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LI3PARY
/

AND

POPULATION, FAMILY PLANNING & WOMEN'S HEALTH

A REPORT

COMMUNICATIONS

A

I

I

MRDHYAM

COMMUNICATIONS
State-Level Workshop on
POPULATION, FAMILY PLANNING AND WOMEN'S HEALTH
December 10 Bangalore,

11, 1993
India

Organized by

MADHYAM COMMUNICATIONS
Post Box 4610, 59 Miller Road, Benson Town
Bangalore, India
Phone: 5586564
Report compiled by Ms. Janaki Rao

MADHYAM
COMMUNICATIONS

CONTENTS
Page

Rationale

for

Objectives of
Scop e of

the

2

workshop

3

the workshop

3

the workshop

4

The programme

4

Summary of proceedings

Stat ement and

15

recommendations

Annexures

Papers presented at the workshop
I

a.

The Indian Family Planning Programme
A Critique,
Dr. Mohan Rao

I

b.

Population Control
Dr. Mai in 1 Karkal

:

and Feminist Perspective

18
24

29

I c.

The Karnataka E xp e rienc e
Dr . S P Te kur

II .

Reports of Group Discussions

III.

Not e on Resourc e P e rsons

IV.

List of Participants

V.

P rog r amme

34
45
47
51

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,uoiso1dx a,
dOHSXdOM 3H1 dOd 3'lt'NOIltfd

for
the
Nations
Agency
United
was
workshop
funded
The
by
which
has
under
increasingly
come
Activities (UNFPA),
Population
at
fire from development groups for supporting population control
will
take
is
note
hoped
that
UNFPA
It
the cost of women s health,
meetings
in
the concerns expressed at this and other
of
other similar
similar
India and other countries, and reorient its policies.

OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP
The
social
workshop brought together NGOs, medical personnel and
researchers working in the areas of women's health and population,
from different districts of Karnataka state, in an effort to :
b e twe en
information
to the NGOs on the
relation
* p rovide
rights,
and
population,
reproductive
women's
d e v e1 opmen t
as
'' '
planning ,
and
to
family
policy
approaches
popu1 a t ion
Karnataka- situation.
the
specific
analysis
L-...---of
well as a
population
control
the impact of the present
# to
discuss
and
rob
p
1ems
common
on
women,
identify
strategies
strategies to address them.

field
the
about
these
groups
f rom
informat ion
* obtain
control
popu1 a t ion
women s health and
regarding
reali ty
p rog rammes.
statement
state-level
would
be
a
Based
this
workshop,
on
a
perspective
for
India,
cohesive
formulated, and then woven into
the
which could then be ar11cu1 at ed strongly by accredited NGOs at
Cairo Conference on Popu1 at i on.
workshop would also start a process of re-ex amin ing
The
to
the population issue and initiate NGOs
on
premises
birth
and
health
activities
women's
on
relevant
informat ion.

existing
take
up
con t ro1

SCOPE OF THE WORKSHOP
Our effort would be

to advocate:

* sens11 i v e response to people's felt needs, e xpe r i ences
op i nions related to contraception and women's health;

and

lives
introduction of a family welfare programme that
♦ the
the
c
re
at
i
of
on
its name, by working towards the
to
up
to
1e
enable
peop
economic
and
conditions
which
will
socia 1
opt for small families.

3

THE PROGRAMME

heart
Ashirwad, a convention centre in the
The workshop venue was Ashirwaa,
city.
the
f rom
the noise and bust 1e of
of Bang a lore, but secluded from
NGOs
and
groups
women's
were medical professionals,
Participants
Singh
a
En
Ramachandran and Ms.
across the state. Ms. Vimala f.—---- —
from
rs.
serve
ob
as
of the UNFPA were present
the
preliminary session, devoted to an information update on
Th e
bn
specific
discussions
theme,
was followed by group
workshop
factors,
access
determining
as
women's health
such
quest ions
and
,
bodies
safe
utilization,
women's
control over their
and
of
of
role
men,
role
acceptable fertility regulation methods, the
the state and of voluntary organizations.
This participatory process ensured that
v iewpoin t,
mat every person s
a
was
heard
and
based
went
towards
g
on
formulati
experience,
experience, was heard
of
concrete
statement
(page15) to be presented to the Secretariat
statement <page15>
and
Kannada,
was conducted in English
the
ICPD'94.
The
workshop
ICPD'94.
the state language, to facilitate full participation of all.
SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS
workshop.
the
following is a report of the four sessions of
The
by
followed
were
specific presentations by resource persons
The
by
supp
1emented
and
This
was
clarifications.
c1 ar i fic at ions.
d i scussion
key
the
to discuss
into
groups
smaller
breaking
up
participants
'
War
'Something
a
Like
Deepa Dhanraj's film,
issues
identified,
si
tuation.
real
the
of
gave participants an a 1 most f i rst hand feel

DECEMBER 10,

SESSION I

Chairperson

:Ms.

Sri 1atha Bat 1iwala

Madhyam
Director,
Executive
Eashwar,
S
Ms.
Sucharita
and
set
1 » to the workshop,
participants
welcomed
Communic at i ons,
ic
ipants
Part
forth the objectives and the <agenda for the workshop.
were invited to briefly introduce themselves.

Medic ine
In the opening session, Dr. Mohan Rao of Centre of Social i I Delhi,
Nehru
University,
New
Jawaharlal
Health,
Community
and
and
of
attributing
poverty
dangers
the
spoke
about
accepted
population
'explosion'
a
widely
to
—
underdevelopment
on e
argument,
this
urged that in supporting)
Rao
Dr.
theory.
the
highlighted
and
the wood for the trees'
'miss
should
not
this theory.
cone ep tua1 and methodological drawbacks of
family
official
India's
growth and development of
the
Trac i ng
that
out
pointed
Dr.
Rao
programme introduced in 1952,
p1anning
the
to
1
ed
reliance
on technologies and targets have
excessive
p rog r amine 1 osing out.
i ssues,
on women ' s
Dr. Ma 1ini Karkal, a researcher and consultant
internation
a1
role
of
the
better understanding
a
for
cal led

4

the Third World,
agenc les play in population control programmes of
"come
essentially an inter-disciplinary science , has
Demography,
the
issue
to be dominated by statisticians who see human issues as
entirely
in t e rests
of numbers."
Industrialized countries have
instance
different
from those of Third World countries — for
women's
for
the need
coun tries emphasize
women
in
these countries
rights.
reproductive
their
empowerment
and
for recognizing
women
to
manipulate
Ignoring this, population programmes con 11nue
to fit technology.

