STARH clarifies

STARH clarifies

Congratulations on your article exposing the challenges that
low-income families face in getting hold of safe and reliable
contraceptive methods (The Jakarta Post, Oct. 26, Birth control
program faces test of time). The issue of accessibility to family
planning services and contraceptive security should be brought
forth to the center of the national policy debate, as it has
implications for all Indonesians.

However, some of the facts presented in the article are
inaccurate and they should be rectified. It is not true that
Indonesia is experiencing a decline in the proportion of women of
reproductive age using contraception. On the contrary, recent
date from the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS)
carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), shows that
there has been an overall increase in contraceptive use among
married women of productive age, from 57.4 percent in 1997 to
60.3 percent in 2003.

During the same period the proportion of women using
contraception in Jakarta increased from 58.9 percent to 63.2
percent, so it is also incorrect to state that "Jakarta led the
decline". In fact, Jakarta, with the highest population of the
provinces in Indonesia, experienced a noticeable increase in the
proportion of women using contraception, not a decrease.

FITRI PUTJUK, Advocacy & IEC Advisor, STARH Program, Jakarta

Note: The data in the article was provided by the National Family
Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN). -- Editor