution, and global warming. For half a century, "the pill" has given us the means to control population. In a troubling reversal, America's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years.

    The birth rate had been dropping since 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. It rose 3% from 2005 to 2006.

    The reason is not clear. Some experts blamed it on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that does not teach how to use contraception.

    Transmitted disease rates have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon.

    The new teen births are based on the 15-19 group of women, which accounted for most of the 440,000 births in 2006. The rate rose to nearly 42 births per 1,000 in that group, an extra 20,000 births to teen mothers.

    In 1991, there were nearly 62 births per 1,000.

    Opponents of abstinence-based programs seized on the data as evidence of wrong government policy.

    The new report offers a state-by-state breakdown of birth rates. Many with the highest birth rates teach abstinence instead of comprehensive sex education. Research has concluded that abstinence-only programs do not cause a decrease in teenage sexual activity.

    In the last decade, more than $1 billion has been spent on abstinence-only programs.

    Decreased condom use and increased sexual activity are two likely explanations for the higher teen birth rate. But not all data supports those theories.

    A government survey of high school students found that the percentage of those who used a condom the last time they had sex rose to 63% in 2005, up from 46% in 1991.

    Births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high in 2006.

    The U.S. fertility rate is at 2.1 children, an increase of 2% from 2005 to 2006.

    Total births rose 3% to nearly 4.3 million in 2006.

    Rate of Caesarean section deliveries rose 3%, 31% of all births. Health officials say the rate, is higher than is medically necessary.

    The high C-section rate is believed to partly explain why rates of preterm and low-weight births also rose in 2006. Planned deliveries, including those involving C-sections, are often done before a pregnancy comes to full term.  rw 022449

    Jamaica;: Condom Controversy- Statistics Say Condom Distribution Necessary in Schools, Government Says No.   November 20, 2007   The Jamaica Observer
    Officials at the St James Health department, Jamaica, Monday pointed to a dilemma involving the government's refusal to sanction the distribution of condoms in the island's high schools, despite statistics indicating the need to include this measure as part of a multi-pronged approach to curbing the spread of the deadly HIV virus.

    The government's stance, According to Melanie Walcott, could place Jamaica in the same position as Sub-Saharan Africa which has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world followed by the Caribbean region.

    The ever-controversial issue came up during a workshop for close to a hundred students from the island's western high schools at the Holiday Inn Sunspree resort.

    The workshop hopes the participating students who were selected on the basis of their perceived leadership qualities will come up with action plans to raise awareness among their peers concerning the best way to go about curbing the spread of HIV.

    Pointing out the need for condom vending machines to be placed in schools, Walcott invited the students to get proactive on the issue with an aim to engaging further public debate. Ask for condoms to be distributed in schools and then you will push the hands of the powers that be.

    St James has distinguished itself as having the highest incidence of HIV cases.

    When a student pointed to the need for condom distribution the response was mixed. Some participants called for the abstinence campaign to be raised instead while others pointed out that it was already deafening.

    Persons who are in their teen years in school have HIV, and high rates of teenage pregnancy, herpes, gonnorrohea and syphilis that means teens are having unprotected sex. We have spent millions of dollars on abstinence campaigns in schools. Empower these persons that if you need to have sex you need to have sex but you need to at least do it safely. So we are advocating for the use of condoms in schools.  rw 022298

    Check 'We Two, Our Two', Think Nutrition.   October 30, 2007   IBNLive.com
    After India for over 30 years, the slogan Hum Do Hamare Do is fading out.

    The Government sas it doesn't want to penalise mothers who become pregnant with a third child.

    The Government provids a one-time assistance of Rs 500 to expecting mothers who have conceived their first or second child, but now they want this two-children cap to be removed.

    The emphasis is on nutrition, not on population control. You can't have mothers and children dying.

    But in a country where the population is nearing 1.2 billion, the Supreme Court said:

    'You cannot keep producing children and expect the tax-payers to pay money for such schemes.'

    Even the Opposition didn't buy the Government reasoning.

    “You need to incentivise those who aid in population control and disincentivise those who promote population growing in excess,” says BJP leader Arun Jaitley.  rw 022146

    Rapid Population Growth Worries Government of Uganda.   October 29, 2007   Bill Ryerson
    Officials from the Ministry of Health and the Population Secretariat said Uganda's population growth rate is worrying. The head of Information and Communication at the Population Secretariat, said Uganda's high population growth rate remains a major challenge to government's efforts to reduce poverty and provide adequate social services. Uganda's current population of Uganda is 28.4 million people and is projected to be 39.3 million in the year 2015 and 54.9 million in 2025. Uganda's fertility rate is 6.7. Low education levels, polygamy, cultural preference for boys, early marriages, and children as a source of cheap labour are some of the drivers of high fertility rate in Uganda.  rw 022137
    Progress in Slowing Maternal Deaths Too Slow, UN Agencies Warn.   October 23, 2007   UN News Centre
    The number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth is not declining fast enough to achieve the MDG's of 5.5% in maternal mortality ratios between 1990 and 2015. The current decline is less than 1%.

    Countries with the highest levels of mortality have made virtually no progress over the past 15 years. Of the more than 535,000 women who died annually of maternal causes in 2005, 99% were in developing countries.

    Slightly more than half of the maternal deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by South Asia with 188,000. These regions accounted for 86% of the world's maternal deaths in 2005.

    Achieving MDG 5 will require improving health care and providing access to health services. Also crucial is ensuring that transportation and equipped facilities are within reach.

    In addition, this requires educating and empowering women to make well-informed decisions and improving gender equality. A woman in Africa has a one in 16 chance of dying in childbirth or pregnancy, compared with a likelihood of one in 3,800 in the developed world.  rw   Karen Gaia says: MDGs are not the only goal; fertility rates drop when women are given access to reproductive health care and contraceptives are an option. 022107

    Women Plead for Humanisation of Widowhood Rites.   October 09, 2007   Africa News Service
    Over 1000 widows every year are maltreated in Cameroon. One said that when her husband died she was asked to leave my husband's house and was not allowed to take part in the burial. She was not allowed to wash and ate from a broken container. Widows in most parts of Cameroon are battered, chased out of the matrimonial homes, raped or made to suffer other forms of torture.

    The objective of a new campaign is to sensitise Cameroonians on the negative effects of such practices and to find ways of reducing the sufferings of widows. Women in general and widows in particular are marginalised. As a result men and women hide behind tradition and culture to torture, exploit and use them as tools. Government, international organisations and the civil society should work towards the protection of widows. Since the launching of the campaign on the humanisation of widowhood rites they have registered a total of 1843 complaints in which women are battered, maltreated, chased out of their matrimonial homes or raped.  rw 022037

    Health, Population Services: We Stand Exactly Where We Were at the Turn of the Century.   October 02, 2007   Daily Times
    Findings of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) belie the government's healthcare and population achievements as they remained stagnant or worsened in the last seven years.