Summary of Discussions
theory wh ich
Dr.
Mohan Rao briefly explained the neo-Malthusian
characterized
is
about Th i rd
by
concern
originated in the West and
World population growth rates and heavy reliance? on technology for
population control. On reasons for failure of the family planning
said the government
is now reluctantly
Rao
programme,
Dr.
accepting its failure.

Though this programme has received an abundant share of manpower,
the small
resources and political will, the drawback is because
ruling section of the population wants family p1ann ing p rog rammes
it.
the other section (on whom it is thrust) does not wan t
and
This section of the population, which comp rises the majority,
invariably suffers from high infant mortality rates and morbid i ty
therefore
motivation for family p1ann ing cannot be
and
t.. -. rates,
expected .
The limitations
1imitat ions of
of the cafetaria approach, which apparently offers
a1ways
a wide choice of contraceptives for women, but in reali ty
focuses on tubectomy, was raised by participants.
was
p e rsonne1
the present network of health
Rao felt
Dr.
could
and
overworked
already
as health workers were
inadequate,
not take on any more duties.
The role of literacy was controversial , and drawing from his study
1 ow
i n Mandya District in Karnataka, Dr. Rao noted that d esp i t e
was
literacy
levels in that district, family planning acceptance
high.
Dr.
targets fixed for the family plann ing p rog rammes,
Regarding
death
birth
and
Rao pointed out that this has not been viable, as
other factors vary nationally and within same sec t ions
rates and
<-- --to
He argued for the need for micro-planning
the population,
of
influenc
ing
needs and the many variables
individual
in
take
considering
also
The government
was
growth,
population
into three
country
dividing the
targets,
regionalization of
regions, with differential targets for each.

the
Srilatha Batliwala added that while the obectives of
Ms.
Panchayati Raj bodies was to decentralize planning and budget
to
the Centre
allocations,
fact this has been subverted by
in
propagate the status quo. It is, however, a potent i a 1 resourc e for
genuine decentralized planning, she added.
aVTY

H

‘ library
5

> O'

AND
DOCUMENTATION )

-

^,T

r
The Karnataka Scenario

Health
Cell,
Community
P r as ad
Tekur, Coordinator,
Dr.
Shird i
spec
i f ic
with
focused attention on the workshop theme
Bang a lore,
11
compares
we
He noted that the state
Karnataka,
to
reference
as
population
n a11on a 1 average on indicators such
India's
with
state
falls
However, the
population
growth rate, etc.
density,
in
Maharashtra,
and
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
Andhra
behind
1i teracy,
Relating
this
like
to
factors
r a 11 o .
sex
of
terms
and
, health services, fairweather roads,
urbanization
emp1oymen t ,
is
pointed
that
poor
woman
out
the
rural
Tekur
Dr.
pov e rty,
disadvantage, as statistics clearly show.
particularly at a
in
achieved
success
planning programme has
fami 1 y
Karnataka's
this
However, women — the target of
meeting most of its targets.
instance,
For
have
the brunt of this.
bearing
been
—
programme
The
are sterilized!
for eve ry man undergoing vasectomy, 15 women
many
with
women, already burdened
i
this on poor rural
of
impact
healthcare
facilities made inaccessible
health disorders, and poor
by poor roads, is disast rous.
of
Dr. Tekur concluded that unless factors affecting the survi v a 1
an
to
impose
women change, family planning measures would continue
additional burden on their lives.

Summary of Discussions
in
s health
Dr. Tekur
Tekur remarked
remarked that
that information relating to women
available
No reliable statistics are
Karnataka is sadly lacking,
even about common conditions like anaemia.
titled
Ms.
Batliwala, quoting from Shireen J. Jeejeebhoy's paper
Priority
:
and
Background
Health and Women in India
"Population,
women rece iv ed an t e —
Indian women
Areas", said only 40 to 50 per cent of Indian
by
natal care, and no more than 42 per cent women were sup e rvised
is
at
marriage
trained pesonnel during delivery.
The average age
Madhya
,
Bihar
18.3
years, but only 16.5 in the BIMARU states
averaged
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The rest of India

19.5 years.
prevalent
Sh e added that reproductive tract infections were widely study
by
Indian women; nearly 90 per cent, according to a
among
District
Rani Bhang, a health activist working in Gadchiroli
Dr.
sough t
Only eight per cent of these women
Maharashtra.
have
of
to
Despite
no
study
relating
treatment.
this,
this
medic a 1
rejection
has
undertaken.
of contraceptives
been
women ' s
Referring to the obsession with numbers, Ms. Halim Karkal decried
the
tendency
compare Third World country data
to
those
of
to
death
developed countries. For instance, the UN reports the crude
the
for
for
India as 11 per thousand — the same as
that
rate
can
This
paradox
United
Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Austria.
who
in
Qj-jjy
o vn 1 a i n o H by
h v the
t h p fact that there are d i fferences
be explained

dies

in these countries and

in

India.

6

for
coined;
Karkal
new indicators
added
have
that
been
projects
instance DALY — disability adjusted life years — which
and
life expectancy on the basis of socio-economic group, gender,
other such factors which can affect the longevity of individuals.

