By Adeyinka Adeniran
Stakeholders working around family and reproductive health on Thursday, March 14 have agreed that for the challenges of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion to be effectively addressed in the country, every organisation working within the space must collaborate efforts for better result.
The stakeholders spoke at the National Forum on Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria.
The event organised by the Partnership for Advancing Abortion Research and Reducing Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria (PAARRUAN) is ongoing at Kankafo Hotel, Ibadan.
PAARRUAN is a platform for setting abortion research agenda, utilising the findings and implementing projects to reduce unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion in Nigeria.
The Partnership is coordinated by the consortium of the Centre for Research, Evaluation Resources and Developement (CRERD) and the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) both in Nigeria with support from Guttmacher Institute, United States of America.
The stakeholders including scholars, researchers, media professionals, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Academia, health practitioners, policy makers among others said reducing the incidence of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion requires joint efforts, hence the need for the stakeholders to come together in a united effort.
Leading the call, a Senior Research Fellow at Guttmacher Institute, Dr Akinrinola Bankole defined the proposed coalition as an organization of diverse interest groups that join resources to produce a specific change that is otherwise unattainable emphasing the importance of teamwork.
Justifying the call, he said a coalition of the stakeholders will not only enhance potential to gain attention and affect change, it also affords talents, skills, and resources that can be shared to achieve goals.
He said “It motivates a strategic and concerted resolution of the problem at hand. It ensures mutual sense of ownership and commitment of several people and groups. It provides a forum for open discussion and support of a common goal and it reduces duplication of efforts and resource wastage.”
Also speaking, the President of Population Association of Nigeria (PAN), Prof Ebingha Enang said “the situation that led to this call for national forum is that, in the Nigeria we find ourselves today, the figures before us are more or less alarming, there have been issues on unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion particularly for our women folks and the carelessness on the part of our adolescents that results in this kind of situation.
“So because of the health hazards and since there has been these occurrences, there is need for this forum to come on board and see how this advocacy can be preached or pursued to the extent that the adolescents will understand why this should reduce and the lives of our women will be safe and guaranteed.”
Also speaking, Prof Ademola Ajuwon said “Unintended pregnancy is a common phenomenon and a major reproductive health problem in Nigeria. Worldwide, the root cause of unintended pregnancy is non-use of effective contraception. The rate unintended pregnancy has not changed in the country in decades, despite increased education and access to methods.
“Unsafe abortion is a major outcome of unintended pregnancy in Nigeria. Unsafe abortion is not only common it has also remained relatively unchanged over several decades. Reducing both of these behaviors and their negative health and socioeconomic consequences requires collaborative efforts.”
In her presentation, Oyo State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Adeola Awakan said the state government is trying to ensure that family planning is available to all that needs it and where they are needed.
She said the state government is also conscious that if there is no unintended pregnancy, the menace of unsafe abortion will be greatly reduced, hence the continous efforts to sensitize and educate the people, especially women and girls on the importance of family planning.
