African women cry out for condoms on Women's Day
-Oluma Yoseph
*******************************

[Cross-posted from People-to-People Forum]

afrol News, 8 March - The average African women gives birth to six
children during her life, but she would gladly use contraceptives to lower
that number. As one in 15 African women dies due to birth complications,
women are also much more aware of the risks of giving birth than are men.

More than one quarter of worldwide pregnancies between 1995 and 2000 were
unwanted on not planned, according to the UN population fund UNFPA. This
situation is particularly true for African woman, where child-demanding
families and husbands in addition to lacking family planning resources
leave the average housewife few possibilities of dissent.

In addition, the risks of dying due to birth complications are
particularly high in Africa. Of every fifteen women dying in Africa, one
loses her life due to birth complications. Women are aware of these risks,
while most men remain ignorant or even indifferent.

- Maternal mortality is an omnipresent reality in [African] countries, and
for that reason, women are very well aware of their risks, Stefanie Ettelt
of the German Fund for the World Population (DSW) tells afrol News. "For
men, the decision is easier: When a wife dies, they can always marry
again." DSW on Women's Day reminds the world community that "unwanted
pregnancy is a huge health risk for women in developing countries."
Between 1995 and 2000, an estimated 700,000 women died as a consequence of
unwanted pregnancies

- more than the half of these died of abortions carried out illegally or
without sufficient medical or hygienic knowledge. "Most of these deaths
could have been prevented by giving women access to contraceptives," says
DSW.

Some 350 million couples worldwide want to use contraception as a manner
of family planning without having the means to do so, according to a
recent UN study. The same study holds these couples/families could be
given effective family planning means foronly US$/euro 13 a year. Ms
Ettelt confirmed to afrol News that recent studies by the German fund and
other international bodies indeed confirmed African women were crying out
for condoms.

- Let's make an example of Ethiopia, Ms Ettelt says. Here, the average
fertility rate [describes how many children a normal women will give birth
to] is at 5.9 children. New surveys had put the number of children desired
in Ethiopia significantly lower. "In the 15-19 age group, these young
women by now only desire 4.2 children, while urban women of that age only
want 3.3 children. Thus, there is a large demand of family planning and
contraception here."

But it is not only the physical lack of contraceptives that stops African
women from realising their wishes of "a perfect family". Especially in
rural communities, husbands and families-in-law put a heavy pressure on
the female head of family when it comes toplan the offspring.

- To stay with the Ethiopian example, the desired family size is indeed
higher for men than for women, Ms Ettelt tells afrol News. "The older the
men, the clearer the difference," she adds. While an Ethiopian woman of
15-19 years wants 4.2 children, a man of the same age wishes to have 4.5
children. Among the elder group of 45-49 years, women want 6.7 children
while men cling to the desire of having 9.7 children.

- Indeed, contraception is a female issue in most African societies, as it
is in most countries of the world, says Ms Ettelt. The German scientist
emphasises on two main reasons for this: Social status increases
especially for men with a high number of children and health risks of
unprotected sex and of giving birthare a women's issue. We asked Ms Ettelt
to give an example of an African example where increased access to
contraceptives had had a positive effect on family planning. She
immediately mentions Kenya.

- Here, the total fertility rate has sunk from 7.5 children at the
beginning of the 1980s to 4.2 children each woman today, she says. "That
however doesn't mean that there isn't any unchecked need of contraceptives
any more, as the desire of having children drops with fertility, and
family planning becomes more and more popular due to ongoing programmes."

According to recent surveys, the unchecked needs of contraceptives in
Africa in particular comprises of condoms. The AIDS pandemic has made this
contraceptive the most wanted among African women. Contrary to the needs
and desires of African women, condoms are however barely used. Very few
couples use contraceptives at all. Of all African couples, some 7 percent
stick to the pill, devise that only gives responsibility to women and that
doesn't protect against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Another four percent of African couples use intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Another one percent of couples use condoms, according to a survey
conducted by the Population Reference Bureau.

While African women are increasingly crying out for condoms, international
organisations and agencies are less and less able to fulfil the family
planning tasks they are supposed to. "The scarcity [of condoms] is further
increased because the United States meanwhile totally has ceased its
payments the [UN agency]UNFPA," complains Ms Ettelt.afrol News ask Ms
Ettelt how the shift in US family planning policies during the Bush
administration has changed the situation in the field in Africa.

- Many organisations that are active in Africa are hurt by the budget
cuts, Ms Ettelt answers. She mentions both international and national
family planning programmes. "The DSW is however not affected as we never
have received any funds from the US government."

While African and donor governments continue having different moral views
on family planning matters, African women continue to give birth to more
children than their bodies and their local environment can sustain. A
woman from Niger will give birth to over 7 children, a Swazi woman to 6
children.

Only some countries in Northern Africa and South Africa are close to give
women a real choice: Here,the fertility rate is close to 2.5 children.
Here, women have access to education, inheritance and family planning. In
the rest of Africa, women cry out for CONDOMS.

Oluma Yoseph
Email:[email protected]

*---*
A posting from AF-AIDS ([email protected])

To submit a posting, send to [email protected]
For anonymous postings, add the word "anon" to the subject line
To join, send a blank message to [email protected]
To leave, send a blank email to [email protected]