Tuesday, May 26, 2009

  Subject: [SRIJAN]: Integration of sexual and reproductive health, rights & HIV

Dear Friends,   Young people are best served through integrated programmes. Evidence shows that strong, youth friendly comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and health services can lower rates of early pregnancy, abortion and STI. Young people have a need and the right to comprehensive information and services whether the entry point is sexuality or HIV education, family planning or sexual health clinics.     Rendezvous Books and Initiatives   Rethinking sexuality and policy The issue summarizes that policies and politics in society, the state, and international relations have a huge and often harmful impact on sexual practices and sexual rights. What do sexuality and policy have to do with each other? This issue of id21 insights considers the policies and politics that surround sexuality asking what enables sexual contact? What sets up the dynamics of relationships? And what will the consequences be? A number of articles written by various authors are included in the issue covering sexual rights in Muslim countries; US trade policy and HIV treatment, sexual pleasure and safer sex. To download this article pdf please log on to - http://www.id21.org/insights/insights75/insights75.pdf     NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH MISSION: Meeting people’s health needs in rural areas The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has been launched with a view to bringing about drastic improvement in the health system and the health status of the people, especially those who live in the rural areas of the country. The Mission seeks to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care which is accountable at the same time responsive to the needs of the people, reduction of child and maternal deaths as well as population stabilization, gender and demographic balance. In this document, the action plan and strategy and goals are mentioned in details. This document would be helpful for peoples who are involved in the NRHM activities and trainings. To download this document pdf please log on to - http://mohfw.nic.in/NRHM/Documents/NRHM%20-%20Framework%20for%20Implementation.pdf   Linkages and integration of sexual and reproductive health, rights and HIV: Good practice update, March 2009 This good practice update is intended to complement good practice update 3: Linkages and Integration of sexual and reproductive health, rights and HIV: seizing opportunities for universal access. It provides more detailed information on what the Alliance is doing in policy and programming around SRHR and HIV linkages and how the different components can be linked. This document is useful for NGO support programmes, INGOs, NGOs, Policy makers, Donors To download this document pdf please log on to - http://www.aidsalliance.org/graphics/secretariat/publications/GP_Update_SRHR_Alliance_March2009.pdf   News on wire     HC for stringent law to prevent child marriages The Delhi High Court has said the welfare of a girl must be taken into consideration while deciding the legality of child marriage and law should be made more stringent against parents to prevent them from marrying their minor child. "It’s better to make law more stringent so that parents do not force minors to marry," a three Judge Bench headed by Justice Vikramjit Sen, which is looking into the issue of legality of child marriage, said. Source:http://www.samaylive.com/news/hc-for-stringent-law-to-prevent-child marriages/620612.html   Akshay Tritiya: Will child marriages be fewer this time? JODHPUR: As the day of ‘Akshay Tritiya', an auspicious day for marriages, draws near, the district administration has taken adequate measures to keep a watch on instances of child marriages in compliance with the Child Marriage Restraint Act. Child marriages are rampant in the entire western region of Rajasthan, especially in the rural areas and amid the backward and SC/ST communities. It is a socially acceptable custom in the region to get the minor wards married in large numbers taking advantage of administrative machinery's lack of will to curb this social evil. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Jaipur/Akshay-Tritiya-Will-child-marriages-be-fewer-this-time/articleshow/4449608.cms   Sex education: why India should go all the way The lesson that Indian leaders seem to take from sex education: Prevention is better than cure. But this may not be the best formula for a country with a high incidence of child marriages and teenage pregnancies. Experts say that the case for sex education in India is quite different from in the West because it is ‘legitimate’ here for young people to have sex. According to the National Family Health Survey conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International in 2005-06, 12% women aged between 15-19 years are mothers. The survey said that one in six Indian women aged 15-19 starts to have children. Dr Sunil Mehra, director of the MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, says, “Youth in India needs sex education more than in any other country since child marriage ensures that you not only have sex at a young age, you also have teenage pregnancy.” Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4449680,prtpage-1.cms   EDITORIAL COMMENT | Misplaced Morality Why are we so squeamish about sex education? Some time ago, a bunch of state governments across the country opposed the inclusion of sex education in school curricula. Now a parliamentary committee on petitions headed by the BJP's Venkaiah Naidu has recommended that there be no sex education in schools as it "promotes promiscuity". The committee was addressing a petition filed in 2007, which called for a debate on the implementation of sex education in schools. This is as regressive as it can get. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/EDITORIAL-COMMENT--Misplaced-Morality/articleshow/4430713.cms   Parliamentary committee says no sex education before Class XII, experts differ Even as schools and the UT Education department are trying to develop innovative ways to impart sex education, the recent decision by a parliamentary committee disfavoring the introduction of the subject before Class XII comes as a setback.  Experts feel that with the amount of exposure children are subjected to these days, prudence will be to tackle the topic head-on rather than sweeping it under the carpet. In a decision taken by a Rajya Sabha panel headed by BJP leader Venkiah Naidu, it was suggested that certain chapters in Biology should not be introduced before Class XII. Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/parliamentary-committee-says-no-sex-education.../448760/   AIDS awareness on wheels - Chandigarh style Chandigarh (IANS): In an innovative way to educate the people about HIV/AIDS, a young lecturer drives around Chandigarh and its surrounding areas in his vibrantly coloured, slogan-bearing car, distributing free condoms, pamphlets and booklets about the disease. Gaurav Gaur, 25, a lecturer in Social Work at the Panjab University (PU) and also the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador of Positive Thinking, has painted his Maruti-800 in bright colours and written awareness slogans all over it, transforming it into the only one of its kind "knowledge disseminating unit" about AIDS. Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200904201031.htm   Child marriages still child’s play They have altered the tradition to keep the social ill going. Akha Teej, or Akshaya Tritya, an auspicious day in Hindu calendar, was the chosen day for child marriages in Rajasthan. A revised law and a watchful administration have seen fewer children, some as young as one, being married off on the day, but underage marriages are rampant across the state (see box). Two years after the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 was notified, fewer marriages are solemnized on the day. Source:http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=6afdb1a0-290b-4c15-87a1-1fe137b31dd2#   States take a U-turn, adopt sex education While the Committee on Petitions has recommended that there should be no sex education in schools, states that had earlier banned the manual claiming it would have a corrupting influence on young minds have now taken a U-turn. Out of the eight states — Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat — that had suspended the manual in 2007, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan have begun adopting the tool. Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/states-take-a-uturn-adopt-sex-education/451419/   Compulsory sex education plan Primary pupils must be taught about sex education and healthy living, as well-being lessons become compulsory in both primary and secondary schools. A report from Sir Alasdair Macdonald has examined how personal, social and health education (PSHE) should become part of the curriculum in England. Schools will still decide the context of such lessons, allowing faith schools to maintain their own ethos. The subject is set to become part of the compulsory curriculum from 2011. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8020480.stm   News in print   NACO chief slams Venkaiah report If all Indians are bramhcharis, then how come 30% of all HIV infections at present are within the age group of 15-24 years?" This was the reaction of K Sujatah Rao, director-general of National Aids Control Organisation K Sujatha Rao, to Rajya Sabha's Committee on Petitions' argument slamming the HRD ministry's Adult Education Programme (AEP).   Source: Times of India, 19th Apr, 2009.   No form of corporal punishment will be tolerated: child rights panel The National commission for Protection of Child Rights will soon write to Collectors across the country, instructing them to hold meetings with all school heads and convey that no form of corporal punishments will be tolerated.   Source: Hindu, 22nd Apr, 2009.   68 percent youngsters say yes to sex education Regardless of political opposition to sex education, about 68 percent of boys and girls in schools adolescence education, a study to be released has revealed. The students however wanted sex education from someone other than their class teacher; according to the study conducted by the Swedish association for sexuality education. The study was carried out in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and in a few slums of Bangalore.   Source: Hindustan Times, 27th March 2009   A Mother at 12 Seema is perhaps one of the youngest mothers in the country where 12 percent of women report having their first child at 15 to 19 years, according to the NFHS III. The NFHS data is silent on pregnancies below 15, but doctors are at the Mahila Chikitsalaya say such cases are not rare. She has seen pregnancies in girls as young as eight or nine years. They don’t even realize they are pregnant before coming to the hospital.   Source: Hindustan Times, 3rd May 2009.     Trainings/Workshops/ Conferences     Training: Advocacy for reproductive health and HIV & AIDS, 8-19 June 2009, Centre for African Family Studies, Nairobi, Kenya ( 08 June 2009 - 19 June 2009   This two-week training course on advocacy for reproductive health and HIV & AIDS is organized by the Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS). It will provide hands-on experience in designing and developing advocacy messages; implementing effective advocacy initiatives and setting indicators for monitoring and evaluating advocacy campaigns.   For more details on the programme, please logon to: http://www.cafs.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=104   Call for abstracts: 8th International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH), 18-23 October 2009, Kenya International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya Call for abstracts are now open for the 8th International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH), which is being organized by the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) in partnership with the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. The Theme of the 2009 ICUH is “Meeting urban health needs through innovative research, policies and interventions.” Abstracts submission closes on 30 May 2009. For more details of abstract submission guidelines, please click on the full details link: http://www.icuh2009.org/abstracts.htm     MAMTA-Health Institute for Mother and Child is a non-governmental organization working on various health and development issues with special focus on young people’s reproductive and sexual health and rights among various strata of the population. The organization provides visibility and voice to young people and in this regard a portal www.yrshr.org acts as a platform for dissemination of scientific information as well. SRIJAN (Sexual and Reproductive health Initiative for Joint Action Network) Electronic discussion forum attempts to bring together individuals and organizations to create and share resources, initiate discussion and debate on issues concerning young people’s reproductive and sexual health and rights. We look forward to your participation in the forum! Visit our website www.yrshr.org For database visit http://www.yrshr.org/stat_builder/view_data.asp To post a message send a mail to srijan@yrshr.org