Men told to get into contraception

Padang, West Sumatra: Khoifafh Indar Parawansa, chairwoman of the National Family Planning Board, said one of the major obstacles facing the country's family planning program was the lack of participation and interest on the part of husbands.

"It's not only that, but the participation of husbands in ensuring the health of the mother and child, along with preventing maternal death, is also low," Khoififah, who is also the state minister of women's empowerment, said here on Thursday.

She said that according to official statistics, men comprise only 1.1 percent of the participants in the family planning program, of which 0.7 percent use condoms and the rest opt for vasectomies.

Antara news agency reported that compared to other developing countries, that number was low.

In Malaysia, for example, men comprise 16.8 percent of family planning participants, in Bangladesh this number is 13.9 percent and in Pakistan 5.2 percent.

Khoififah cited "cultural impediments" as the main reason for the men's lack of participation in Indonesia, where matters such as contraception are seen as a woman's issue.

"Another factor which is also quite significant is the limited number of contraceptive devices for men and information about them," she said, adding that she would like to see the number of husbands involved in family planning rise to 10 percent by 2005.(mds)