Dr.

of
Definitions and meanings have been distorted to suit the needs
are
'acceptors
'
family
planning
—
for
example,
planners
p rog r amm e
coe rcion.
of
out
of free will but
out
more
acceptors
hardly
need
for
needs' of women are taken to mean a
'unmet
Similarly,
analysed,
Why women have more children is not
families.
sma11e r
that
will
is 11 consid e red a necessity to create conditions
nor
p romot e a smaller family, she added.
expert
to this, Dr . Mohan Rao quoted a leading health
Responding
and
nutritional
who
has argued that, i n view of the poor health
undesirable
—
as
side-effects
such
the
women,
of
status
and
and weight gain — of injectable
contraceptives
amenorrhoe a
these
for
precisely
the
reason
including
may
be
implants
dangerous drugs in the national family planning programme!

a
Mr .
sons
in
most
Arasu,
Mr.
for
families,
obsession
the
On
Tamil
worker
a
in
,
backward
district
Dharmapuri
from
d e v e1 opmen t
fema 1e
adjoining Karnataka, quoted figures from a study
on
Nadu
The
district, where incidence of this is very high,
infanticide
March
conducted over a one-year period from March 1991 to
study,
116
reveals that out of a population of 97,000, there were
1992,
as
and
Of these deaths, 73 were female,
for 956 births.
deaths
many as 53 cases were attributed to infanticide.
Crude
abortion practices also lead to high maternal mortality
f ou r
there are many instances where women have undergone abort ion
MTP
The
or
times,
five
pregnancy,
even in advanced stages of
regulations seem powerless in the face of such practices, and need
to be re-examined, Mr. Arasu said.
Medical
of
Vasundhra
this,
Dr.
M K
Karnataka
to
Responding
in
all
at
wondered whether women have any say
Hub 11 ,
College,
for
family planning and reproduction.
She
urged
like
matters
women
better care of the girl child and for strategies to empower
for change.
true
that
not
family
K
Bhat from Mangalore felt it is
Mr.
M
and
that
there
is
nothing
planning has been oriented towards women
Ms.
To
this
research
on male contraceptive methods.
to
stop
analysis
male
of
research
on
countered that a critical
Batliwala
the
Mahtab
Bamji
of
National
Dr.
by
contraception
hormon a 1
showed
research
that
was
Hyd e rab ad ,
of
Nutrition,
Institute
because
some
trials
men
phase
clinical
first
after
d ropped
"poor
acceptability",
poor
The reason given was
headache.
developed
vasectomy
has
become
the
Emergency,
after
Particu1 ar 1y
unacceptable and politically unviable.

for
opt
to
commenting on the unwillingness of men
Ms.
Karkal,
c amp
v asec tomy, said Maharashtra was the first state to adopt the
sterilization
compulsory
Prior to p assing a Bill for
approach.

7

for
men,
vasectomy

men pusned
themselves.

their wives to undergo

tub ec tomy

avoid

to

that
felt
to
such perceptions and p rac 11ces, the group
Counter
high
given
to
be
chances
need
survival
health
and
women ' s
and
best
contraceptive"
"development
is
the
that
arguing
priority,
look
after
itself."
" look after p eop 1e and the population will
presented

the

Different soc10-economic indicators cannot be
together and treated as causal factors.

random 1y

put

is
no evidence that the poor, due to
There
the
of
main
agents
numbers,
are
degradation.Higher consumption and consequent
a problem caused by
the
base
is
resource
coun tries.

1arge r
their
en v i ronmen t a 1
impact on the
all
of
rich

Ms .

the first session,
up
Summing
1ssues that were raised.
♦

Different
prog ramme,

Ba 11iwala

family
and priorities of the
stages
technology.
on
particularly reliance

p1ann ing
USA,

in

*

especially
of
international
international lobbies,
Interests
promoting population control programmes.

*

Indian women,
Information about women's health is lacking.
are
burdened by
further
already suffering health disorders,
the family planning programme.

of the presentations by resource persons
Th e text of
of the report.

is

key

in Annexure

SESSION II
a
Something Like a War,
The session began with the screening of
we
aving
film,
by Deepa Dhanraj, a feminist film maker. The
film
workshop
together three strands, touches on a fertility awareness
(read
family
at
planning
Rajasthan, the scene
in
women
with
the
and
who
interviews
men
witnessed
with
c amps
sterilization)
the
status
as
as
of
well
contraceptive
e xc esses,
Erne rg ency
push i ng
and
the
pushing
in
hormonal
urgency
in
India
rese arch
without
trials.
proper
con traceptives on women
Summary of Discussion

to
Discussions centred around discrimination between the approach
is
technology
where
Third
World
countries
planning
1n
f am i 1 y
e1
d
e
v
oped
In
rates.
reduce
means
birth
to
a
upon
as
re 1 led
reduced
c oun tries, howe ver, socio-economic development has led to
and
p1ann
ing
f ami 1 y
to
despite
opposition
birth
rates,
con t rac ep 11on.

□n vaccines and the urgency with which it
Ms . Karkal
the family planning programme, Ms.

8

is being introduced into
argued that pregnancy is

I

and
to
be
protected,
against which women need
be
a
not
disease
harmful
contraceptive
need to push invasive and
the
questioned
days
womens
s fertile period being only about 13
a
A
vaccines,
month , su r e 1 y a much safer alternative would be' advisable.
Ms .
vaccines
Karkal furth e r argued that the long-term effects of
on
the immune systems could never be guaged, and therefore
cou 1 d
not
b e advocated as a safe contraceptive,
Furthe r,
the
vaccine
c an
be
effective
only
months
foilowing
three
the
first
administration ,
and therefore some other temporary
wou 1 d
me thod
have to be advised,
But given the earlier experiences, wou 1 d this
be possib1e, sh e wond e red .
Referring to the Norplant trials unde r way now, Dr. Rao
mentioned
that
in Delhi nearly 1000 women who had been in the
trials
were
retaining
un t r ac e ab 1 e ,
and
Norp 1 an t
feared the consequences of
even after the stipulated five years.

Dr.
Rao
a 1 so
was
compu1 sori 1y
noted that in the USA
Norp 1 an t
child
to women on welfare, who had been accused
administ e red
of
abuse.
These women were mainly blacks and Hispanics, he added.
g roup's consensus was that 11 was wrong to assume that
The
rural
women
are
unintelligent
that
and
harmful
contraceptive
t echno1ogies could be thrust on them.
Participants then broke into smaller groups to identify key issues
to population, women's health and family
relating
planning,
and
d i scuss these issues to formulate g roup presentati ons.
The day's proceedings paved the way for the next day's sessions to
identify key issues pertaining to population, family planning
and
women s health.

