Ville Rhetso
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]orld Contraception Day is an annual event taking place on September 26 every year. WCD is a global campaign with a vision for a world where every pregnancy is wanted. Its mission is to improve awareness of contraception to enable young people to make informed decisions on sexual and reproductive health. Every year, countries and regions around the world organize events to mark World Contraception Day and to demonstrate their commitment to raising awareness of contraception and improving education regarding reproductive and sexual health. This worldwide campaign was launched in 2007 by the European Society of Contraception with the mission of raising awareness about contraception, so that all young people can make informed sexual and reproductive decisions.Under the motto, “Your Future. Your Choice. Your Contraception”, WCD 2013 focuses on empowering young people to think ahead and build contraception into their future plans, in order to prevent an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI). For future years WCD will be using an umbrella theme: ‘It’s your life; it’s your future’. This theme has been chosen as it is forward-looking, positive and empowering.
There are 3 sub-themes:
•Your options where young people can learn about all the contraceptive options available, using a reliable, unbiased source of information.
•Your future: understanding how unplanned pregnancies can happen and how the body changes during puberty
•Your partner: learning to talk to your partner about contraception and how to build a trusting relationship based on reliable information
WCD reiterates the right of all people to access to safe, affordable, accessible, acceptable and effective forms of contraception. This enables women and men to assert their rights to sexual and reproductive health, including access to family planning services and protection against HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).It is important for both genders to have equal information, as a newborn child becomes a shared responsibility.
Family Planning Association of India, a premier national voluntary organisation today observe World Contraception Day along with the rest of the world. FPA India is an accredited member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and its main focus of work is Sexual and Reproductive health. FPA India believes that Sexual and Reproductive rights are internationally recognised human rights that should be guaranteed for and exercised by everyone. Over the years FPA India has expanded its work to include programmes covering maternal and child survival, male involvement, adolescents and young people, sexual and reproductive health, including family planning, HIV/AIDS, gender inequities and basic rights of men and women. The organisation believes that in a country facing serious problems of poverty, disease, illiteracy and high maternal and child mortality, a balanced mix of contraception and development would break the vicious cycle of overpopulation and poverty as well besides quality life. FPA India, Nagaland Branch appeals to individuals/organizations to ensure that every pregnancy is a planned and wanted pregnancy with access to contraception knowledge.
The 8 Millennium Development Goals is a promise to the people by the nations and FPA India, Nagaland Branch as part of its efforts to complement the pr omise with focus on MDG5 (a) & (b): “Improve Maternal Health” & “Achieve universal Access to Reproductive Health” respectively is working towards providing easy and free access to Reproductive health services with provision of different types of contraceptive methods both short-term and long-term. Condoms, IUD, OCP, Injectables are provided to clients for temporary contraception, while Tubectomy & Vasectomy services are provided for permanent contraception at the Reproductive Health & Family Planning Clinic (RHFPC) at Daklane, Kohima.
The writer is Counsellor, RHFPC
FPA India, Nagaland Branch
