Sexual and Reproductive Health awareness day
February 12th marks the annual Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day which is an opportunity to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The sexual and reproductive health and awareness day is a day to educate the world especially women and girls about family planning, contraceptive choice and how to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS etc. The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency views good sexual and reproductive health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being relating to the reproductive system. This implies people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide, if, when and how often to do so. The components of Sexual and reproduction health awareness goes from reproduction health, adolescent health, maternal health, contraception, sexually transmitted infection, abortion, female genital mutilation, child and forced marriage.
Health according to the World Health Organization (W.H.O) definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. UN agencies claim sexual and reproductive health includes physical, as well as psychological well-being vis-à-vis sexuality. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a responsible, satisfying, healthy reproductive system and safer sex life. One interpretation of this implies that men and women should be informed of and have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of birth control and access to appropriate health care services of sexual, reproductive medicine and implementation of health education programs to stress the importance of women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth could provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant.
Individuals do face inequalities in reproductive health services. Inequalities vary based on socioeconomic status, education level, age, ethnicity, religion and resources available in their environment. It is possible for example, that low income individuals lack the resources for appropriate health services and the knowledge to know what is appropriate for maintaining reproductive health. This explains why on a day like this 12th February, massive sensitization campaigns on reproductive health are being carried out, educative talks on sexual reproductive health is done, debates on relevant sexual and reproductive health is done, drama on sexual reproductive health is done and live display on different usage of contraceptives are being done amongst many other activities. This is in a bid to create awareness on the various sexual and reproductive health that exist.
World Contraception Day: knowing the options is Important (reglo.org)