DECEMBER 11,

SESSION III

Following from the previous day's deliberations the group identified
key issues for discussion. Listed in order of priority ,they were:
1 .

Women ' s health

determinants (knowledge)
access and utilization of health services

over bodies

2.

Con t ro1

3.

Access to safe fertility regulation methods;
contraceptive technologies

4,

Ro 1 e o f men

5.

Role

6.

Role of

7.

Strategies

decision-making autonomy,
empowerment

and responsibility of

fundamentali sm,

impact of

harmful

the state

voluntary organizations

for

achieving

9

acceptable

s t and a rd s

of

women s

health
and aa healthy population,
population growth.

not necessarily

by

reducing

e xpe riences
Workinq
in four small
sm a 1 1 groups, participants shared their
with
group
t
ou
and
ideas to thrash out the above questions and come
Individual group conclusions
and recommend a11ons were
presentations.
cone
later synthesized into a cohesive statement (See Annexure II).
SESSION IV
cone 1 us ions
This was a plenary session where each group presented its
adequately
The strong consensus wh i ch emerged
recommendations.
and
family
population,
vis
needs
real
a
of women vis
the
stressed
g roup
the
of
summary
following is a
The
health.
and
planning
head
16 under the
p resen t a11ons. The recommendationsappear on p ag e
'Statement and Recommend a11ons.
I .

Women's health

a Determinants

(knoui ledge

about health

func tions
their
Women
must become aware of their bodies,
1s
their
and
feel
that
their
health
and
purpose,
se rvic es
health
Presently they avail of
responsibi1ity.
given.
are
if
free of charge or if some incentives
only
control
popu1 ation
for
easy
targets
makes
them
This
p rog r ammes.
wat e r,
nutrition,
income,
emp1oymen t,
* Factors
such
as
role
in
important
an
play
educ ation
and
sanitation
influencing women's health.

Low ag e

at marriag e h as a negative

impact on ujomen s health.

and a need for smaIler families but
an awareness
There is
bearing
into
force women
family pressures
and
socie t a 1
many children.
* SociocuItural
needs medical

such as gender bias
f ac tors
attention within the family.

regarding

* The awareness level of the mother influences the extent
daughters' awareness about health, and uti1iz ation
her
heal the are services.
♦

who
of
of

heal the are
p rima ry
government
the
of
The
inefficiency
medical
private
quacks
and
for
way
make
services
women.
p rac 1111on e rs to exploit poor
normal
human body and
even
of
the
of
"Medicalization"
i on
obsess
and
childbirth
and
the
pregnancy
p roc esses
like
i
n-v11
ro
ultrasound
sonography,
viz.
technologies,
with
out
of
amnlocentesis, take heal the are
and
fertilization
women s hands.

10

b.

Access and utilization

men 11oned
i s interdependent on the awareness
* This
services.
and the availability of healthcare
♦

above,

Grassroots workers pointed out that girls and women are the
last to receive healthcare, and then in extreme cases, when
to
it may be too late.
Even men, they said, are reluctant
order
expense.
to
avoid
avail of medical services in
h igh-1ncome
among
even
OU t that
pointed
workers
These
is
poor,
services
medical
of
families,
utlization
cel
rati
eb
ons,
festive
(
on
income
Mismanagement
of family
them
with
little
leave
indebtedness
and perennial
liquor)
resources for healthcare.

* Physical access to health services depends on the existence
is
latter
Th e
emp1oymen t.
and
roads
f airwe athe r
of
the
in
present
are
often
facilities
since
1mport an t
workplace.

Remote rural areas are the 1 ast prlority of health workers
all1 villages and
who find it physically impossible to cover al
not
as this is
bicycles
Women workers cannot use
hamlets,
are
and
other
means
of
transport
to villagers,
acc ep table
often not available.
system being obsessed
health
public
The
only
care
during
be ings,
rep roduc 11v e
h igh1ighted .

wompn
with
pregnancy

workers
only look on pregnant women
Health
for
sterilization
following delivery
cases'
enable them meet their "targets".

as
1s

possib1e
as
wou 1 d
this

viable
private medical care may offer a seemingly
Though
case;
it
is
more
is
this
really not the
alternative,
expensive and exploitative, often avoidable treatment being
p resc rib ed .

are
girl
the
adolescent
the infant and
of
The
health
equally important, as this is the formative period. But the
the
both
by
adolescent
girls particularly is neglected,
f ami1y and the health services.
II
a.

Control

over bodies

Decision-making autonomy

families,
women often express a desire for
small
Though
is
not
and
how
many
about
have
when
children
to
decisions
synd rome
There is a strong son-preference
in their hands.
ag e
— to propagate the family and care for parents in old
burden
of
because
and
the view that daughters are a
—
dowry. Most families say at least two s ops a rr e f e r r e d .

loo
M3
11

r library
Ji

(

A,MD

documentation

A r£ T:

>
"ii
) '-jj

J

Women are often unwilling partners in marriages; rape,
in
unchecked;
on
women,
violence
goes
ultimate
situation, women suffer severe consequences.

the
this

of
resurgence
the
that
felt
The
participants
a
to
was
leading
wor
1
d
forces all over the
fundamentalist
i
ts
rights,
with
legal
curtailment of personal freedom and
consequence on women s well-being.

b.

Women's empowerment
This may offer some so 1u 11on to the above p rob 1ems, but the
the
into
drawn
men too have to be
that
group
stressed
to
them
enable
wou
1
d
alone
This
process,
empowerment
rights.
rep
11v
e
roduc
recognize women's health and

♦

Th e empowerment process should include fertility awareness
to
make
women
This will empower
education.
health
and
their own decisions.

re 1ig ion ,
family,
the
determined by
status
is
is
Women's
these
Pressures
from
and
indivicual.
by
each
e
ach
soc1e ty
e on
and
dependenc
of
helplessness,
result
in
a
sense
sources
empowe
red
need
Women
to
be
decision
for
making.
others
to
up
these
pressures.
to stand
III.
Access to safe fertility regulation methods;
harmful contraceptive technologies
* The groups' consensus
any information about
their
side-effects,
who have opted to use

impact

of

was that women were not provided with
or
the various contraceptive methods
women
for
No follow-up is available
contraceptives.

