Awareness Of Population Welfare-related Legislation Stressed

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Dec, 2023) Secretary Population Welfare, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Asghar Ali on Wednesday underlined the need for creating awareness among people about population welfare-related legislation.

He expressed these views during a one-day seminar organized by the Population Welfare Department in collaboration with UNFPA here at a local hotel.

He said that the provincial government several legislation about population welfare including the Reproductive Healthcare Rights Act, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Reproductive Healthcare Rights Rules, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Reproductive Healthcare Rights (Appeal) Rules 2020 and added efforts should be made to aware each citizen in this regard.

In this regard, the secretary said the Population Welfare Department was effectively playing its part to raise awareness and ensure the effective implementation of those regulations.

He regretted that pre-marital counselling was usually considered taboo despite it leads to a happy marital life, rights, mutual understanding and pleasant relationships and helps address issues arising from early marriage or lack of awareness.

He said now the slogan "Two Children are Enough" was banned now on the government level as childbirth was a national system and no one could prevent it.

Instead, the secretary said the focus was on providing awareness about future challenges and means, as childbirth not only involves responsibilities for mothers but also requires additional resources for men, often leading to issues in marital life.

Thus, Reproductive Healthcare aims to eliminate women's burdens while planning for better relationships through improved planning and addressing issues.

The District Population Welfare Officer highlighted the role of media, especially the Information Department, in creating awareness among people and ensuring the successful implementation of the act.

Director (C&L) Kashif Khan, Program Coordinator (UNFPA) Matiur Rahman, and District Population Welfare Officer for Dera Ismail Khan, Naeem Khan besides representatives from Population Welfare, Social Welfare, District Administration, Health Department, NGOs, social activists, and media also participated.

Deputy Demographer of the Population Welfare Department, Mujibullah Khan, briefed about the Reproductive Healthcare Rights Act, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Reproductive Healthcare Rights Rules, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Reproductive Healthcare Rights (Appeal) Rules 2020.

He informed that the population had almost doubled in the past 15 years, and Pakistan was now ranked fifth in the world in terms of population.

The country's overall population had exceeded 240 million, making it the most populous Islamic country.

According to estimates, 18,000 children are born each day, with 4,000 deaths reported. Every minute, eight children are born in the country.

The population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has exceeded 40 million.