    Pakistan is to increase the number of delivery cases handled by skilled birth attendants to 90% and use of contraceptive among couples to 55%, reduce the fertility rate to 2.1 births, under-five and infant mortality to 52 and 40 respectively, and increase the immunisation of children to over 90% by 2015 in line with its commitments under MDGs.

    The PDHS survey collected data on maternal and child health, fertility, care for pregnant women and family planning usage from over 95,441 households across Pakistan. USAID funded the $2.75 million study. Population and health sectors witnessed no progress and in certain cases, even negative progress during the last decade or so though the federal government increased health budget to Rs 18 billion in 2007-08. Over seven years after the start of current millennium, Pakistan stands at the same level where it had stood at the turn of current century. The total fertility rate and use of contraceptive devices remained at 4.1 births and 30% in last seven years starting from 2000-01. Contraceptive use is less than what it was targeted.

    The continued high prevalence of traditional methods (7.%) compared with the use of modern methods (21.7%) suggested that people use traditional methods due to the unavailability of modern contraceptives.

    Female sterilisation (8.2%) had come up as the most commonly used method signifying the lack of temporary methods and using sterilisation as last resort.

    Pakistani women wanted to control the timing and numbers of births but the failure of family planning programmes appeared to have made them bear more children than they wish. Only four out of ten births in Pakistan are administered by health professionals; only one-third of the births are delivered at the health facilities; and just one out of four mothers receives professional postnatal. By one estimation 18,000 to 25,000 women die in Pakistan each year due to pregnancy related complications and another 500,000 suffer from maternal illness and disability.

    Pakistan has the highest infant mortality in South Asia. Under-five mortality, is 94 deaths per 1,000 live births against the government's target of 80 for 2005-06. Infant mortality is 78 deaths per 1,000 live births against the target of 63 for 2005-06.

    The results negated the government's claim of having achieved 77% coverage of fully immunised children in the country and reported it to be actually less than half. Almost every indicator carried a disparity between the urban and rural population, as well as between the rich and poor provinces of the country.  rw 022004

    Family Planning Advocates Plan Suit Against Philippine Cabinet Member.   September 29, 2007   Agence France Presse
    Family planning advocates in the Philippines are readying a legal suit against Environment Secretary Lito Atienza for removing all contraceptives from city clinics when he was mayor of the capital Manila.

    The suit aims to "hold (Atienza) liable for acts which caused injury to women.

    Her group and other organisations presented testimony on how Atienza, a devout Catholic, introduced a policy banning city clinics from issuing contraceptives or informing people how to use or obtain them.

    Atienza stepped down as mayor of Manila earlier this year but was later appointed Environment Secretary by Arroyo, also a devout Catholic.

    The Catholic church, dominant in the Philippines, frowns on artificial birth control.

    Pangalangan said they had wanted to file a suit for years but finding women to testify against Atienza proved difficult due to fear of his position.  rw 022297

    China to Crack Down on Rich Flouting One-Child Rule.   September 15, 2007   Washington Post
    Rich Chinese who flout the country's family planning policies will face higher fines under tougher new enforcement guidelines.

    The move to came in response to concern that current fines did not serve as enough of a deterrent.

    The new measures single out the elite as needing to play their part in controlling the country's population.

    Violators could see their credit ratings damaged, a serious threat in a society where people are increasingly taking out loans and where banks are prodded by authorities to restrict lending in line with policy aims.

    China credits family planning laws with preventing 400 million births in a country that now has 1.3 billion people.

    It helped avert billions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions. But the policy has exacerbated a gender imbalance, where access to ultrasound tests and gender-selective abortions have resulted in there being 118 boys born for every 100 girls. This is threatening social stability as more men have difficulty finding wives.

    The parliament of central Hunan province discussed a draft amendment that would raise fines to as high as eight times the violator's annual income.

    Nearly 2,000 officials and celebrities had breached the policy including a lawmaker who had four children by four mistresses.  rw 021983

    Burkina Faso;: Census Shows Population Growth Rising.   August 28, 2007   IRIN News (UN)
    Burkina Faso has a population of 13.31 million which is expanding by 2.95% every year. If this growth rate continues, the country, will be more than 20 million strong by 2020.

    Between 1996 and 2006 the population grew by 341,000 every year.

    Women make up 52% of the population. The urban population, has multiplied by eight, with the highest density found in the capital Ouagadougou.

    Activists are using the data to lobby for more attention to birth control, which they say has been ignored because health services are focused on preventing HIV, even though it has shrunk from 7% in the early 1990s to 2%.

    Family planning must be restarted, by bringing back community-based activities in villages, districts, and by sensitising the activists that to get behind family planning. The situation is “alarming”,and if we do not control the growth rate, living standards will not improve.”

    Family planning is about progress for all groups, including women who need fewer children to be healthy and economically productive.

    In Burkina Faso, 14% of people use contraception, down to 9% in some rural areas. Last month, the government launched a US$7 billion program, which addresses HIV/AIDS, family planning and female genital cutting, with family planning at the centre of the project.

    The government believes contraception will also help reduce the maternal mortality ratewhich is among the highest in the sub-region: 484 women die for 100,000 children born. Surveys have shown that the lower the use of contraception, the higher the maternal mortality rate.  rw 021836

    Burkina Faso;: Census Shows Population Growth Rising.   August 22, 2007   Irin News
    Burkina Faso's population is growing rapidly because every woman in the country bears, on average, seven children. Burkina Faso has a population of 13.31 million which is expanding by 2.95% every year. The country, which is among the poorest in the world, will be more than 20 million by 2020.

    Women are 52% in Burkina Faso, while the urban population, has multiplied by eight, with the highest density found in the capital Ouagadougou.

    Birth control has been ignored because reproductive health services are focused on preventing HIV, even though prevalence has shrunk from 7% in the early 1990s to 2%.

    Family planning must be restarted, by bringing back community-based activities in villages and districts, and to get them back behind family planning.

    If we do not control the growth rate and make it compatible to our resources, living standards will not improve.

    Authorities need to understand that family planning is all about progress for all groups, including women who need fewer children to be healthy and economically productive.

    After 20 years of family planning activities we have not done much and we need to step up efforts. ThenBurkina Faso government launched a US$7 billion programme, which addresses HIV/AIDS, family planning and female genital cutting, with family planning at the centre of the project.

    The government believes contraception will also help reduce the maternal mortality rate. In Burkina Faso 484 women die for 100,000 children born.