'acceptors'
complaints of sterilization and
IUCD
* Common
are
not
such
as backache and disturbed menstrual cycles,
heeded by health workers.
with
and other harmful
contraceptives
Pushing
hormonal
serious side-effects on poor rural women with little access
load
on
won 1 d only increase the morbidity
to
healthcare
them.
approach
women into steri1ization, and the target
Push i ng
rates.
in
in
to the desired reduction
birth
led
have
not
high,
v asectomy acceptance among men was initially
Though
accept
un
able
a 1 most
excesses have made i t
the
Emergency
now.

an
woman activist from Kollegal Taluk i n Mysore District cited
A
the
a
who
wife
man
had
vasectomy,
of
undergone
where
instance
man, suspecting his wife's fidelity,
refused
to
The
conceived,
his
i
and
the
extent
that
ow.
as
to
her
she
harassed
accept the baby
tests to prove that the baby was indeed theirs!
resor t ed to blood
some
important
issues.
This raises

12

of follow-up to ensure that vascetomy acceptors
a . t h e absence
a
contraceptive
for
to use some temporary
advised
were
months
following
surgery.
period o f three

b.

c.

wrong message that such instances send to
The
method
is not a reliable
v asec tomy
that
viz.
con t ro1.

The worn an

is again

the

others
-*
birth
of

victim.

IV Role of men
and family need to give
P at riarch a 1 attitudes towards women
rights.
way to a recognition of women's
r own
* Men have a personal and social responsibility for thei
that
sexual behaviour and fertility, and for the effects of
well-being.
behaviour on their families' health and

♦

♦

Safe methods of male contraception need
made available.

V.

Role and responsibility of the state

to be developed and

The
government should not renege on its responsibility
delivering primary healthcare to the people.
Budget cuts on
women the most,
basic inputs.

of

education and health will affect poor
rural
No development can take place without these

decntralized
micro
* Local Panchayati Raj bodies can ensure
local
on
needs.
allocation
based
p1ann i ng and resource
*

♦

I nd i vidua1 rights need to be recognized
ensure these rights formulated.

and

legislation

to

as
health programmes lack direction and efficiency
Pub 1ic
generalist
bureaucrats
and
by
are
administered
they
health
not
administrators.
administrators and

lack
in gender issues and
* Health personnel are not trained
family
health
and
sensitivity in their approach to women's
planning.
women s
of
1anguag e
is
now using the
gov e rnmen t
While
much
remain
a
its fundamental philosophy and agend
g roups
through
is
easily
achieved
Therefore 'spacing
same.
the
injectab les or Norplant, it is claimed!

the
programmes of
income
generating
and
* Development
of
1
ementation
imp
proper
on
paper;
good
1 ook
gov e rnment
increasing
in
p rog r amme s alone would go a long way
these
are
as .
i
n
rur
a
1
income-earning
potential
employment and

13

Role of voluntary organizations
the
f com
* Voluntary
organizations are not completely free
viz.
bodies,
government
usually levelled against
charges
inefficiency, corruption and lack of sensitivity.
con tact
close
presence at the grassroots level and
* Their
health
and
in
providing
the
can be useful
with
people
particularly
training health workers
awareness
fertility
health
in its
facilitating
government
on gender issues and
p rog r ammes.
.

V I

d X I • A • I

in the field of health need
to be made more accountable to their constituents; agencies
screened
and
be
to
receiving
government
support
need
.
work
monitored at various stages of their

* Voluntary organizations working

CONCLUSION
Sucharita
S
Eashwar
Ms.
conclusion
the workshop,
of
the
At
and
we
1-spent
1
satisfaction that the two days had been
expressed
of
participation
Th e
the
objectives of the workshop fulfilled.
the
state,
their
with
considerable
i
th
NGOs from v arious districts in
family
in the field of women s health, population and
experience
perspective
the
discussions,
she
right
to
lent
the
p1ann i ng ,
added .
a
in
crystallizing
in
the group ’ s efforts
Ms.
Eashwar
commended
This
and
s
health
family
planning.
statement on population, women
forward
be synthesized into a cohesive perspective and put
wou 1 d
the
Secretariat
the
for
ICPD
1994
of
as a statement to be sent to
Cairo
the
and
PREPCOM
meetings
the
dur i ng
consideration
conference .
central
and
the
to
be sent
state
would
also
statement
The
in
involved
and national and international agencies
gov e rnmen ts,
of
re-examination
o back advocacy for a
population
activities,
Eashwar
.
added
policies and programmes, Ms.
hoped
Eashwar
participants for their contribution, Ms.
Th anking
for
a
more
work
the beginning of an effort
effort to
only
to
this
was
She expressed
women's health.
and
health.
innovative
approach
to
hoiist ic
UNFPA,
and
who
the
made
UNFPA,
and Ms.
to
Ms. Vimala Ramachandran
gratitude
already
which Madhyam Communications had
planned)
a 1 ready
(for
workshop
for
Eashwar thanked Ms. Ena Singh, also of UNFPA,
Ms .
possib 1e .
Ms. Srilatha
Batliwala's
as an observer.
expert
present
being
acknowledged,
as
the
as well
persons
resource
was
chairing
The
—,
the
right
the
deliberations.
which
set
note
for
present at ions
to
Madhyam Communications in particular had worked hard
of f
staff
ensure that the programme went on smoothly.
Madhyam
On behalf of the participants, Ms. Chitra Stephen thanked
learn
from
to
the
opportunity
them
Communications for having given
each other and share expert ences.

