by the Governing
Council of the United Nations Development Programme following the huge
public interest raised on
, termed as the Five Billion
Day.
‘Increasing population is more a social than an economic issue - gender inequality, ignorance among youth about sexual and reproductive health issues and lack of family planning are key factors needing urgent attention.’
World Population Day
hopes to raise and spread awareness on various population issues and measures
to control population such as the education on importance of family planning, health of the mother and human rights, gender
equality and educating youth on sexual and reproductive health issues.
Important Objectives of World Population Day
The
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), forming the population
division of the UN collaborates with many partners, including governments,
as well as non-governmental organizations, members of civil society, religious
leaders and others, to achieve its aim.
UNFPA
strives hard to support population control and family planning and welfare
measures in developing countries by offering financial and technical assistance
to implement various programs.
In 2018, UNFPA has once again redoubled its efforts hoping
to change the world for everyone, no matter what age, gender or race and make
it a better place.
- Putting
an end to gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child
marriage, forced pregnancies, and abortions
- Educating
and sensitizing youth and aged alike about the importance of gender
equality
- Educating
the youth about sexually transmitted
diseases and their prevention
- Making
family planning accessible to all women, and educating and empowering
women to make informed choices on their reproductive health
- Improving
care of pregnant women and preventing avoidable maternal deaths
- Making
education available to all children and avoiding gender discrimination
inequalities
What We Can Do to
Educate and Raise Awareness on Population Issues and Measures to Control
- Share
the World Population Day Theme for 2018 widely on social media such as
Facebook and Twitter and use catchy phrases and slogans to capture
people's imagination and attention
- Organize
events and educational programs in slums and other underprivileged areas
to educate youth about the importance of family planning and prevention of
sexually transmitted diseases
- Organize
events and short skits in the community to educate about the need to
educate the girl child, family planning, and gender equality and dangers
of gender based discrimination
- Hospitals
can conduct free well-woman clinics for the poor and underprivileged
sections
- Giving
wide coverage on visual media about events related to World Population Day
so that the message reaches everyone
- Local
administration should get involved and actively support family planning
and other welfare measures, making free contraceptive measures accessible
to all women.
- Governments
should frame stricter laws making gender bias and discrimination a
severely punishable offence
- Governments
should offer incentives for families that follow family planning measures
and withdraw incentives or slap fines if these measures are flouted
Important Population Facts and Issues Needing Attention
- Currently
as per July 2018 reports, global population stands at 7.6 billion and is
increasing at the rate of 100 million every 14 months
- World
population is expected to reach the 10 billion mark by 2050
- Gender
based violence affects 1 out of 3 women and has to be urgently addressed
- The
practice of child marriages is estimated to affect 70 million girls
worldwide in the next 5 years
- Teenage
pregnancies and related complications are the leading cause of death in
girls between 15-19 years
What Nobel Prize Winners Say About Rising Human Population
More
than a third of 50 Nobel prize-winning scientists surveyed by the
Times
Higher Education in 2017 said that
human overpopulation and environmental
degradation are the two biggest threats facing humankind. In the
same year, a statement by 15,364 scientists from 184 countries suggested that
the alarming rate of
increase in human population is the "major driving
force" behind several ecological and social disasters and impending
threats.
To
conclude with a quote by Henry W Kendall, "If we do not voluntarily bring
population growth under control in the next one or two decades, nature will do
it for us in the most brutal way whether we like it or not".
World Population Day is also an occasion to
wake up to the reality of an over populated world that has a large number of
people within countries who struggle for basic requirements such as food and
shelter and need our help and support. Communities, meaning people of good
will, can come together and share knowledge, time and other resources with the
lesser privileged in order to empower them and include them in tackling issues
related to
unchecked population growth.
References :- World Population Day 11 July - (http://www.un.org/en/events/populationday/resources.shtml)
- United Nations Population Fund - (https://www.unfpa.org/about-us)
Source: Medindia