    The lower the use of contraception, the higher the maternal mortality rate. To promote contraceptive use the government, adopted a 10-year (2006-2015) six billion CFA strategic plan to ensure the availability of contraceptive products country-wide.  rw 022133

    Philippines Shifts Campaign to Natural Family Planning.   August 09, 2007   Sun Star
    The Population Commission (Popcom) has shifted to natural family planning after the US stopped the supply of contraceptives. Popcom supported by several NGO's had campaigned for scientific approaches to family planning. These contraceptives were given to us by USAID, but now purchased by the users, unless the Government will shoulder the cost. The regional office of the Commission on Population now gives emphasis on the Natural Family Planning (NFP) methods and organizing Responsible Parenting Movement (RPM) up to the barangay level.

    With the shift of the campaign to natural family planning, it does not follow that they will also abandon the scientific method.

    The shift was due to the fact that most of those who are adopting the family planning and reproductive health approach were coming from the poorest sectors and, with the pull out of the USAID, could not afford to buy one.

    Popcom's emphasis on natural family planning methods will have the Roman Catholic Church as an ally.  rw 021752

    For Youngest Girls Enslaved in Sex Trade, More Woe.   August 07, 2007   Boston Globe
    A study of the health records of 287 Nepalese girls lured into prostitution in India from 1997 to 2005, found that 38% tested positive for HIV.

    The State Department estimates there are roughly 600,000 to 800,000 people who are trafficked globally in virtual slavery; 80% are female. It is stomach-turning to hear the stories study of Nepalese girls who were 14 or younger trafficked to India.

    Maiti Nepal's records revealed that the youngest of the prostitutes were most at risk for contracting HIV.

    The youngest girls experiences were different, they were moved around more, hidden and restrained. They seemed to be forced to sexually serve larger numbers of clients than older girls or women.

    More than a third of the youngest girls were forced to work in multiple brothels, compared with 12% of older girls and women. The youngest girls spent more time in brothels. Two-thirds of the girls 14 or younger were held in brothels for more than a year, compared with 43% of older sex-trade workers.

    Another reason for high HIV rates among the youngest sex slaves is because girls' genital tracts are more sensitive to trauma, and provide greater pathways for infection. The youngest of the Nepalese prostitutes often were the most sought after.

    These youngest girls bring in the most money for the brothel managers. Clients are willing to pay more to have sex with a young girl. Some of it is based on the mythology these girls will be cleaner. They were often portrayed as virgins.

    In some parts of India and Africa, HIV-infected men believed that having sex with a virgin would cure them of the disease. The Nepalese sex slaves were trafficked to Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata, often enticed by assurances of well-paying jobs as domestics or restaurant workers.

    Greater efforts are necessary, currently, few such efforts exist.

    The US official, said international authorities also should focus on the men who seek prostitutes, especially those who want to have sex with minors.

    It's important to look at the awful economic and political situation that makes people vulnerable, and at the demand that creates this situation.  rw 021726

    More Women Dying Preventable Deaths.   July 31, 2007   InterPress Service
    Tanzania is the fifth most dangerous place in sub-Saharan Africa for a woman to give birth. For every 100,000 babies born alive in 2000, Tanzania saw an average of 1,500 women die during pregnancy, child labour or shortly after delivery. The figures show an unacceptably high prevalence of maternal deaths and concern is mounting that the country is moving away from the UN MDGl aimed at cutting maternal mortality by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015.

    Under-resourced hospitals, a lack of clinics in remote areas, poor transport and poverty are blamed. In many cases, rural dwellers seek a traditional healer to deliver babies in a "natural" way. Qualified doctors or nurses took part in less than half of births in Tanzania between 2000 and 2004.

    An acute shortage of trained health care professionals has seriously compromised the level of hospital care with only about 1 doctor for every 20,000 patients.

    Women can be a hundred kilometres from a hospital and it costs too much to drive or take a taxi. Community leaders should be taught to recognize warning signs of an unsafe pregnancy and birth complications.

    Another factor is gender inequality. Males often rule household decision-making which means women cede control over their own health decisions.

    Tanzanian President said tackling the high maternal mortality rate is a top priority on a par with efforts to fight the 7% AIDS rate and to reduce unemployment, which affects more than 1 in 10 people.

    The government is aiming to halve the maternal mortality rate by 2010, to 265 deaths every 100,000 live births.

    More efficient care, better hospital equipment and improved coordination between clinics and ambulance drivers were promised.  rw 021685

    Unmet Need - Lack of Access Or Lack of Cultural and Informational Support?.   July 25, 2007   William Ryerson
    Unmet need describes women who want to delay pregnancy but are not using contraception. The figure is between 87 and 100 million women in the developing world outside of China. Many factors account for the gap, lack of access is one.

    In Kenya, contraceptives were within reach of nearly 90% of the population by the late 1980s. The 2003 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) showed that 96% of married women and 98% of married men could name a modern method of contraception, but only 31.5% were using a method.

    The top reason for non-use of family planning is the desire for more children. There are about 3 billion people of reproductive age, half of whom are using contraceptives, there are about 1.3 billion non-users, of whom about 100 million have an unmet need. The other 1.2 billion are intentional non-users.

    There are four reasons: 1) fear of the medical side effects of contraceptives; 2) male opposition; 3) religious opposition; and 4) fatalism. These are all issues that are best responded to by information and communication, and cannot be solved just through increased access to medical services as important as access is.

    In 1991 about half the women having an "unmet need" have no intention of using contraceptives even if they are freely available. It is not possible to "meet" more than half of the remaining "unmet need" in the developing world without changing people's minds.  rw   Karen Gaia says: while visiting Bangladesh, I found a successful 'persuasion' strategy was to offer a women birth control when the woman came for a postnatal checkup, so that she could space her children and therefore her children would be healthier. 021651

    Guyana;: Given a Choice Most Men Would Not Use Condoms - Study Finds.   July 24, 2007   Stabroek News
    Most men would not use condoms were it not for the fear of HIV, as they believe condoms prevent sexual satisfaction.

    Men's reluctance to use condoms was startling in the light of Guyana's prevalence of HIV infection of 2.5% as of 2004. Over 65% of male out-of-school youth were sexually experienced and the median age at first sex for out-of-school youth was 16 years.

    The consistent use of latex condoms has been proven to be highly effective against transmission of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.

    A larger number of males from urban areas were more knowledgeable about sexual and reproductive health issues as opposed to their rural counterparts.

    Men have reservations about their partners using contraceptives and they defined their sexuality by finance, good physical appearance, the number of women they had, sexual prowess or a combination of the above.  rw 021633

    Kenya;: ARVS Inaccessible to Children, Says Nyikal.   July 24, 2007   East African Standard
    More than 90% of children infected with HIV cannot access anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. 50% of the 120,000 children suffering from HIV in the country die before their first birthday due to unavailability of drugs.

    It's estimated there are 120,000 HIV positive children in the country. Between 40,000 and 50,000 need ARVs. Nyanza Province, which has the highest HIV prevalence, records only 2,448 children - 5.7% - on the drugs.