1 4

STATEMENT

AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recent statements and analyses that single out population size and
are
growth as a primary cause of global environmental degradation
global
of
causes
We
the
major
believe
and troubling.
misleading
environmental degradation are :

Economic systems that exploit and misuse nature and people
the drive for short—term and short-sighted gains ahd profits.

in

the
* The disproportion ate consumption patterns of the affluent ,
Currently the industrialized nations, with over 22
world over.
the
per cent of the world's population, consume 70 per cent of
world's resources.
* T echno1ogies
resourc es.

designed

to exploit but not

to

restore

natural

interdegradation therefore deri ves from comp lex,
Environmenta 1
the
on
can
have
Demographic
an
variables
impact
related c auses.
the
solve
population
not
reducing
will
growth
but
env i ronment,
rates have
In many countries population growth
above p rob 1ems.
conditions
to
continue
deteriorate.
decl ined yet environmental
blaming global environmental degradation on population
Moreov e r,
the ground for the re—emergence and
to
intensification
lay
helps
top-down,
demographica
y
policies
and
11
driven
population
of
are
deeply
disrespectful
of
and
which
poor
women
men.
p rog rammes
Many of
the activities of family planning programmes have been
women's
than
rather
popu1 a t i on control
oriented
towards
often
involved
too
they have
needs,
health
rep roduc 11 v e
information
on
full
women
denied
abuse ;
sterilization
proper
medical
and side effects; neglected
risks
cont racept i ve
the
foilow-up cari , and informed consent; and ignored
screening ,
of
abortion
and barrier and male
methods
need
for safe
a
Population programmes have frequently fostered
con t rac ep 11on.
c limate where coercion is permissible.

' ‘ » affirm that improvements in
Demographic data from around the globe
living
— - - health status and in general
women s social , economic
c
.. ... — and
rates.
standards, are often keys to declines in population growth
to
right
We call
on the governments to recognize women's basic
power
,
to
access
the
have
their own bodies and to
control
they
to
services
ensure
that
health
and reproductive
resources,
can do so.
Women's health is an outcome of the interaction of a large numb e r
safe and
income,
nutrition,
factors such
as emp1oymen t,
of
adequate water supply, housing sanitation, educat ion.

Availability and access to a comprehensive, integrated,
healthcare system is also an important factor.

15

sensi t i ve

RECOMMENDATIONS

the Union
should be an
in
there
increase
We
recommend that
to
per
cent
budgetary allocations for health from the present 1.1
at 1 east 5 per cent .
disease patterns in our country,
allocations
Given the
and
services
be
adequate.
preventive
should
p romot i v e

towards

The separate department of family planning needs to be disb and ed ;
release
this will
resources towards primary healthcare wh i ch
c1 ass,
should be
accessible
to all irrespective of their caste,
be
gender and religion.
in
enhanced
structure for curative care must be
The existing
the
by
strengthening
management
and
better
quality
through
peripheral health ins11 tutions for preventive and curative health
care.
admin i st rator

Health programmes should be administered by health
and not by generalist administrators or bureaucrats.
the personnel in the health services system must
Al 1
towards gender sensitivity.

Decentralized planning, implementation, monitoring,
Panchayati Raj
institutions is essential to have
health care system.

be

trained

evaluation by
a responsive

Tried and tested indigenous medicines and practices and
relying on proven home remedies need to be encouraged.

se1f-he Ip

Women's empowerment is a process of greater control over material,
financial
and informational resourc es to attain greater power to
It relies mainly on
decide about issues that concern themselves.
prope rty
ng
establishing
equal
by
est
ab1ish
i
greater self-esteem ach i eved
nutrition,
education
,
to
access
for
opportunities
rights,
their
to
remuneration equivalent
and
occupational
training
contribution to the economy.
their
Women can and do make responsible -decisions for themselves,
idual
indiv
the
They
must
have
and their communities.
families,
to
how
and
when
decide
i
whether,
to
responsibility
social
right and
to
compelled
can
woman
be
No
children
and
how
many
to
have.
have
Al
1
so
against
her
will,
or
child
be
prevented
from
doing
a
bear
special
marital
other
status,
or
age,
regardless
of
women,
to
have a right to information and services necessary
cond i 11on,
exercise their rep roduc 11v e rights and responsibilities.
Men
also have a personal and social responsibility for their own
their
behaviour and
sexual
fertility and for
the
effects of
we
11 ~
behaviour on their partners' and their children's health and
being.

16

Women should not be the targets of the family planning programmesmethods
shou1d
should
be
contraceptive
user-control led
Safe
and
and
anies
comp
free
of the control of multi-national
ut1i1 i z ed ,
population control ag encies.

g re at e r
a
on terminal methods must be discouraged, and
Re 1i ance
This
methods.
spacing
and
barrier
should be placed on
re 1i ance
and
scientific
natural
feeding
includes greater emphasis on breast
methods of fertility regulation.
offering
and thorough screening is neccessary b e fore
Appropri ate
has
been
this
in
the
p
ast
Too
choices.
often
cont raceptive
echnology
t
Al
1
s
health.
women
the detriment of
neglected
to
adequate 1y
be
ratio
must
sex
lowers
the
which
potentially
monitored and regu1 at ed.
in
Incentives, disincentives, and the camp approach have no place
and
Hormonal
like
contraceptives
injectables
planning.
f ami 1y
the
which
add
a
morbidity
female
furtherr
load
on
furthe
1mp1 ants
and
should
not
included
in
health
welfare
be
family
any
inc1ud
ed
popu1 a 11on
p rog r amme.
thorough 1y
must
be
such as vaccines,
technology
Contraceptive
with
the
discussed
and
findings
published
study
the
stud i ed ,
groups
health
and
consumer
groups
—
women's
groups,
peop1e
and
f am i1y
health
any
inclusion in
for
consideration
before
rog
p
r
amme.
welfare

health
must
Women's
reproductive period of
infancy.

not
attention
require
their lives but for all

just
during
the
with
ages beginning

to
commitment
provide
should not renege on i ts
The
government
does
solution
not 1 le
Equal 1y, the
universal primary health care,
to
responsibU ities
its
re 1 egation
of
or
in
privatization
voluntary agencies or NGOs.

o f the Shramshakti
recommendat ions
health for women must b e implemented.

