Monirul Alam :
A housemaid, Morjina Khatun, knocked the door of one of her former women employers one fine morning. She was expecting a baby while another child accompanying her. The employer, a rented resident of Dhaka city’s Shewrapara area, opened the door and was surprised of seeing her. She then inquired her about the reason of her coming.
“I need help (financial). I am pregnant and the father of my children is not capable to take care of me of safe delivery. Give me something whatever (amount) you wish,” Morjina asked her former employer.
Embarrassed, sympathized… she then asked Morjina indicating the baby girl accompanying her, “Who is she?”
“… My Daughter,” Morjina replied.
“How many children do you have?”She again questioned.
“I have four. All are baby girls. So, we think of a boy,” Morjina answered.
The former lady employer become astonished and again asked, “So, what baby this time?”
“A baby girl”… Morjina’s shameful answer … and she spoke again, “Allah gives me. What I will do?”
Describing behaviour like this as social stigma, former chairman of Dhaka University’s Department of Population Science Study, Dr Md. Aminul Haque, said, “The perception is that a boy only can inherit a family. Our society still sees the way.”
“Beside, a couple thoughts that they could depend on a boy at the time they become older. Although, the reality may not be like that always. It is common phenomena in a country like us where the state is not looking after its older citizens.”
He added, “Many also thought that the state policy of ‘No More Than Two (babies)’ is not safe if one of them dies or become disable unexpectedly. So, they keep continue giving birth to more than two children to protect respective heredity.”
Bangladesh’s other slogans of family planning campaign are “Boy or girl, two children are enough” and “One child is ideal, two children are enough”.
Dr Aminul Haque said achievements though positive in bringing birth control over the last few decades, the success in limiting human population in the country still a far cry due to inadequate services sponsored by government, overall socio-economic conditions, cost of contraceptives, service and contraceptives availability, social behaviour, superstition and lack of awareness among people.
“Poverty still a cause. Unemployment too,” he said.
Dr Haque said coastal areas, chars and haors need to be addressed properly.
The targets of the first (1976), second (2004) and third (2012) population policies missed already respective deadline leading to Bangladesh’s failure in controlling birth rate repeatedly. The country’s average annual birth rate is 2.3, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s data generated in Population Policy 2012. The government is working to disclose another survey report soon on the country’s human population till 2017.
Data from Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) shows that the government’s family planning activity expanded through rural areas more than before with physical infrastructure, engaging more manpower and giving out contraceptives free of cost.
The contraceptives the government is providing to people included condoms, pills, injections, copper-T (Intra Uterine Device), implant and Non Scalpel Vasectomy.
In cities, including Dhaka, the government does not work directly. It disburses contraceptives through non-government organizations (NGOs) to address population growth in urban areas. Among the country’s major cities, DGFP data shows the fertility rate highest in Sylhet (2.9 percent) followed by Chattogram (2.5 percent), Dhaka (2.3 percent), Barishal (2.2 percent), Rajshahi (2.1 percent) and Khulna and Rangpur (both 1.9 percent).
The World Population Review, quoting Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, however, stated that the growth in Dhaka’s population annually is 4.2 percent, much higher than DGFP statistics.
According to non-official estimation, some 55,000 families are adding to Dhaka’s current population of 18 million annually.
Bangladesh’s total population has been estimated to 166 million with one of the highest global density of 1000 human living in per square kilometer.
Dr Kazi Mustafa Sarwar, director general of the DGFP, said the achievement in the rate of contraceptives outreach stood 79.1 percent of the country’s total households (family).
“But, dropout rate is too high … at over 16 percent. That’s why the genuine rate of active users of contraceptives came down to 62.4 percent,” he said.
“However, the success of family planning endeavours of the government is notable as the fertility rate was 7.5 percent in 1971, which came down to 2.3 percent in 2011,” he added.
He said some 23,500 Family Welfare Assistants and 4,500 Family Welfare Volunteers have been working door to door routine-wise at rural areas under 3,200 Union Family Welfare Centres across the country.