    The Government was developing strategies to address the problem. Efforts to put more children on ARVs have been hampered by high cost of syrup and paediatric tablets.

    ARVs cost $500 (Sh31,500) per child per year as compared to $200 (Sh12,600) for an adult.

    Difficulties in diagnosing HIV in children less than 18 months old has also been a challenge since diagnosis requires use of DNA as they might still have the maternal anti-bodies, which will result in false positive results. Poor handling of children ailments is due to lack of skills by health workers.

    Health workers have problems in identifying potentially infected children as this relies on willing parents to bring their children for tests.  rw 021634

    India;: 56 Years On, Population Battle Continues.   July 17, 2007   Times of India
    Bangalore's record in population control is rather dismal.

    Female sterilisation tops the options given to couples. There are over 3.74 lakh tubectomies against 766 vasectomies, the no-scalpel procedure with neither blood nor stitch. While the number of tubectomies is intact, the number of vasectomies has declined over the last five years.

    They don't even want to try condoms. Newlyweds are advised to delay the first child, those with one child are advised to give adequate interval before the second. Couples with two children are pushed to take up permanent or temporary methods of contraception.

    We give each couple at least 10 condoms a week but most women come back with complaints that men are not comfortable. Female condoms have been launched a year ago but they are more cumbersome and expensive. The options are intrauterine devises and pills. There were 2.91 intra-uterine devices users and 1.71 lakh pill users.

    Pills are safe but many fear side effects. The device usually stays intact for 10 years once inserted but there are many myths.

    The government spends Rs 300 per tubectomy, of which Rs 175 is given to the woman as compensation and the rest goes into medical services.  rw 021574

    Afghanistan;: Opinion: Pregnancy Should Be Safe.   July 05, 2007   Washington Post
    Afghanistan's maternal mortality rate is the world's worst: One in six Afghan women die in pregnancy and childbirth. If the Afghan government and its U.S. backers had invested in things that keep pregnant women alive, such as emergency-care facilities and training and security for paramedics, the country would now have at least a bare-bones health-care system. It's a mystery why maternal and newborn health still receives inadequate international attention and funding. Pregnancies don't take timeouts to await solutions to political struggles, and meanwhile every generation loses 10 million women worldwide.  rw 021498
    Rwanda;: Culture Hindering Use of Female Condoms.   June 26, 2007   Africa News Service
    Culture is one of the major hindrances to the use of female condoms. Sometimes women don't know how they introduce female condoms to their spouses. It is difficult in African societies for women to propose the use of condom to their husbands.

    In some cases, women complained that they are not user-friendly and that they make a lot of noise during sexual intercourse. A female condom lines the vagina and prevents pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

    Anti-AIDS campaigners expressed their concern about the unpopularity of female condom.

    One reason why female condoms were not popular is because of lack of women empowerment. Some condoms have been rejected because of their bad smell.  rw 021443

    The Feminisation of AIDS.   June 19, 2007   Africa News Service
    In most countries women live longer than men. In Australia, women have a life expectancy of 83 years, men 78. A reverse trend is emerging in Sub-Saharan Africa. A Kenyan man can expect to live 48.5 years, 46.5 for a woman. The UN attributes this trend to HIV, which is affecting women more than men in Africa. Women account for 57% of HIV infections in the region, and young African women 15 to 24 are three times more likely to become infected than men. AIDS is shaping the demographic structure of many African countries.

    Average life expectancy in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland will be two years less for women than for men by 2005-2010. Women are likely to contract the infection for several reasons. Unequal power relationships disadvantage women and young girls. Because school is an important site for education on HIV/Aids, gender disparities in school attendance disadvantage girls.

    Access to treatment for men and women differs. In Ghana, women account for a smaller share of treatment than predicted, but in South Africa and Tanzania they account for a larger share.

    National governments should put girl education, high on the agenda. But practices like widow inheritance, polygamy and forced marriages also have to be reviewed.  rw 021391

    Guinea Girl Workers 'Face Abuse'.   June 19, 2007   BBC News
    Thousands of girls in Guinea are facing abuse as domestic workers. Many girls are forced to work up to 18 hours a day for no pay and are physically abused by employers.

    They live in conditions akin to slavery. Research in Guinea showed that thousands of girls spent their childhood and adolescence cleaning, washing and taking care of small children, often for no pay.

    The girls were vulnerable to sexual abuse and many were beaten. They are trapped in this cycle of abuse because they are deprived of an education.

    Most of the employers in Guinea are women from the middle class who demand a girl from poorer relatives.

    Ending abuses against these girls should be a priority. The new government in Guinea faces other challenges - the result of decades of misrule that fuelled the widespread poverty.  rw 021394

    India;: Orissa Government Against Sex Education in Schools.   June 19, 2007   Time of India
    In India, Orissa has decided not to introduce sex education in schools in spite of protests from different quarters, including teachers and student bodies.

    "We would not introduce sex education because it is being opposed by several groups. We do not want to take any decision in haste," said the state school minister. "We have formed a committee to submit its recommendations. We will see what can be done for next year after receiving the committee's report."

    The Union human resources ministry has advised all states to introduce sex education at the secondary and higher levels. But no state has included sex education in he high school level.

    The Board of Secondary Education had last year planned to introduce HIV/AIDS education in class nine, but backed out following resistance from some quarters.  rw 021398

    Broadcast by Luigi De Marchi - Psychological Causes and Remedies of the Demographic Tragedy .   June 18, 2007   Italian radio station broadcast
    by Luigi De Marchi, Ph.D., Italian psychologist and writer

    The monsters from overpopulation are numerous, from illiteracy to a collapse in Oceanic fishing, from the destruction of natural parks to inflation, from climate change to urban crowding. Most of today's tragedies are produced by the fact that the available resources in terms of food, water, urban space, arable land, oil, forests and jobs are inadequate to the need of crowded and growing populations which, however, almost nobody asks to control.

    The mass exodus from underdeveloped to industrial countries, threatens to destroy liberal societies and is a shock wave of the population bomb in the Third World, although none of our experts dares say it.

    The impact of the population bomb on many social and international problems is the gravest threat for human liberty and peace. The stubborn refusal to listen to the voice of science and common sense is an irrefutable evidence of a refusal to acknowledge a feared emotion or reality. The crucial tragedy is not the population bomb, but the refusal of some religious leaders to admit its terrible effects and to avert them by adequate birth control measures. And this refusal was rapidly imitated by political and scientific opportunists.

    In many Islamic countries, poverty forces a lot of poor and prolific families to enroll their children in the thousands of Koranic schools which give them free food and shelter thanks to the financial support of the pious sheiks including Bin Laden but brainwash them with the fanatic ideas of their fundamentalist teachers.

