Two children campaign to continue<\/p>\n
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Boyolali, Central Java<\/p>\n
Despite some progress, the government will continue to trudge on
\nwith the family planning program known for its slogan \"two
\nchildren are enough\" in order to achieve zero population growth
\nin the fourth most populous country in the world.<\/p>\n
The people have long since become familiar with the program
\nand its slogans but its results have fallen far short of the
\ngoal.<\/p>\n
The program carried out by the National Family Planning
\nCoordinating Board (BKKBN), succeeded in lowering the annual
\ngrowth rate to 1.49 percent in 2000 from 2.32 percent in 1970s.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, at the 2000 rate -- assumed to be unchanged now
\n-- four million newborn babies have to be clothed, fed and
\neducated annually.<\/p>\n
\"At first, (in the 1970s) BKKBN trained volunteers to promote
\nthe program to persuade (productive) couples to have small, but
\nprosperous families,\" Sarsanto Sarwono, deputy chairman of the
\nIndonesian Planned Parenthood Association, said after the
\ninauguration of a Primary Clinical Training Center (P2KP) in
\nBoyolali, Central Java recently.<\/p>\n
Despite the progress that has attracted many other developing
\ncountries to learn from Indonesia, the number of people
\nparticipating in the program has not reached the target.<\/p>\n
The average contraception usage rate in the archipelago,
\naccording to the 2003 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey
\n(IDHS), was 60.3 percent.<\/p>\n
To reach the zero population growth, contraceptive usage has
\nto reach at least 73 percent, or the total number of babies per
\nwoman, must decrease to 2.2 from the current 2.6.<\/p>\n
BKKBN has intensified its campaign to promote permanent
\nsolutions such as vasectomy and tubectomy, as well as long-term
\ncontraception such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and hormone
\nimplants. They are trying to discourage women from using short-
\nterm solutions such as \"the pill\" or 3-month hormone injections.<\/p>\n
Due to an almost total absence of awareness about the safety
\nof some of the long-term methods coupled with the desire by most
\ncouples to eventually have babies, shorter term contraceptives
\nare still preferred.<\/p>\n
BKKBN Chief Sumarjati Arjoso has conceded that more than 75
\npercent of couples using contraception have currently chosen
\npills (25.8 percent) or the hormone injections (49.7 percent).<\/p>\n
This is a sharp increase compared to a 1997 survey, when
\npeople involved in the program using pills accounted for 30
\npercent and injections 39 percent from the total number.<\/p>\n
\"These methods require high self-discipline and continuous
\nsupplies and thus have a higher drop-out rate as compared to
\nlong-term ones,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Boyolali regent Djaka Srijanta offered another way to increase
\ncontraceptive use by encouraging husbands to participate actively
\nin the program.<\/p>\n
According to BKKBN's 2003 data, only 0.6 percent of married
\nmen of productive age in the country used condoms and 0.7 percent
\nhave had a vasectomy.<\/p>\n
\"Vasectomy is safer and has no side-effects,\" said Srijanta,
\nwho had his own operation years ago.<\/p>\n
The family planning program, however, has been given much less
\nattention following the implementation of the regional autonomy
\nin January 2001, under which BKKBN is now controlled by regional
\nadministrations.<\/p>\n
Many regions are committed to promoting the programs but many
\nothers have paid less attention to it.<\/p>\n
The 2003 IDHS showed that 15 of 32 provinces had contraception
\nusage lower than 60 percent with the highest being 75.6 percent
\nin Yogyakarta and the lowest of 34.8 percent in East Nusa
\nTenggara.<\/p>\n
\"Contraception usage in Boyolali stands at 79 percent.
\nHowever, we see family planning as imperative to decrease the
\npoverty level in the regency,\" said Srijanta.<\/p>\n
As many as 158 of 410 regencies and municipalities have made
\nbylaws to continue implementing the family planning program while
\nthe remaining 132 are still drafting theirs.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-children-campaign-to-continue-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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