A housemaid, Morjina Khatun, knocked the door of one of her former women employers one fine morning. She was expecting a baby while another child accompanying her. The employer, a rented resident of Dhaka city’s Shewrapara area, opened the door and was surprised of seeing her. She then inquired her about the reason of her coming.
“I need help (financial). I am pregnant and the father of my children is not capable to take care of me of safe delivery. Give me something whatever (amount) you wish,” Morjina asked her former employer.
Embarrassed, sympathized… she then asked Morjina indicating the baby girl accompanying her, “Who is she?”
“… My Daughter,” Morjina replied.
“How many children do you have?”She again questioned.
“I have four. All are baby girls. So, we think of a boy,” Morjina answered.
The former lady employer become astonished and again asked, “So, what baby this time?”
“A baby girl”… Morjina’s shameful answer … and she spoke again, “Allah gives me. What I will do?”
Describing behaviour like this as social stigma, former chairman of Dhaka University’s Department of Population Science Study, Dr Md. Aminul Haque, said, “The perception is that a boy only can inherit a family. Our society still sees the way.”
“Beside, a couple thoughts that they could depend on a boy at the time they become older. Although, the reality may not be like that always. It is common phenomena in a country like us where the state is not looking after its older citizens.”
He added, “Many also thought that the state policy of ‘No More Than Two (babies)’ is not safe if one of them dies or become disable unexpectedly. So, they keep continue giving birth to more than two children to protect respective heredity.”
Bangladesh’s other slogans of family planning campaign are “Boy or girl, two children are enough” and “One child is ideal, two children are enough”.
Dr Aminul Haque said achievements though positive in bringing birth control over the last few decades, the success in limiting human population in the country still a far cry due to inadequate services sponsored by government, overall socio-economic conditions, cost of contraceptives, service and contraceptives availability, social behaviour, superstition and lack of awareness among people.
“Poverty still a cause. Unemployment too,” he said.
Dr Haque said coastal areas, chars and haors need to be addressed properly.
The targets of the first (1976), second (2004) and third (2012) population policies missed already respective deadline leading to Bangladesh’s failure in controlling birth rate repeatedly. The country’s average annual birth rate is 2.3, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s data generated in Population Policy 2012. The government is working to disclose another survey report soon on the country’s human population till 2017.
Data from Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) shows that the government’s family planning activity expanded through rural areas more than before with physical infrastructure, engaging more manpower and giving out contraceptives free of cost.
The contraceptives the government is providing to people included condoms, pills, injections, copper-T (Intra Uterine Device), implant and Non Scalpel Vasectomy.
In cities, including Dhaka, the government does not work directly. It disburses contraceptives through non-government organizations (NGOs) to address population growth in urban areas. Among the country’s major cities, DGFP data shows the fertility rate highest in Sylhet (2.9 percent) followed by Chattogram (2.5 percent), Dhaka (2.3 percent), Barishal (2.2 percent), Rajshahi (2.1 percent) and Khulna and Rangpur (both 1.9 percent).
The World Population Review, quoting Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, however, stated that the growth in Dhaka’s population annually is 4.2 percent, much higher than DGFP statistics.
According to non-official estimation, some 55,000 families are adding to Dhaka’s current population of 18 million annually.
Bangladesh’s total population has been estimated to 166 million with one of the highest global density of 1000 human living in per square kilometer.
Dr Kazi Mustafa Sarwar, director general of the DGFP, said the achievement in the rate of contraceptives outreach stood 79.1 percent of the country’s total households (family).
“But, dropout rate is too high … at over 16 percent. That’s why the genuine rate of active users of contraceptives came down to 62.4 percent,” he said.
“However, the success of family planning endeavours of the government is notable as the fertility rate was 7.5 percent in 1971, which came down to 2.3 percent in 2011,” he added.
He said some 23,500 Family Welfare Assistants and 4,500 Family Welfare Volunteers have been working door to door routine-wise at rural areas under 3,200 Union Family Welfare Centres across the country.
