WORLD Population Day is celebrated every year on July 11. This year's theme is "Equality Empowers". The theme focuses on gender equality and how to give equal opportunities and rights including reproductive rights, to women for improving societies and ensuring, effective implementation of various projects like population planning.
Male and female should have equal rights in every sphere of life, particularly in family planning. Lack of family planning in the world was a crime against humanity. Environment and population control go hand in hand.
Population growth has a direct effect on environmental sustainability. If we look at the health of the planet's ecosystem, we will find that humans have done more damage in the last 50 years than during the entire human existence.
It is interesting that people are realising the fact that having more children limits their economic advance and freedom. If we leave our future generations impoverished ones we're in for a lot of trouble.
The fear is that there will not be enough people to produce the goods to support themselves, much less maintain the elderly or a school system. To maintain a happy family each woman must have 2.1 children.
The media can play its vital role to lower the high population growth rate in the country by creating awareness among the masses. In today's world nobody can deny the importance of media in bringing the socio-cultural change in the society. There is a need to mobilise the masses, particularly the illiterate.
Pakistan's population during the last 50 years, has increased from 33 million to 152.53 million in the current fiscal year 2004-05, thus making it seventh "most populous" country in the world, it is reported.
"Although the current population growth rate slowed to 1.9 per cent per annum, the overall population has increased by 2.76 million as compared to last year's (2003-04) figures. This is still considerably high compared to an average of 0.9 per cent for developed countries and 1.7 per cent for the developing states".
Despite the fact the Pakistan has been involved in family planning for five decades now, the population growth rate is still among the highest in the world. The number of poor living below the poverty line has increased to over 33 per cent of the population. This is official statistics.
The growing population has put "tremendous" strains on the existing resources of the country because of failure of the concerned authorities to explore and exploit new resources.
The life expectancy in Pakistan in the current fiscal (2004-05) is estimated at 64.10 for males and 63.80 for females. The decline in mortality rate has been slowed, when compared with many other developing countries.
Despite a considerable decline in total mortality, infant mortality has remained high at 82 per thousand births in year 2004. The major reasons for this high rate of child mortality are diarrhoea and pneumonia.
A survey showed that four of every 10 children (40 per cent) of aged less than five years are malnourished reflecting the acute poverty in both urban and rural areas of the province. One child out of every five in Sindh dies before the fifth birthday and about 4,000 women die every year in pregnancy, childbirth or within six weeks after the birth. Only one-third women or 31 per cent married women were found to have some awareness of HIV/AIDS.
Every year 4,000 women die in pregnancy. This is the ratio of under developed country.
The need to solve the issue and fighting ignorance about planned families are accord with the teachings of Islam in the light of Quran and Hadith. Islam should be enforced in its true spirit.
In the light of the Holy Quran, "a mother should feed her child about 2 and half years in a proper way". This way automatically a gap is given for the another childbirth.
The Ulema, Khateeb and rural community system (Panjait) can help active the goal of population stabilisation and also play a role in saving lives of millions of women and children because of improved measures for reproductive health.
The Khateeb sermon plays an effective role to educate the masses in accordance with the Islamic teachings to bring about a positive behavioural change on the issue of population planning.
There were varied opinions on family planning. Some Ulema are of the view that Islam does not permit contraception, while others propounded that Islam does not present a major obstacle to family planning.
There is need to change the mindset of people, especially, the male family members. The small family is according to principles and teachings of Islam. Pakistan can get benefit from the experience of other Muslim countries in the field of population planning.
Iran, Egypt, Malaysia and Bangladesh follow Islamic teachings. They adopted methods of population control.
The situation in the country with a population of 151 million needs urgent attention as Pakistan is ranked as the sixth most populous country in the world.
The fight against hunger, disease and poverty can be successful with success of planning programmes.
This year's theme the official, Greenstar Dr Aleya Ali said in a Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) seminar, women's health indicators in Pakistan were very heartening. "Family planning is a core issue of women health, and linked with many other issues like the health of children and the well - being of the whole family.
Almost 90 percent population is aware of family planning, but there is a big gap between knowledge and practice. Only 30 percent couples use various types of contraceptives, including modern and traditional methods," she told.
"Mostly females do not share thoughts and wishes with their husbands on space in births etc. It is the responsibility of both the mother and father to give space in births and share each other's in decision making, which is a big hurdle in the application of contraceptive methods."
Additional Secretary for Population Welfare of Sindh Ms. Nasreen Hasan Zehra said knowledge, attitude and practice were three major steps in population welfare.
"In Pakistan, even now, educated class is also not agreeable to provide equal rights to females. But time has come to change attitudes".
Regional Director, Family Planning Association of Pakistan Dr Khalil Ahmed Shaikh said females have always remained in the male's dominance.
"In Pakistan, male takes decision regarding family planning, while the world over, males prepare policies for females, which is not justified. Males must realise their responsibilities in birth control, keeping in view the resources," he added.
Experts said that population can more reduced by 35-40 percent if the marriage age is brought to 18-23. This 5-year gap would decrease the population growth.
"Education is also a cause to decrease population because literate women or girls bear 3 to 4 children, while illiterate ones bear 10 to 12 children".
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