ISLAMABAD: While the world has made great strides in reproductive health and rights over the last 30 years, the number of women who cannot benefit from this is still in the millions.
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) released the annual report on the State of the World Population 2024 under the title “Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”. The report underlined how the way forward is only through an inclusive future.
The figures and statistics delineate how discrimination continues to block broad gains in sexual and reproductive health for women in many parts of the world. The report sends a wake-up call for understanding that so many are at risk due to structural inequalities around the globe with over half of all preventable maternal deaths estimated to occur in nations with humanitarian crises and conflicts – that’s nearly five hundred deaths per day.
The year 2024 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development organized in Cairo, Egypt – a landmark moment in which 179 countries pledged to place sexual and reproductive health and rights at the core of sustainable development. But progress is minimal.
Millions of women and girls remain far behind, and progress is slowing or stalled on important measures: eight hundred women die every day giving birth, unchanged since 2016 and nearly one in ten women cannot make their own decisions about contraception.
In Pakistan, less than one in three women can make decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health. Women with disabilities are up to ten times more expected to experience gender-based violence than their peers without disabilities.
Dr. Luay Shabaneh, UNFPA Representative, said that Pakistan is a country with a predominantly young population. Every young person must be provided with a chance to his/her potential. With over 50% of Pakistan’s population under the age of 19, the country will miss a great opportunity and face high risks if youth are not enabled to exercise their rights of good health, education, and well-being.
Dr. Luay said that women and girls are another missed opportunity for Pakistan’s economy and social fabric.
The evidence outlined in the report points to a troubling reality – access to safe birth services, contraceptives, respectful maternity care, and other essential sexual and reproductive health services are unreachable for too many women and girls.
Report Highlights Situation in Pakistan
The Universal Health Coverage remains dishearteningly low at only 21 percent in Pakistan. Every fifty minutes a woman dies due to pregnancy complications in Pakistan. Women in rural areas are less likely to get timely healthcare while sadly progress is slow in the country. If this pace continues, the country is likely to achieve zero maternal deaths after 122 years and fulfill the needs for family planning after 93 years, the report noted.
