State of World Population 2022

 

State of World Population 2022: Relevance

• GS 2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora – their structure, mandate.

 

State of World Population 2022: Context

• Recently, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) has released its flagship report State of World Population Report 2022 titled “Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy”.

State of World Population 2022: Key findings

• Unintended pregnancies: The Report finds that between 2015 and 2019, there were globally more than 120 million unintended pregnancies each year.
• Rape-related pregnancies: The report finds that rape-related pregnancies are equally or more likely to occur than pregnancies from consensual sex. Also, nearly a quarter of all women are unable to say no to sex.
• Abortion: More than 60% of unintended pregnancies, and around 30% of all the pregnancies result in abortion. In developing countries, unsafe abortion costs more than USD 500 million per year in treatment.
• Impact of emergencies: Emergencies like war in Ukraine and COVID pandemic, many women could not get access to contraception or experience sexual violence.

 

 

Unintending pregnancies: contributing factors

• Lack of sexual information and reproductive health care.
• Harmful norms and stigma surrounding women controlling their own fertility and bodies.
• Sexual violence and reproductive coercion
• Judgemental attitudes
• Poverty and stalled economic development

 

Unintended pregnancies: Issues

• Health risks: Unintended pregnancies can pose health risks and may lead to adverse outcomes for both baby and outcome.
• Preterm birth: Unintended pregnancies have been associated with preterm birth and low-weight birth.
• Future of children: Children who are born as a result of unplanned pregnancy may be more likely to perform worse in life, including school, emotional development etc.
• Unintending pregnancies can also lead to disruptive educational goals, hamper earning and saving potential, among other issues.

 

 

State of World Population 2022: Suggestions

• Policy makers should prioritize the prevention of unintended pregnancies by improving the accessibility, acceptability of contraception and expanding quality sexual and reproductive health care and information.
• Steps should be taken for women empowerment so that they can make decisions about sex, and their body.
• Fostering society that recognises the full worth of women’s rights.

 

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