A Tale of Two Countries: Promoting Responsible Sexual Behaviour to Improve Reproductive Health

Advocacy in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, with a population of 124 million, is the world’s most densely populated country. Its youth population is substantial: about 51 percent of the population is less than 19 years of age. The Bangladesh advocacy initiative in sexual and reproductive health is linked to two parallel initiatives reproductive health services and population and development strategies.

The country faces a number of constraints in the area of reproductive health and gender,such as high maternal mortality rate estimated at 470 per 100,000 live births, and a high prevalence of reproductive tract infections among women. Although family planning is a Bangladesh success story, the dominance of female methods and over dependence on a temporary methods has resulted in a limited choice of family planning method, high discontinuation rates, and limited male participation. Reproductive health services and information reach neither adolescent girls (even when they are pregnant) nor men. Violence against women is on the rise and preference for sons over daughters is widespread.

The advocacy programme was developed to address these issues by promoting reproductive rights, reproductive health, empowerment of women, male participation in reproductive health and improving the reproductive health of adolescents, particularly girls. The primary aim of the advocacy efforts was to facilitate positive behaviour changes by creating a supportive environment for improvements in the reproductive health of women and men. The two main objectives of the advocacy programme were complementary: first, to enhance the support of influential leader, especially religious, political and local leaders, and second, to improve attitudes and behaviours of vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups related to reproductive rights, reproductive health and gender.

Safe sex in Kyrgyzstan

Mountainous Kyrgyzstan has a population of 4.5 million with four-fifths of the population living on 15 percent of arable land. It has a very young population; an estimated 44 percent of the population is less than 18 years of age. In late 1996 a safe sex educational campaign was launched in the capital city of Bishkek. The campaign addressed two major issues: the high abortion rate, estimated to be 610 per 1,000 live births, and the increasing of STDs, especially syphilis. The target audience included sexually active women, men, and adolescents.

The Bishkek safe sex educational campaign was successful due to the synergy of a number of departments in the Ministry of Health working together to achieve a common objective. The campaign also took advantage of the high literacy rate in the country to distribute vast amounts of printed educational materials throughout the campaign. In addition, publicity from radio and TV was intensified. A telephone helpline was found to be the most cost-effective way to provide confidential and timely information to large numbers of people. While campaign activities in Bishkek continues, the second phase of the campaign utilised the momentum created by the first phase and expanded the programme to include the rest of the country. Programme planners used the experiences from the first phase of the project to guide the design and implementation of the second phase. 

Opini

Artikel ini membahas promosi kesehatan seksual dan reproduksi yang dilakukan oleh negara Bangladesh dan Kyrgyzstan. Kedua negara tersebut memiliki populasi Muslim predominan dan populasi orang muda yang sangat besar. Hal yang saya tangkap adalah program advokasi yang dilakukan oleh Bangladesh lebih bersifat jangka panjang, sedangkan program kampanye safe sex di Kyrgyzstan bersifat jangka pendek. Tetapi kedua program berjalan dengan baik, karena kerjasama yang terjalin antar pihak terkait. Untuk program advokasi di Bangladesh, terjalin kerjasama antara pelaksana program dan orang-orang yang dianggap berpengaruh terhadap masyarakat, seperti  pemuka agama, pemimpin politik, dan pemimpin lokal. Sedangkan program kampanye safe sex di Kyrgyzstan merupakan hasil kerja sama sinergis dari beberapa departemen di Kementerian Kesehatan Kyrgyzstan.

Dalam perencanaan dan pelaksanaan program, perlu dipertimbangkan kerjasama antar pihak terkait untuk menunjang keberhasilan program. Terkait promosi kesehatan seksual dan reproduksi, diperlukan kerjasama dari pihak multidisiplin, semisal tenaga ahli di bidang kesehatan, pendidikan, agama, dan hubungan masyarakat, serta pembuat kebijakan.

Referensi

Ratne, M. A tale of two countries: Promoting responsible sexual behaviour to improve reproductive health. Promotion & Education6.2 (Jun 1999): 26-8, 41, 52. Available at http://search.proquest.com/openview/5946b363e6363ec022a889aae09cb008/1?pq-origsite=gscholar [Accessed on August 31^st 2016]