Family Planning Services providers reportedly escaped a mob attack by the whiskers during a family planning outreach and enlightenment programme at Mbierebe Akpawat, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Our correspondent, who visited Ibesikpo Asutan LGA during the June edition of the family planning outreach and in-reach facilitated by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Nigeria, gathered that due to myths and misconceptions about family planning in the area, the service providers—who were mostly volunteers—were nearly lynched for trying to demystify local belief systems.
Recounting their ordeal at the hands of the villagers, especially the men, one of the victims who gave her name simply as Angela said they had announced a family planning outreach where some women, including teenage girls, came out for sensitisation.
According to her, midway into the exercise, some men and youths stormed the facility and instructed them to leave immediately for their safety, accusing them of encouraging promiscuity among their girls and planning to reduce their population by telling their wives to stop giving birth.
“Though the situation was arrested immediately by the women who understood what we were there for, some of the women had to leave because their marriages were threatened but we still had converts who came to take up family planning services and even still referred people in other health facilities.”
Speaking on the issue, the Family Planning Coordinator for Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, Mrs Ime Essen, attributed such incidents to ignorance, spousal disagreement, and age-long myths and misconceptions held by some individuals about family planning.
“Ignorance in the sense that; most men feel it is improper to stop a woman from getting pregnant which according to them, it is the ‘will of God’.
“In other cases, where a man comes from a slim family or where he is the only male child: he wants to bear many children to cover his father’s inability to produce male children.
“Most times too, influence from parents in-law, who wants to recover the bride price by harvesting all the eggs in the women’s womb.” She explained.
Essen stressed the need for continuous education and sensitisation to ensure that the grassroots populace comes to understand family planning as having control over the number of children one needs, at a convenient time and spacing, and how such control can enhance the health and economic well-being of the individual, family, and community at large.
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“The only thing that can make family planning services accepted in a community like Ibesikpo Asutan is constant sensitisation, education through outreach programmes like this. Because from my experience, anytime you go for sensitisation, you will certainly meet someone who knows nothing about the benefits of family planning services and the fact that it is free.
“Also, the only time they will get over myths and misconceptions is constant education, through outreach programmes like this, public awareness. I can tell you that only today, we have attended to over 30 uptakes for different services but this facility is always here.
“Since they are not sick and it is not food that is being shared, they are so unaware until there is a push.” She explained.
She, however, advocated education and partnership with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), who, according to her, are scared of losing patronage when women no longer give birth uncontrollably.
The coordinator expressed appreciation to TCI Nigeria for their intervention in family planning in the state, which she said has been key to achieving programme goals.
She called on the state government to fill the gap in contributions to the basket fund in order to acquire sufficient consumables and commodities to carry out family planning services with less stress.
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