The

report

on

occupation a 1

Voluntary organizations working in the field of health and
family
of
planning also have the reponsibi1ity of greater accountability
their
the
services to the people. Proper monitoring of
projects
undertaken by NGOs is essential.
and
be given the responsibility to decide
promote
Women
should
provide
a
and
political
economic
transformation
social,
policies,
sexuality
that will allow women to negotiate and manage their own
in
their
and
participate
own
life
choices,
make
fully
health,
and
and
society.
of
levels
government
all

17

ANNEXURE I a
A CRITIQUE
THE INDIAN FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMME:

Dr. Mohan Rao
Neo-Ma1 thusian notion
of us,
All
of
us, by and large, subscribe to the
This understanding
that population growth causes India's poverty,
growth
and
economic .
lationship between
and
the
of
between population growth
relationship
— — — —.in
the heart
development lies at
at the
heart of the family planning programme
l_
In
this
paper I shall focus on some conceptual,
our country,
this
which
and
problems
underly
empirical
methodological
briefly touching on the family planning programme
unde rstanding,
in India.
establishing causality in
I commence with the problem of method in
growth
and
economic
relationship
between popu1 at ion
the
the
A famous analogy will illustrate the problem at
development.
heart of this method of establishing causality.
to
his
persecution due
un able
to bear political
Socrates,
drinking
committed
ys,
comm111 ed suicide by
writ ings
supposedly heretical
when
utilising
Neo-Ma 1 thusian logic,
A person
po i sonous hemlock.
argue
as
of Socrates', death would
to examine the c ause
asked
foilows:
All men are mortal.
Socrates was a man.
Therefore Socrates was mort a 1.

makes no
death,
syllogism,
Tl
i * j syllogism,
used to account for Socrates
This
logic
The
hemlock.
j
or
reference to heresy, political persecution
men
that
all
and
it
is
empirically
true
it i
of course is impeccable; and
like
Socrates was a man.
A syllogism
are mor t a 1 as indeed that
to
while appearing
ause
fact
on
focus
the
c
above does not in
the
further:
a bit
explanat ion . To take this illustration
offer an
Drinking hemlock causes death.
Socrates drank hemlock in 399 B.C.
Therefore Socrates died in 399 B.C.
be
death may
explanation for the cause of Socrates^
This
social
a
to
not
to an expert in forensic medicine but
accept able
--- •» again offers only a
This apparently logical process
scientist,
of the phenomenon under study.1
part i al e xplanation of the cause c

1.
Gordon, Scott, the History and Philosophy of
Rout 1 edge , London, 1991 .

18

Soc i a 1

Scienc e ,

Neo-Malthusian
Explanations of this nature lie at the core of the
and population
the
between
resources
relationship
understanding of
for events
explanation
they
offer
a
only
partial
That is,
growth.
Neo-Malthusian
Given
arge
r
.
a
1
one
explain
larger
to
app earing
while
axiomatic a 11y.
the so 1u 11ons to the p rob 1em fol 1ows
assump 11on s,
d e t e rmin ed
historically
I
complexity
of
a
out
of
words,
In
other
few
a
account
method
into
takes
this
variables,
interac11 ve
behaviour
regarding
the
asumptions
some
variables,
makes
isolateo
the
of
validity
tests empirically the
re 1 ationship ,
their
of
of
a
deduction
the association and then arrives at
outcome
of
the
problem
of
The
association is not cause.
Bu t
c ausa111y .
for
the
woods
it
misses
is
that
metaphorically,
it
method, to put
the

trees.

*

h ad
Demographers such as Coale
There are other problems as well.
ratios;
dependency
population growth leads to high
that
argued
on
more
dependent
proportion
of
children
larger
a
that
is,
1
arger
call
would
for
in
the
population.
This
adu
1ts
p roduc 11v e
diverting
education,
such sectors as health and
investments
1n
roduc
11v e1y
p
more
have
been
could
otherwise
that
resourc es
a
population
need
cut
to
down
growth
the
was
re
fore
There
invested,
economic
stumbling
to
block
a
be
demographic
it
wou1d
as
predicted
the
“
catastrophe"
notes
when
Hodgson
that
development .
their
never
arrived,
fifties
demographers
in
the
by
such
assump 11ons were subjected to sc rutiny with startling results. 2
dependency
ratios
Coa1e's
mod e1 had measured the costs of high
clear
no
them considerable.
But Paul Schultz
found
and
found
national
the percentage of
between
gross
product
relationship
invested on education and the age structure of the population. 3
‘
'I
produce
would
Similarly, demographers assumed that high fertility
actual
relationship
rates of saving, but Kelley 4 found the
1 ow
Mason confirmed Kelley's findings that children
more complicated.
parents;5
for
just a short-term source of expenditure
not
were
protection
or even
“risk
“6
they could often be a long-term form of
a kind of saving.
2.
Hodgson,
Demography",
Dec'1988
3.

Schu11 z,

in
“Orthodoxy
and
Revisionism
Dennis,
vol
and
Development
Review,
Populat ion
Paul ,

cited

1 n Hodgson

Arne r i c an
no,4,
14,

ibid

and
4. Kelley, Allan C., “Population Growth, the Dependency Rate,
.27,
vol
Studies,
of
Economic
Development",
Population
the
Pace
No.3, 1973.
Demographic
and
Andrew,
Economic
“Saving,
Growth,
5.
Mason,
no.1,
1988.
vol.14,
Population and Development Review,
Ch ang e,

