Contraception Framework of Adolescents
Overpopulation is a national concern in Bangladesh despite the decreasing fertility rate in the past decade.
Use of contraceptives or “birth control” methods are still not efficient.
Facts
Only 47% adolescent married girls between 15-19 years have access to contraceptive methods in Bangladesh according to the Family Planning Department.
Young people have limited access and knowledge about contraception. The reasons of the negligence include ignorance, illiteracy, shyness, fear, religious sentiment and low inter-spousal communication on family planning.
Girls in their adolescence usually do not have a say in their family planning discussions as they are often considered inferior.
Involvement of the male counterpart
Contraceptive prevalence is still very low in Bangladesh because of the inadequate participation of male partners.
Although, Bangladesh now has a wide range of modern contraceptive methods available most of those are targeted towards the females only. Male contraception like vasectomy and oral pills is still not actively practiced.
Modern day Family Planning
A Daily Star article recently talked about the modern contraceptives that can be easily accessed, for example, the depo injection which involves a single shot every three months and is more effective than most of emergency contraceptive pills. Plus, there’s also the implant, a small device that is placed under the skin in the arm which can provide up to five years of protection from pregnancy.
Despite the availability of modern contraceptive methods, only 8 % couples use long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) or other permanent methods (PM), such as an IUD, implant, or sterilization. In the last 10 years, usage of LARC or PM increased only 1 per cent according to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.
SRH rights for the unmarried adolescent
According to National Strategy for Adolescent Health 2013-2017, unmarried adolescents fall outside the existing sexual and reproductive health care service system, given the regulation that SRH services are available only to married women and eligible couples (MCH Services Unit and Directorate General of Family Planning, 2016).
Read the articles:
Modern Contraceptive: Click Here
Contraceptive use among married adolescents: Click Here
Bangladesh Demographic & Health Survey: Click Here
National Strategy for Adolescent Health: Click Here
