Population persists to blast as a nuclear bomb.

Written by: Khadijah Shah (Rays of Development Organization (ROD))

Lahore, Pakistan (ROD) July 11^th: More than 140 countries all over the world, observed the World Population Day (WPD) on Friday July 11^th, while stressing the implication of family preparation for the well-being of families, communities and nations. Robert McNamara, former World Bank President, says “The population threat is no less than that of a nuclear war. And it is the greatest obstacle to the economic and social advancement of the people in the underdeveloped countries.”

This time surrounding the WPD was noticeable with the theme “Family Planning: It’s a Right; Let’s Make it Real,” with an aim to offer a probability to create awareness about reimbursement of family planning, including it’s a fundamental role in enhancing maternal health, gender equality and poverty diminution among the peoples across the world.

In 1968, the world leaders proclaimed that individuals had a basic human right to freely determine the number and timing of their children but the irony of fact was that 40 years later modern contraception still remained out of reach of hundreds of millions of women, men and young people in the world.

‘Pakistan, with a population of approximately 160 million people with expansion rate of 1.86 per cent annum, is the 6^th most heavily populated country in the world after China, India, USA, Indonesia and Brazil’, said Ministry of Population and Welfare of Pakistan.

It was ranked 14^th in the world’s most populated countries with a population countries with a population of 33 million in 1951 but it had surpassed Japan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Russia on account of rapid growth rate with 2.45 per cent. At present growth rate, of the population of Pakistan will double in 39 years as every year there is an addition of about 2.9 million in its population, which will reach up to 307 million after the said period.

The government, while recognizing serious implications of high fertility decline, lower rates of population growth, reduce infant mortality, child and maternal mortality and to improve health status of the masses.

The World Population Day activities varied in scope and nature while ranging from rallies, performances and exhibitions, to sports competitions, seminars and cultural events but all the events have one thing common which is to affirm the right of people to plan their family size and thereby helping to make this a real fact.

Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Neelam Jabbar has said that rapidly growing population will have to be controlled in order to provide better health, education, sanitation, potable water and other facilities to people. She stated it on the occasion of WPD, in a seminar which was organized by the Population Welfare Department, Punjab, in collaboration with the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA).

At present, mortality rate in the children under five in 94 per 1,000 and it will be reduced to 65 by 2,011 and 45 by 2015 (MDGs Target) while mortality rate in newborns is 54 per 1,000 which will be reduced to 40 by 2011 and 25 till 2015.

Dr Muhammad Nafees, the Director of the ‘Institute of Social and Culture Studies’, Punjab University, said that in order to improve the quality of life and provide better job opportunities to the population, we would have to control our population. Gujrat University Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr. Nizamuddin, Population Welfare Director General Abdul Rauf, Dr Ayesha and others also addressed the seminar, whereas Punjab’s Secretary of Population Welfare Qazi Afaq Hussain, departmental officials of the Population Welfare Department and media representatives were also present on the occasion.

On the other hand, Islamabad has the world’s highest maternal and infant mortality rates. Early marriages, young age pregnancies, son preference syndrome, lack of skilled birth attendants, near to the ground female literacy, poverty, male domination, malnutrition among women of reproductive age, and lack of access to basic health care centers, family planning services and emergency obstetric and new born care (EMONC) all attribute well to the high levels of maternal, neonatal and prenatal mortality.

The United Nations General Secretary, Ban-Ki Moon declared that forty years (40) ago the authorities had announced that every individual had the right to have the advantages of the basic necessities of life and do family planning. He added what has already been happened cannot be undone, but what is about to be done can be prevented, hurdled, diverted, delayed and even stopped indefinitely. This is where we, as a society, go extremely wrong. In an attempt to undo what we couldn’t prevent, we neglect and abandon what we can. The vicious cycle takes its course, speeding by the hour, and we let it. In the end, there seems to be very little hope, a lot of disappointment, unmet targets, failed attempts, weak policies, and the end of the tunnel seems pitch dark. However, there is hope, there always is.

Ammanat Rasul, Director General, Minister of Population Welfare, explains, “It’s a vicious cycle.” The family planning programme in the country was started in the 60’s. “Social, cultural and religious constraints, restricted the debate on population issues such as reproductive health education, knowledge regarding contraceptives and concept of the individual reproductive rights. Our staff was beaten, the family planning centres were set on fire and issues such as contraceptives were a taboo subject,” he adds.

Just complaining about an extensively increasing population is as fanatical as depending upon natural disasters to so away with a portion of it. According to CIA’s World Fact book, Pakistan’s population by July 2008 is estimated to be around 167,762,040. The number is big, huge rather, but the number falls in the ‘already done’ category. The entire population does.