    Dogmatic religions realized that hunger and poverty were formidable incentives for enrollments in religious schools and, after years of indoctrination, in the clergy. In the 1950s, Pope Pious XII stated that the Catholic Church appreciates prolific families because “they are the gardens of Christian vocations” a delicate way to say that poor families are happy to get rid of the children they cannot feed and educate by throwing them into religious schools, where they can be transformed into priests and nuns (or, in the madrasses, into kamikaze). When poverty was defeated in Italy and Europe, the Catholic Church discovered a gigantic “latifundium of vocations” in Third World hungry countries.

    The superiority of this psycho-political approach is demonstrated by the support the negation of the population issue found in the most different religious and political groups from Nazis to Communists, from Islamic to Catholic fundamentalists.

    This approach can also give us, with motivational psychology, an effective and “soft” solution to the problem of a generalized acceptance of birth control, as evidenced by my Italian popular photo-stories in 1975 and by Ryerson's and Sabido's soap operas in Latin America, Africa and Asia from 1977 up to now.  rw   Ralph says: This article needs to be reviewed in full -- by everyone. 021672

    India;: Kashmir Population Doubles in Two Decades.   June 17, 2007   The Organiser
    When schemes were launched to check the population explosion, in the Valley of Kashmir some religious fundamentalists denounced these schemes and announced awards for those who produce more children.

    In areas where the family planning schemes were implemented, the growth in the population has been50% although large numbers of migrants from the Valley of Kashmir have settled in Jammu areas.

    The population of Valley of Kashmir has almost doubled during the past 25 years, despite migration of over five lakh people. About 30,000 were killed and 7000 women were widowed because of terrorist violence.

    This abnormal growth in the population is due to various reasons but the religious fundamentalism has played its major role with a design to harm India, and defeat its family welfare schemes.

    The announcement of certain incentives including increments to employees opting for sterilization, many availed such incentives.

    Several government employees availed the incentives but later produced children. They blamed doctors, alleging that their operations were not successful.

    After the militancy in 1989, the staff linked with the family welfare schemes were openly threatened with dire consequences if they implemented the government schemes.

    Several ultras including foreign terrorists also increased the growth of population by forced marriages, illicit relations etc.

    There are still many areas where the staff did not dare to carry out implementation of family planning programs.

    No target is being achieved even after spending huge sums from the Indian exchequer.

    Population growth in the Kupwara district between 1981 to 2001 was 94% and Baramulla it was 83%. During the past five years there has been no implementation of family planning programs. About 20% increase has been recorded in these areas during the past six years.

    Where the family planning schemes were implemented, the growth in the population has been recorded about 50% with large numbers of migrants from the Valley of Kashmir.

    The lowest population growth is in the Hindu dominated district of Kathua at of 46% between 1981-2001.

    The growth in the population is adversely affecting the development activities and increased the demand for foodstuffs.

    It is clear aspersion on the authority of the government. It is also creating doubts about the bonafides of certain ruling leaders.  rw 021546

    Nepal Child, Maternal Survival Rates Up Despite War.   June 04, 2007   Reuters
    Nepal has reduced child and maternal mortality. A Maoist civil war raged from 1996, resulting in the deaths of over 13,000 people, ravaging infrastructure and slowing development. But infant mortality rates dropped to 48 per 1,000 live births against 79 in 1996, while under-five deaths dropped to 61 from 118 in the same period.

    Officials attributed the decline to child immunisation and better awareness amongst parents.

    Four out of five children between 12 and 23 months were immunised against tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio and measles.

    While the war ended last year the survey of nearly 11,000 people said improving children's nutritional status remained a "challenge".

    Half of children under five suffered from malnutrition. The number of women dying in child birth every year had dropped to 281 per 100,000 from 539 in 1996.

    The Red Cross and Red Crescent listed Nepal among the "deadliest" places to give birth with more than 90% women have no access to skilled health workers.

    One third of the country's 26 million people live on less than a dollar a day.

    There are 1,000 doctors and less than 100,000 poorly trained health workers working in Nepal's 1,000 health centres and hospitals.

    Poverty, illiteracy, cultural taboos, discrimination against women and poor access to skilled health workers continue to plague women's health.  rw   Karen Gaia says: about 50% of Nepalis live in roadless areas where people with medical problems would have to be carried on someone's back to the nearest airport - perhaps 2 days away. 021276

    Why an AIDS Fight Faces Delay; Democrats Seem Reluctant to Delete Abstinence-Funding Rule.   May 21, 2007   Wall Street Journal
    When Democrats took over Congress, liberal AIDS activists thought they would see the end to a requirement that the government pay to promote sexual abstinence. Activists say the conservative-backed rule diverts money from programs that promote condoms into abstinence efforts of dubious effectiveness. Meanwhile, proponents of abstinence say that Uganda shows abstinence works.

    There are signs that Democratic leaders don't want to get into the fight.

    Democrats are preparing a draft of their foreign-aid spending bill and appear reluctant to enact a measure that deletes the abstinence language. Democrats seem likely to push the issue off until later this year, when Congress will have to reauthorize the president's AIDS initiative. Behind the fight over spending is a debate over whether abstinence delay the onset of sexual activity among young people or draw funding away from more-effective approaches.

    Supporters say that programs advocating sexual abstinence until marriage and sexual fidelity would get shortchanged. The opponents point to scientific evidence to back up their claim that the abstinence provision inhibits progress against HIV. A new study concludes that congressional provisions dictating how the administration must spend AIDS money tie the hands of health professionals on the ground.

    Another study, found that abstinence-only programs in the U.S. have had no impact on the sexual behavior of young people.

    If the Democrats fail to delete the abstinence provision, "they'd leave themselves open to the charge of being public-health frauds."

    Before winning control of Congress, Democrats attacked the Republicans for failing to complete spending measures on time.

    In an email, Bush said, "We'll certainly fight to maintain a balanced approach" in HIV-prevention grants, in other words, to support abstinence and fidelity programs in addition to condom promotion.

    Health activists are pressing for repeal of a controversial measure which requires grant recipients to have written policies opposing prostitution. AIDS advocates thought their efforts to repeal the prostitution-pledge requirement, but Congress shows less appetite for taking on the prostitution issue than it does the abstinence issue.  rw 021203

    Birth Control Measures Prompt Riots in China.   May 21, 2007   New York Times*
    A campaign to enforce strict population-control measures prompted clashes between the police and local residents in southwestern China. Rioters smashed and burned government offices, overturned official vehicles, and clashed with the riot police.

    There were varying accounts of injuries and deaths. A local government official confirmed the rioting but denied reports of deaths or serious injuries.

    The violence appeared to stem from a two-month-long crackdown to punish people who violated the country's birth control policy. Corruption, land grabs, pollution, unpaid wages and a widening wealth gap have fueled tens of thousands of incidents of unrest.

    The central government has alleviated the tax burden on peasants and sought to curtail confiscations of farmland for development. But China's hinterland remains volatile.

