SHILLONG: A one-day consultation on “Sexual Reproductive Health & Women’s participation in Policy” organised jointly by the State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW), Public Health Foundation of India and the Meghalaya Institute of Governance (MIG) and supported by DFID was organized on Monday at the MIG premises.
Participants included NGOs, faculty of Social Work Department, St Edmunds College, Voluntary Health Association of Meghalaya (VHAM), officials of the Heath and Social Welfare Department and Basin project officials.
The consultation, jointly moderated by Dr Sandra Albert, a public health expert who heads the PHFI in the region and Ivyreen Warjri, Mission Director, SRCW dealt with issues of evidence-based policy planning and effective implementation, the importance of needs assessment in arriving at correct interventions, capacity building of communities, effective training of human resource in Health Department and the criticality of planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Dr Albert pointed out to the unmet needs for contraception in Meghalaya which stands at 35% according to a National Family Health Survey-3 report, which makes it the highest in the country and which resulted in Meghalaya becoming the state with the highest fertility rate.
The workshop saw participants in groups who engaged in interactive sessions, listing out the key issues that hinder women from accessing sexual and reproductive rights and health care and the possible solutions to this challenge.
At the valedictory function, Principal Secretary Planning, and Deputy CEO, Meghalaya Basin Dev Authority, Mr Pankaj Jain while responding to the issues listed as needing intervention, informed the stakeholders that the number of women-headed households in Meghalaya is 21.1% of the total population which makes it the fourth highest (Goa tops the list with 25%) in the country and a challenge for planners in the State.
While emphasising the need to pool data from different sources and therefore come up with the correct needs assessment strategies, Mr Jain, however stated that there is need to move beyond numbers and create the ambience for better informed debate on issues. “In sexual and reproductive rights and health we need to bring change at two levels. First there has to be better access to contraception; secondly, better access to health seeking options” Mr Jain said and hinted at the need to turn the issue into a societal agenda. He, however, cautioned that bringing social change is an intense political process where the ambit for involving different societal actors must constantly expand to create a tipping point.
Mr Jain pointed out that bringing change in women’s conditions is an arduous task. “It involves pushing of boundaries, creating networks and even making compromises so that everyone comes on board. It involves a process of give and take as opposed to rigid stances. The objective of the MIG is to nibble away at the problem and let people think it out for themselves. Change involves different tactics, alliances and techniques and in this there is no place for emotions,” Jain stated.
Pointing to matriliny, Mr Pankaj Jain said this is a social system that has given rise to new problems along with the baggage of the old. “Don’t pitch matriliny as a ‘women’s only’ issue because it impinges on every member of society, male and female,” Mr Jain said, adding that the issue of matriliny requires deconstruction and greater attention to family values.
It may be mentioned that the PHFI has conducted several research projects to better understand the sexual and reproductive health needs not only in Meghalaya but of the entire North Eastern Region.
