Hyderabad: There is still a great lack of necessary awareness about sexual health among men and women in our country. The result of this is usually seen in the form of sexual and reproductive health problems. Women in particular, due to lack of awareness or due to social taboos and many other reasons, are neither able to talk much about their problems nor get them treated on time. This affects not only their physical health but also their mental and emotional health and social life.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day is observed every year on February 12th to raise awareness among the general public about issues related to sexual and reproductive health. The purpose of this is not just to spread awareness about sexual or reproductive diseases, but also to discuss the issues related to the law, misconceptions, social perceptions and thinking of people related to them.
There is still a great lack of awareness about sexual and reproductive health among men and women in India, but it is not that the entire population in the world is self-aware. Every year, millions of people around the world become victims of many serious diseases and infections due to a lack of information related to sex and contraception, or not following them. At the same time, there is a continuous increase in the cases of infertility all over the world.
According to the data available on various websites, unsafe abortion or termination of pregnancy is the third biggest cause of maternal death in India. About 15.6 million abortions happen in India every year. On the other hand, about six per cent of India's adult population gets treated for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) every year. According to statistics, about thirty million people in India are suffering from sexually transmitted infections.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 186 million people are victims of infertility globally and this number is expected to increase in the coming years. In the year 2019, a report released by the World Health Organization stated that every day one million people worldwide are falling prey to sexually transmitted diseases, while every year crores of people are infected with sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis and trichomoniasis.
Sexual health or reproductive health is not just limited to infections or infertility. Infections and diseases like HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Cancer, STD, RTI, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis and Trichomoniasis, Menstrual problems in women, loss of sensation in sexual intercourse, premature ejaculation, inability to get sexual satisfaction or sexual dysfunction, sexual disorder, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, inability or problem to conceive in both women and men, sperm related problems in men and issues related to reproductive in women fall under this category.
Sexual and reproductive rights are fundamental human rights. Under these, every woman or man has the right to take decisions about their own body. But this is rarely possible due to repressed social traditions and norms. In India, even today, people barely talk about sexual and reproductive health. Especially adolescent girls and women still do not know much about sexual and reproductive health and the precautions related to them.
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A large number of women do not know much about menstruation hygiene, nor do they know about all the rights made for them regarding healthy reproduction and sexual life. Because of this they not only face problems related to sexual and reproductive health but also many other physical and mental problems.
Sexual violence is also a part of sexual health awareness. Rape may be classified as a crime or sexual violence, but in our country, most people do not consider marital rape i.e. forcefully or without the consent of a woman to have a physical relationship with her after marriage. According to statistics available on various websites, one out of every three women in India faces intimate partner violence or sexual violence at some point in their life. Apart from this, the burden of adopting contraceptive methods is more on women than men in India.
Not just in rural, but also in men living in urban areas, this belief is common that contraception is a women's concern. It also affects the sexual health of women. According to a report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India is considered one of those countries of the world where women do not have any freedom to take decisions related to their bodies. Even taking consent from women to have sex here does not matter. Even taking consent from women to have sex here does not matter.
All these issues are directly or indirectly part of women's sexual or reproductive health and affect their physical, mental and emotional health. Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day is an opportunity to spread awareness about each, physical, mental and social issues affecting the sexual and reproductive health of women and men, and to try to solve the problems caused by them.
On this occasion, government and non-government at the global and national levels, try to spread information about sexual and reproductive health rights among women and men in every possible way, to spread awareness about the investigation and treatment of all related physical problems. Different types of efforts are made to provide health facilities to the disabled, sex workers and women from exploited castes and classes.
If women and girls have information about sexual and reproductive health rights, then they will be able to protect themselves to a great extent from HIV, gender-based violence, maternal mortality, and sexually transmitted diseases, and will be able to maintain their overall health.
Many efforts are being made by the Government of India and awareness campaigns are being run for this cause. One such effort is the helpline service of the National Population Stabilization Fund. On this helpline service, every day from 09:00 AM to 11:00 PM on the number 1800-11-6555, information and consultation from doctors regarding sexual health problems, sexually transmitted infections, contraception, pregnancy, infertility, abortion, menopause and reproductive issues in men and women can be obtained.