    To limit the growth of its population, many parts of China rely on financial penalties and incentives rather than forced abortions and sterilizations.

    But local officials who fail to meet annual targets can come under bureaucratic pressure to reduce births in their area or face demotion or removal from office.

    Officials in several parts of Guangxi mobilized their largest effort to roll back population growth by mandatory health checks for women and forcing pregnant women who did not have approval to give birth to abort.

    Several people said officials also slapped fines on families that had violated birth control measures since 1980. The new tax was collected even though the majority of violators had already paid fines.

    According to an account officials in Bobai County of Guangxi boasted that they had collected 7.8 million yuan in social child-raising fees from February to April.

    Witnesses said villagers were detained, their homes searched, and valuables, confiscated. They used hammers to destroy people's homes, while threatening that the next time it would be with bulldozers. Local courts had declined to hear any cases related to the matter. Several villagers described an assault on the offices of Shapi Township, Bobai County, by thousands of peasants who broke through a wall surrounding the government building, ransacked the offices, smashed computers and destroyed documents and then set fire to the building. There were inconsistent reports of death and injuries and a subsequent crackdown by riot police.  rw 021315

    Uganda;: MP Warns on Population.   April 30, 2007   New Vision
    KAMPALA - There will be a population explosion if some of the demographic factors are not re-examined, MP Dr. Chris Baryomunsi has said. The country was experiencing a rapid annual population growth rate of 3.2% because of the high fertility rate, short birth intervals and high teenage pregnancies. Family planning service delivery in the country is poor, yet the number of women using them has risen to 40.6%.  rw 021109
    India;: India's Skewed Sex Ratio Puts GE Sales in Spotlight.   April 18, 2007   Wall Street Journal
    There are so many ultrasound machines in India that tests are available and typically costs $8, or a week's wages. GE has waded into India's market as the country grapples with the abortion of female fetuses by families who want boys and linking the country's skewed sex ratio with the spread of ultrasound machines. GE faces legal hurdles, government scrutiny and business problems in one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Having a daughter is often viewed as incurring a lifetime of debt for parents because of the dowry payment at marriage. The Indian government has tried to stop ultrasound from being used to determine gender and has passed laws forbidding doctors from disclosing the sex of fetuses. Some estimate that hundreds of thousands of girl fetuses are aborted each year.

    GE stresses emphatically that the machines aren't to be used for sex determination. The skewed sex ratio is an example of how India's strong economy has, in unpredictable ways, exacerbated some nagging social problems, such as the preference for boys. Prosecutors brought a criminal case alleging that companies knowingly supplied ultrasound machines to clinics that weren't registered with the government and were illegally performing sex-selection tests. Companies deny wrongdoing and say they comply with Indian laws. Blame should be pinned on unethical doctors, not the machine's suppliers.

    India has been a critical market to GE. The company won't disclose its ultrasound sales. In India, which includes ultrasounds and other diagnostic equipment, reached about $250 million last year, up from $30 million in 1995.

    Annual ultrasound sales in India from all vendors reached $77 million in 2006. India has long struggled with an inordinate number of male births, and the killing of newborn baby girls remains a problem. The abortion of female fetuses is a more recent trend, but it's poised to escalate as the use of ultrasound services expands.

    In much of northwest India, the number of girls has fallen below 900 for every 1,000 boys. In the northern state of Punjab, the figure is below 800.

    Only China today has a wider gender gap, with 832 girls born for every 1,000 boys among infants aged 0-4 years. Boys in India are viewed as wealth earners during life and lighters of one's funeral pyre at death. 90% of parents with two sons didn't want any more children. Of those with two daughters, 38% wanted to try again.

    To boost sales, GE has kept prices down by refurbishing old equipment and marketed laptop machines to doctors who traveled frequently, including to rural areas. In 1994, the government outlawed sex selection and empowered Indian authorities to search clinics and seize anything that aided sex selection. Today any clinic that has an ultrasound machine must register and provide an affidavit that it won't conduct sex selection. To date, more than 30,000 ultrasound clinics have been registered in India.

    GE has educated its sales force about the regulatory regime, demanded its own affidavits from customers that they won't use the machines for sex selection, and followed up with periodic audits.  rw 020948

    Philippines;: Candidates Told: Heed People's Call on Birth Control Or Else.   April 16, 2007   Philippine Daily Inquirer
    In the Philippines candidates should heed the people's call for action on family planning. A survey indicates 8 out of 10 Filipinos deem it important for candidates to include family planning.

    In the latest survey, 52% say that a candidate's support for family planning will lead to victory.

    The country is faced with overpopulation, hunger, and poverty, and we are calling on all candidates to prove their allegiance to the people of this republic by following our call.

    The Catholic Church has urged not to support candidates promoting reproductive rights and family planning. Filipinos don't want the Church interfering in this decision between couples. 44% of Filipinos think the Church should not participate in the issue of family planning, against 33% who think the Church should.  rw 020905

    Taliban Wages a War on Afghan Girls' Schools.   April 05, 2007   NPR
    In Afghanistan the re-emergence of the Taliban is threatening education. In southern Helmand province alone, nearly half of all schools have closed. Female students are at greatest risk. The Taliban consider them un-Islamic and have threatened their parents, torched their classrooms, and kidnapped and killed their teachers.

    The three dozen high school senior girls, who wear white scarves to cover their hair and loose black tunics to hide their curves, absorb the finer points of computer programming without the benefit of computers or the Internet.

    The students' enthusiasm energizes their principal, Niazi. For a second, the danger in being here is forgotten. So is her anguish over the killing of three colleagues in neighboring districts, or the torching last year of close to 200 schools nationwide. She explains no one at the school has seen the photocopied letters she pulls out. For the first time, she agrees to share them with a reporter. She says she gave the originals to Afghan President Hamid Karzai last week during his unprecedented visit to Lashkargah.

    There are four letters. All are handwritten and stamped and signed by mullahs who claim to represent the Taliban. All threaten her, and one of them also threatens her two sons with murder. One letter warns: Your death is decreed by the holy book, and there's nowhere you can hide in Afghanistan.

    She refuses to quit. The stakes are too high for Niazi, who risked her life secretly teaching girls in her home during the Taliban era when female education was banned.

    The most dangerous part of going to school is getting there.

    Taliban spokesmen insist they are not targeting any Afghan schools except for those that teach Christian values or serve American interests.  rw 020818

    Canada: Fewer Hospitals Performing Abortions.   April 03, 2007   Ottawa Citizen (Canada)
    The number of Canadian general hospitals offering abortion services has declined from 17.8% to 15.9% since 2003, according to a study conducted by a national pro-choice group. Women in Ottawa face an average wait of up to six weeks.