However, there is another number-64 per cent. It maybe small, but it is this number that can change in terms of population in Pakistan. This number is approximately five million out of total population of Pakistan; these five million will determine the fate of the entire future population of the country. They are the youth, the only chunk of the population that does not fall into the ‘already done’ category, for their decisions regarding sexual behaviour and childbearing are critical to not just Pakistan’s but the planet’s future population size, dynamics and wellbeing.

The United Nation’s Population Fund (UNFPA) along with the rest of the world celebrates World Population Day on July 11. The theme of this year is to “plan- plan” to beat poverty, gain equality and beat maternal deaths. According to the UNFPA, the year 2008 witnesses the largest generation of adolescents in world history, where half the people on earth fall under the age of 25. Out of the total population of the world, some 1.8 billion are aged between 10 and 25 and about 85 per cent of the total 1.8 billion live in the developing world.

The numbers here call for serious undisrupted attention, for if population issues in Pakistan are to be addressed, maternal deaths combated and young people are to be given a good, healthy start on their lives, their right to reproductive health and family planning information and services might be promoted, and changes in policies and regulations should be encouraged.

Regarding young people’s sexuality, the biggest barriers are cultural taboos. Although most people become sexually active during the period of adolescence, they often have no access to the education and family planning services they need. Most people in Pakistan become sexually active before their 20^th birthday but remain unaware of their sexual health rights for the rest of their lives, contributing in turn to the vicious cycle of overpopulation. Reproductive health care of the youth is largely inappropriate. As a result, parents, educators and health care providers and practitioners are often found unwilling to give young people the information and services they need.

As for family planning, modern contraceptive use among adolescents is generally low, and decreases further with economic status. The percentages are alarming, the reality almost mind-boggling. Fewer than five per cent of the poorest youth in the world use modern contraception. As for young women in Pakistan, they constantly report less contraceptive usage than men.

Moreover, the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections or STIs worldwide are among young people between the ages of 15 and 24. According to UNFPA statistics, two in every five new HIV infections occur in young people in Pakistan, especially those living in rural areas; have misconceptions about how HIV and Aids is such a big international phenomenon.

49% of women in the least developed countries, which include Pakistan, marry before they turn 18. Thus complications during pregnancy and child-bearing are the primary causes of death for girls aged 15 to 19 in countries likely to die during children as women in their 20s.

Young people in Pakistan also hesitate to visit clinics because of lack of privacy and confidentiality, inconvenient operating hours and clinics locations, unaffordable costs, limited choices in terms of contraceptives and perhaps most importantly, extremely negative or judgmental attitudes of the health care providers.

According to the Executive Director of UNFPA, Suraiya Ahmad Abeed, successful global strategies include reproductive health education in the schools; programmes for out-of-school youths and early married girls, social marketing of condoms and other contraceptives; using mass and entertainment media to disseminate messages; telephone hotlines to provide anonymous counseling; peer educators in the community or workplace; and care at multipurpose youth centers.

In Islamabad, Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani affirmed, in the conference on the International World Population Day that “There is an increase of 2.9 million people per year which is a grand sum and it stops the whole nation from developing in every field.” He further confirmed that in next 5 years they will try to trim down the population from 1.8m to 1.5 million, in which every citizen of Pakistan has to play its crucial role. The biggest reason of this underlying problem according to him is lack of awareness, education and excessive of poverty and rising necessities of life.

“Population is an issue of national significance and is not just limited to a single ministry. It is an issue that cuts across all departments and therefore we are involving the Ministries of Education, Health, Women Development and other social sectors. It has to be a combined effort. Unless the media, civil society, private sector, religious and political leaders all join hands, it is difficult to achieve success. It’s an entire nation’s issue and not just limited to the Ministry of Population.” he asserted.

In Pakistan, youth related programmes should fundamentally address issues of puberty and relationships, the skills to negotiate sex and condom use, and gender norms that shape boy’s notions of masculinity and limit girl’s control over sex. It is also extremely important to harness youth potential. Young people are harbingers of the future population. They will grow up to be future parents. Instead of focusing all our social and national energies and funds on undoing our mistakes in terms of population, we should educate and enlighten our youth so that they can make better choices in for the future of the country.

On this important day ‘Rays of Development Organization’ (ROD) conducted a study circle of both male and female students, ex-students, laymen and laywomen. Addressing the study circle Mr. Ferhan Mazher Chairman of ROD said that ‘Lets all stop talking and start doing’ he maintained that ‘each one of us is responsible for the population more than our limited national resources’. Mazher further added that it’s a day of decision making and our decision should be that we would plan our family, our resources and most important of all future of our Pakistan, our Earth. He also said that none of us wants to see our children flitting from car to car, bus to bus for alms, clad in rags, feet divested of shoes. He underscored that if we wish to see a prosperous Pakistan and avert this kinds of situation then each one of us should plan-family planning.

Recommended by:

Ferhan Mazher,

Chairman

(Rays of Development Organization)

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