Family planning in Bangladesh

Family planning in Bangladesh is carried out by government agencies and supported by non-government organisations.[1][2][3] The Directorate General of Family Planning is the government agency responsible for family planning in Bangladesh.[4] Marie Stopes Bangladesh is an international NGO that provides family planning services in Bangladesh.[5]

In 1975 the population of Bangladesh was 76.3 million, and by 2001 the population had reached 130.5 million.[6] Bangladesh has a fertility rate of 2.3, which, according to United Nations Population Fund, makes it a "low fertility country".[7] Bangladesh has a high population density, with about 1000 people per square kilometre.[8] Since independence Bangladesh has reduced its total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.1, which means that women have 2.1 children on average. At this TFR and without migration a country's population is neither growing nor shrinking.[9] Recently, Bangladesh family planning programs are described as being weakened.[10]

History

In 1950 family planning was introduced by medical volunteers and social workers. In 1965 the Government of Pakistan started family planning program in East Pakistan. In 1976 the government of Bangladesh declared rapid population growth rate as the nations number one problem.[11] Bangladesh has experienced rapid population growth since its independence. This was a result of high fertility rate, increased life expectancy, and decreasing mortality rate.[6] In 1975 the total fertility rate was 6.3 which by 2011 was reduced to 2.3 from the data collected by Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2011.[4] The survey found most women have two or more children. It also found that the majority of women in Bangladesh would prefer to have two or less Children.[12] Since 2011 the total fertility rate has remained at 2.3, according to the International Conference on Family Planning, family planning in Bangladesh has not made progress since then.[13] Infant mortality fell from 160,300 in 2000 to 83,100 by 2015 according to The Lancet. Bangladesh is ranked 7 worldwide in number of stillbirths.[14] Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2014 found that 33 percent 15 to 19 year olds were pregnant. 66 percent of the population give birth before 19.[15] Family Service is supported by UNFPA in Bangladesh.[16]

Underage marriage

According to official government estimates in Bangladesh 65% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday.[17] 60 percent of child brides have children by the time they are 19 and 10 percent of them have children by the time they are 15.[18] Bangladesh's Penal Code places the age of consent at 14, through sex before marriage is frowned upon socially.[19]

Contraceptives

According to Bangladesh government data, 40 percent of couples in the country do not use contraceptives.[17] The most popular choice of contraceptives is birth control pill. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare subsidizes contraceptives in Bangladesh.[20] Reproductive health is not taught in schools and is not part of the national educational curriculum.[21] Bangladesh employs women to provide family planning advice and contraceptives.[22] Bangladesh has a high rate of illegal abortions and increased availability of contraceptives is expected to reduce that.[23] Essential Drugs Company Ltd started manufacturing condoms in Bangladesh from 2010.[24]

See also

References
  1. "Niger minister keen to follow Bangladesh's initiatives". The Daily Star. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  2. "Family planning must to make population asset". The Daily Star. 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  3. "Population growth in Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  4. "Progress stagnant for last 4 years". The Daily Star. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  5. "DHL Bangladesh organises breast and cervical cancer awareness programme | Dhaka Tribune". Dhaka Tribune. 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  6. "Population control: Prospects still bleak". The Daily Star. 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  7. "Bangladesh now a low fertility country". The Daily Star. 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  8. Nabi, A K M Nurun. "Population Challenges for Bangladesh". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  9. Najma Rizvi (2018-06-16). "Healthy Change". D+C, development and cooperation. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  10. "Bangladesh's family planning services have become 'weak': Analyst". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  11. "Controlling the population boom". The Daily Star. 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  12. "Every Pregnancy is Wanted". The Daily Star. 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  13. "Family planning stuck". The Daily Star. 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  14. "Rate halved in 15 years". The Daily Star. 2016-01-22. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  15. "Zero Tolerance to Child Pregnancy". The Daily Star. 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  16. "Maternal Mortality affects development of a country". The Daily Star. 2014-10-02. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  17. "Bali conference calls for higher investments in family planning". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-04-15. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  18. "Rakibul Hasan wins 120 Under 40 award". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  19. "Does Bangladesh have an age of consent?". Dhaka Tribune. 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  20. "Modern contraceptive options in Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 2017-02-26. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  21. "Contraceptive use among married adolescent girls". The Daily Star. 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  22. Weiss, Kenneth R. (2014-06-06). "How Bangladesh's female health workers boosted family planning". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  23. "Family planning in Bangladesh | Science and Technology". BBC World Service. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  24. "Made in Bangladesh: contraceptives". The Daily Star. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.