    In Ontario, 33 out of 94 hospitals performed abortions in 2006. Only one in Ontario provides abortions north of the Trans-Canada Highway, and many women face up to a 14-hour drive for the procedure.

    A researcher called hospitals across Canada posing as a pregnant woman and inquired about receiving an abortion and 75% of staff members reacted with disbelief, confusion or a complete lack of knowledge.

    Overall, Quebec's private clinics are a common destination for women from Ontario.

    One of the reasons for the decline in abortion accessibility is a lack of trained providers.  rw 020799

    Pakistan;: 300,000 Youths Trained on Reproductive Health.   March 28, 2007   Business Recorder (Pakistan)
    The Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in Asia (RHIYA) has trained 300,000 youth regarding Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH), Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse, sexual violence and gender-based violence in five districts of the country.

    About 3.3 million unemployed are mostly the young populace, 50% children are unable to complete their primary education and 19% total maternal deaths are at the age of 15-19.

    About 62% of the population of Pakistan is below the 25 years, 60% girls are illiterates and the socio-economic indicators are among the worst in the region while gender discrimination persists.

    RHIYA organised 1400 events at federal, district and community levels and over 9000 people were trained. RHIYA reached one million people through advocacy and communication.

    Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment overburdens opportunities and complicates the lives of the young people compelling them to shoulder the burden of large size poor families. Sometimes the young people join gangs or offer services to private forces and militant groups for violence, unlawful or terrorist acts. Awareness regarding adolescents reproductive health, fertility and family planning is low with an unmet need of 22%.

    Education is vital while addressing the reproductive health of adolescents and youth and parents training is necessary and has helped in addressing issue of communication gap between parents and children.  rw 020754

    No Sex Please, We're Daddy's Little Girls.   March 22, 2007   Age
    In a trend among conservative Christians in the US, girls as young as nine are pledging to their fathers to remain virgins until they wed. Gala affairs celebrate the father-daughter relationship.

    The fathers and daughters exchange vows, with dad signing a covenant to protect his daughter's chastity and the daughter promising not to have sex until marriage.

    Many fathers slip "purity rings" around the finger of their daughters or offer them "chastity bracelets" that the girls can entrust to their husbands on their wedding night.

    The father makes a pledge that he is going to keep his mind pure and be faithful to her mother. Some 1,400 Purity Balls were held in the US in 2006, mainly in the South and Midwest.

    The first Purity Ball was organized in 1998 by Generations of Light, a popular Christian ministry in Colorado.

    Randy Wilson, who runs the ministry said the idea was to celebrate the bonds between father and daughter.

    Enquiries are pouring in from aboard with organizations or churches in New Zealand, Britain and other countries.

    Critics say that it is just as essential to make them aware of sexually transmitted diseases and condom use.

    Studies show that the majority of adolescents who take purity pledges break them within a few years. One study found that 88% of pledgers have sex before marriage.

    Unfortunately they tend to have more partners in a shorter period of time and to use contraception much less than their non-pledging peers.  rw 020684

    Medics Search for Birth Rate Control Methods.   March 06, 2007   Africa News Service
    Medical experts met to deliberate on a birth control method to be applied in Rwanda. One they have suggested is the Standard Day Method (SDM). When properly used SDM cycle-beads method is more than 95% effective.

    The existence of SDM cycle-beads in Rwanda's 28 sites had elicited interest from providers and the community. Rwanda had over three thousand SDM cycle-beads users with over 90% first time users. The method has been included in contraceptive technology updates for service providers using the official curriculum for in-service family planning training.

    This is done through collaboration USAID and will include technical assistance, training, monitoring and evaluation.

    The efforts come on the heels of the government commitment to limit population growth, with three children per family as a move to fight persistent poverty in Africa's most densely populated country.

    The SDM cycle-beads use is an effective method to control unplanned pregnancy. SDM cycle-beads, now applicable in over twenty countries, make it simple for a woman to clearly identify the days she could become pregnant.  rw   Karen Gaia says: I had two pregnancies on the birth control method and one was an IUD baby. If my experience is any indication, then with the cycle-beads method, one might expect failure in reaching the goal of only three children. Also, my first contraception method, contraceptive foam, required application at time of intercourse, which did not always happen when I was a young woman. Could it be that the cycle-beads are not always used 'properly', especially in the case of younger couples? 020574

    India Faces Cost Protest Over the Procurement of Condoms.   March 03, 2007   Financial Times (UK)
    The World Bank and the UK have refused to finance the Indian government's purchase of condoms because of an alleged lack of transparency in procurement procedures. The government sources condoms from local manufacturers for hundreds of millions of contraceptives required under a five-year plan that starts next month, the National Aids Control. HIV prevention organisations are angry saying scarce funds were being wasted in India, which has the world's highest HIV caseload. "Domestic preference is playing a role leading to a situation where India is paying 30%-40% more than the world average, but the government says it's non-negotiable.

    The head of a non-governmental HIV/Aids body said: "Over a billion condoms are being made under government contract 25%-40% above the market price."

    Donors wanted international bidders involved in procurement, but quality was a critical issue.

    Korean condoms are cheap, but they are suspect.

    The government is expected to contribute about Dollars 1bn of the total Dollars 2.5bn cost. Spending on a condom access programme is budgeted at Dollars 56m in 2007/08.

    Jeff Wilson, a UK spokesman in India, said procurement was "an issue" and DFID was not planning to finance condom procurement.  rw 020345

    China Says Population Hit 1,314,480,000 at End of 2006.   March 01, 2007   Associated Press
    China's population was 1,314,480,000 at the end of 2006, an increase of 6.92 million people.

    Males accounted for 51.5%, the ratio of males to female newborns stood at 119.25 to 100 in 2006.

    The gender imbalance is a growing problem and there will be 30 million more men of marriageable age than women in less than 15 years.

    China's goal to limit growth of its huge population has had one side effect, a jump in gender selection of babies. Some women abort their baby if it is a girl.

    The sex ratio was 110 to 100 in 2000. The average for industrialized countries is between 104 and 107 boys for every 100 girls.

    China has 2% of the world's population.

    Urban residents accounted for 43.9% of the population by the end of the year, up 0.9% from 2005.

    The legal boundaries of big cities in China often include large areas of farmland.  rw 020494

    Year of Golden Pig' Set to Trigger 'Mini' Baby Boom in China.   February 27, 2007   The Hindu
    In 2007 many young Chinese couples want to have an offspring during this 'Year of the Golden Pig'.

    A mixture of tradition and superstition means that 2007 will witness a mini baby boom.

    According to Chinese astrology, people born in Pig Years are polite, honest, hardworking and loyal.

    Babies born in the 'year of the Golden Pig' are believed to have good fortune and will lead a comfortable and wealthy life.

