Family planning: No condoms?<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
"Hey, this guy's buying ribbed, colored, lubricated, plaid,
\nspearmint, condoms!!" the rude drugstore guy yelled at the top of
\nhis voice to the chagrin of 37-year-old virgin Larry Laffer in
\nSierra's 1987 computer game Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of
\nthe Lounge Lizards. The ultimate horror experience for the
\ncondom-consumer.<\/p>\n
This was exactly why commercial condoms could now be found on
\nsupermarket counters and next to the bubble gums in modern
\ndrugstores -- easily available to the public.<\/p>\n
It's accessibility and -- thanks to condom social marketing
\nprograms promoting low-cost brands -- affordability should make
\nit one of the most popular agent for fertility control and
\ndisease prevention, only it isn't.<\/p>\n
Statistics from the National Family Planning Board (BKKBN)
\nshowed an alarming drop in recent years in the use of condoms
\namong participants of the family planning program in the country.<\/p>\n
BKKBN deputy for family planning and reproductive health,
\nSiswanto Agus Wilopo, said that currently only 0.83 percent of
\nfamily planning participants use condoms, compared to about 6.3
\npercent in the mid 1980s. In 2002, the number of family planning
\nparticipants were reported at 25.8 million.<\/p>\n
Considering that the number of people with HIV\/AIDS in
\nIndonesia currently stands at between 80,000 to 120,000 and
\ngrowing, according to conservative estimates by the Ministry of
\nHealth, this aversion to condom use poses a serious problem.<\/p>\n
"Especially since those infected with HIV are not restricted
\nonly to those with high-risk sexual activity but also housewives
\nand children," Siswanto said in a discussion here recently.<\/p>\n
He said that one of the reasons behind this was the
\ngovernment's lack of concern for popularizing condom in its
\nnational family planning program, focusing instead on female
\ncontraceptive methods.<\/p>\n
The other reason was the present focus on the condom's role in
\npreventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV\/AIDS.
\nTelevision advertisements such as Harry Roesli's Kenakan Kondom,
\natau Kena (Use Condoms or Catch It) and their heavy implication
\non disease prophylaxis have caused married couples to be averse
\nto using condoms for contraception.<\/p>\n
"We're seeing a social stigma here, married couples don't want
\nto use condoms because of the 'dirty' or 'sex-for-pleasure'
\nconnotation, and what it might suggest regarding confidence in
\ntheir partner's fidelity," Siswanto said.<\/p>\n
He said that although condom sales have reportedly gone up to
\n68 million last year from 28 million in 1996, they were rarely
\nused for family planning purposes.<\/p>\n
Moreover, although commercial sex workers often report high
\nlevels of condom usage with their paying customers, it is not the
\ncase with their regular non-commercial sexual partners or
\nboyfriends.<\/p>\n
Pandu Riono from Family Health International's (FHI) Action to
\nStop AIDS program also acknowledged the ongoing risks for married
\nwomen who may be exposed to HIV through their husbands'
\nextramarital sexual encounters.<\/p>\n
This was the reason behind BKKBN's recent campaign of "protect
\nyourself and protect others", Siswanto said.<\/p>\n
"We are campaigning using easy-to-digest slogans, we want men
\nto love their wives by using the condom," he said.<\/p>\n
BKKBN is actively promoting the use of condoms for families,
\ntrying to open their eyes to the very real dangers of HIV\/AIDS,
\nSiswanto said, and in addition also conduct awareness programs
\nfor teenagers.<\/p>\n
"Teenagers are the families of the future, it is a known fact
\nthat some 38 percent of people with HIV\/AIDS are below the age of
\n29 years old, meaning they contracted it in their 20s," he said,
\nexplaining that the BKKBN's campaigns for high-risk individuals
\nwill continue.<\/p>\n
So why are people reluctant to use condoms?<\/p>\n
Ramona Sari, head of family planning and reproductive health
\ndivision of The Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI),
\nsaid most people cite discomfort as their main aversion to
\ncondoms.<\/p>\n
"Many say condoms inhibit sexual gratification and interfere
\nwith intercourse," she said in the discussion.<\/p>\n
Which was why so many condoms now come in different shapes,
\ncolors and sizes to enhance the sexual experience, Ramona said.<\/p>\n
Many also question the condom's effectiveness as a
\nprophylactic, but Siswanto said that even if the condom leaks
\nduring intercourse the risk of infection was still so much
\nsmaller than when not using one.<\/p>\n
"The fact is, there is no 100 percent prevention, but with the
\nright use of condoms you are greatly minimizing the risk," he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/family-planning-no-condoms-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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