    2007 is the year of "Jin", meaning gold, according to the rotation of five elements of gold, wood, fire, water and earth. According to forecasts by the Shanghai population committee, the city will see over 1,37,000 babies born in 2007, almost double the number in 2006. Family planning officials in Beijing forecast that they could see 1,50,000 babies born there in 2007, compared to 1,29,000 last year.

    The boom has begun to put strains on hospitals in major cities.

    The Haidian Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital Beijing has received an average of 3,000 patients in January, far exceeding the hospital's capacity.

    Maternity doctors in the cities of Harbin, Taiyuan, Fuzhou and Haikou have been working double shifts and struggling to find enough beds on the wards.

    Soon-to-be dads and moms in Beijing have to make reservations six months before their children are due, and monthly salaries of popular maternity maids in Shanghai have tripled to reach about $774.  rw 020379

    Life Expectancy in Russia Much Lower Than in Developed States.   February 21, 2007   TASS (Russia)
    Life expectancy in Russia is lower than in developed countries. Men in the USA, France and Japan outlive Russian men by 15 to 20 years, women - by 7 to 13 years. The number of suicides in Russia has grown to 40,000 cases a year.

    Low birth rate and high mortality is the most acute problem for the country. In many regions up to twice as many people die than are born. Low standards of living, insecurity and uncertainty of the future give rise to violence in families, neurotic and psychiatric disorders and aggravate somatic diseases.

    These problems demand adequate measures and mechanisms. The federal program for 2007-2011, will give an opportunity to concentrate resources on priority directions which includes reduction of illnesses and mortality related with diabetes, tuberculosis, a total of 22.5 deaths per 100,000 cases, HIV infection and cancer. Attention will be paid to treatment of mental troubles, sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis, high blood pressure as well as vaccines.

    76.4 billion roubles are allocated for that five-year program, including 35.1 billion roubles from the federal budget. In 2005, an average life span was 58.9 years for men and 72.3 years for women.  rw 020356

    Kenya;: Uncircumcised Pupils Sent Home.   February 19, 2007   BBC News
    A Kenyan secondary school has sent home 20 boys because they were not circumcised, saying it feared they would be bullied by other students. They had only been at the school for three days.

    Do the needful within two weeks and let your son report back to school, said a letter to parents.

    Circumcision is not obligatory, but a study said it reduced the risk of contracting HIV.

    Circumcision is practised in many, but not all, of Kenya's ethnic groups.  rw   Karen Gaia says: Male circumcision often has a female counterpart in a culture. Practiced as a rite of passage under less than sterile conditions, and often on adolescents rather than infants, circumcision under these circumstances should be discouraged, especially when the circumcision results in obstruction of the birth canal, health problems, or lowered self esteem. 020537

    Northeast India Tribal Group Offers Cash Reward to Women with More Than 12 Babies.   February 11, 2007   Associated Press
    Tribal leaders in India's remote northeast are offering cash rewards to women who bear more than a dozen children in a bid to keep from being outnumbered by settlers from elsewhere, a leader said Sunday.

    Tribal elders defended the move, which has infuriated many women and health activists.

    An elected administrative body of tribal leaders in Meghalaya works with the state government on development issues.

    The community is worried about an unabated influx of migrants from outside the state, but some in the state decried the program. It is for the authorities to check the influx or settlement of outsiders in traditional land belonging to our people. Increasing our community's population is not the answer.

    "A woman's body is not a machine that she can go on having babies."

    Meghalaya is one of the seven states in India's remote northeast where fears of migration from other parts of India and neighboring Bangladesh have helped fuel separatist revolts.  rw   Karen Gaia says: what will people do when the land they live on can no longer support their growing numbers? Migrate somewhere else? 020238

    Catholic Church to Give 'Impartial' Abortion Advice.   February 09, 2007   InterPress Service
    The Australian government plans to award 34 million US dollars to the health and welfare arm of the Catholic Church, for abortion counselling has triggered debates.

    Some women's groups have expressed outrage that an institution which is opposed to abortion should be given public money to counsel women. The federal Health Minister said he was confident that a Catholic agency was capable of providing independent advice.

    He has promised that Centacare's helpline would be monitored to ensure impartiality.

    Australia's abortion rate of 84,000 cases a year is too high and Centacare's 24-hour pregnancy counselling hotline was the best way to help women.

    President Howard has promoted 'Christian family values' through public initiatives such as laws against gay marriages, government funding for chaplains in the school system, tax rules that favour families over singles, support for the Iraq war, questioning the credibility of Muslim asylum seekers and restrictions on the access of single women to IVF treatment.  rw 020245

    Palestine;: Nablus Economy on the Verge of Collapse as Infrastructure and Environment Are Being Destroyed.   February 05, 2007   Palestine News Network
    Hussam Hijawi says that the economic infrastructure of Nablus is largely destroyed as a result of Israeli incursions, closures and land confiscation. He said that Israeli forces have destroyed 140 shops and factories and is appealing to the Palestinian Authority to aid the one of the West Bank's most significant financial hubs.

    10,000 people have already left another 45,000 waiting to leave the internal strife is not helping to keep investors in the West Bank.

    The American and European blockade affected the area as has the closure of Israeli boundaries and the stop-payment on tariffs. These factors, coupled with the security chaos and Israeli invasions and closures have led to an increase in the rate of poverty that is over 60% with unemployment at 35%. He reiterated that the Israeli attacks have been ongoing for the past six years, which negatively affects all sectors of society.

    Israeli forces imposed closure on the Nablus District leading to a limitation of freedom of movement. The UN reported 57 closures for August 2006 alone. The district was inaccessible from the rest of the West Bank.

    Hijawi said that restriction of movement from Israeli checkpoints has as negative an impact as the US-led blockade. All sectors are affected and an economic catastrophe is imminent.

    As production plummeted, many factories have been forced to close their doors. Obtaining materials and manufactured products has become increasingly difficult and it is impossible to be competitive.

    The agricultural sector is suffering. Production is down due to inaccessibility to farm lands or their outright confiscation, and access to markets is severely hindered. Transport costs are a major factor.

    The siege has rendered tourism virtually nonexistent. Ancient buildings are demolished and riddled with bullet holes. Foreigners are often prevented by Israeli forces from reaching the West Bank at all. Investment has declined with no stability and many with investments have got out, or are attempting to do so.

    Streets, electrical and telephone, sewage and drainage and lights are are severely damaged. Resources for repairs are limited, and the knowledge that the incursions will continue deem repairs difficult at best.

    Transportation is afflicted by checkpoints, closures and bad roads, while costs have become prohibitively expensive for many. Unemployment and poverty are on the rise while the per capita income is in decline. Health and educational capabilities are hindered.

    Environmental concerns have resulted from the closures and inaccessibility to existing waste management facilities.

    Nablus is facing damage due to the blockade and many parties on the local, Arab and international levels must lift it so that Nablus can rebuild its economy and environment before they become irreparable.  rw