6.
Cain, Mead, “Fertility as an Adjustment
and Development Review, vol.9, no.4, 1983.

19

to Risk",

Population

One important underpinning of the Neo-Ma1 thusian argument is that
population growth eats into resources which are finite.
That some
resources are finite is a truism.
But what the more general
and
abstract statement does is gloss over the actual picture on who is
consuming the resources. Social problems — of hunger and poverty
— are
is
then attributed to that part of the population which
But this is precisely
to grow the fastest.
the population
said
This
which consumes the least -- totally as well as per capita.
is true from both the national and international perspectives.
It is argued, for instance, that a reduced population will ceteris
and
paribus lead to reduced energy consumption, less resource use
paribus
i n ceteris
less pollution.
This
is strictly true
in
pollution,
reality,
reality,
in
arguments alone
and carnot be used
in
reality.
In
in
coal
according
to U.N.
sources,
energy
consumption of
equivalents in
1975 amounted to close to
11,000 k i1og rams per
1n
capita per annum in
to 200
i n the United States and merely c 1 ose
kilograms per capita per annum
India.7
in
Yet
popu1 at ion
controllers worry about
of
resources by the
the consumption
poorest of the Indian population.
rich nations of the globe, constituting 18 per cent of
The
the
global population, consume 66 per cent of the gross world product,
whereas the poorest nations of the globe with 50 per cent of
the
14 per cent of
the gross wor 1 d
world ' s population consume
p roduc t.8

Population growth in the periphery is a drop in the ocean compared
Neoto the consumption of the populations of the rich nations.
Malthusian views focusing on birth rates in the periphery obscure
that
this critical issue, and it diverts attention from the fact
first
resources are being exploited from the Third World by the
world nations, and that there is a net transfer of resources f rom
the developing world to the industrialized world of the order of
occur
forty to fifty billion dollars every year.9 This does not
naturally or fortuitously; it is the product of social,
economic
in the
first world
and
and political
institutions both
the
In other words, the ruling classes in the world
developing world.
are part
and parcel of this arrangement of
the utilization of
resourc es.
The bottom
Intra-natlonal figures in India are equally startling.
8
about
a
share
of
per
cent
20 per cent of the population has
in
sector,
and 7 per cent in the
consumption in the
rural
total

in
the
Erland,
P rob 1em
7.Hofsen,
"Is There
a Population
in Bondestam, Lars,
and Bergstrom,
Indust r i a 1ised Countries?",
(eds),
Academic
Staff an
Poverty and Population Control,
Press,
London, 1980.
8. Bondestam, Lars, "The Political
in Bondestam and Bergstrom, ibid

Ideology of Population Control"

9. UNICEF, The State of the World's Children, O.U.P., Delhi,

20

1992.

urban; while the top 20 per cent has a share of about 39 per cent
the rural sector and 42 per cent in the urb an.10 It is simply
in
resources
consum i ng
are
poor
true
not
then
that
the
that by
1s
ind i c at e
What
disproportionately.
the data also
cutting down the numbers in the lower decile groups, wh i ch is the
resources
avowed objective of population control, the quantum of
generated would be miniscule.il Population control, then , i s not
There
even an efficient or effective manner of raising resources.
the
are more effective means to raise these resources even within
same political and social set-up.
Demographic trends in the developing countries have quite clearly
Neo
weaknesses
of
and empirical
revealed
the conceptual
Bauer observed:
Mai thusianism.
Both
economic history and the contemporary scene make
it
reason ing fails
to
clear that the conventional reasoning
identify
the principal factors behind economic achievement.
Rapid
population g
inhibited
growth
economic progress
rowth has not
in
either
the West or in the contemporary Third World.
The population of
the Western World has more
than
the middle of the eighteenth century.
quadrupled since
Real income per head is estimated to have increased by the
took
factor of
five.
Most of the increase of
incomes
place when population increased as fast, or faster than in
most of the contemporary less-developed world.
Similarly,
in what is now called the Third World, population growth
has often gone hand-in-hand with rapid material advance.12

Simon has called attention to the "large body of scientific work
showing an absence of the supposed negative relationship between
And
popu1 a t i on growth and economic development in the long run.
population
actually
to
be
of
higher
density
seems
the
effect
posi 11ve. 13
Simi1 arly Preston, observing the association between population
large
and increasing rates of per capita income growth in
growth
"rapid population
parts of the developing world, concludes that
times and places is a relatively minor factor in
in most
growth
reduc i ng per capita income and other measures of welfare. "14
10. Bardhan, Pranab K., "Some Aspects of Inequality" in Bose et al
Delhi,
(eds), Population in India's Development 1947-2000, Vikas,
1974
11.Qadee r,
M.F.C.'s In

Myth and
"Population Problem
I.,
Search of Diagnosis, Vadodara, 1977.

Reality"

in

( eds),
Are
Lord P.T., in Wattenberg and Zuismeister
12.
Bauer,
World Population Trends a Problem?, American Enterprise I nst i tut e,
Washington, 1984.

13. Simon, in Wattenberg ibid.
14. Preston, Samue1,

in Wattenberg, ibid.

bHlOO
21^

A

library
ANO

>£

BOCUMtNTATION J rUN’T

evidence,
Indeed it has been suggested, on the basis of empirical
to
that population growth may in fact be desirable as it appears
accelerate technical change and innovat ion.15
The near-zero correlation betwen population growth and per capita
the
economic growth in the Third World, which became apparent in
twenty years
seventies and the eighties, had in fact been noted
tide
of
But in the full
earlier by Kuznetsl6 and Easterlinl?.
Neo-Ma1 thusianism, their views had been largely ignored.

Meanwhile anthropologists and sociologists also pointed out
the
gross
limitations of
a Neo-Ma1 thusian understanding
the
of
population question which has proven to be
a
theoretical
redherring. Caldwell, for example, concluded that the most critical
that
in most
factor was the motivation to bear children and
primarily agricultural societies
this motivation,
moulded by
L indberg
socio-structural factors, was limited.18 Djurfeldt and
fertility of
furnished data questioning the belief in the high
marginalized peasants.19
* *

But facts are not enough; their existence has not laid to rest the
is
in pract
ice.
It
practice.
this which
shadow of Neo-Ma1 thusianism
formu1 at ion
in our
con t inues to guide policy and programme
coun t ry.
India was the
I shall briefly touch upon the programme.
in the world to officially commence on a
family
first nation
p1ann i ng programme
in 1952, with what was called
the
‘clinic '
approach .
This formed the basis of the programme in the first two
Plan periods.
The limits of the clinic approach however soon came to light.
In
experts,
the Third Five Year Plan, at the behest of international
the programme was considerably expanded, based on the
'extension
education' approach. Budgetary allocation to family planning shot
up.
But even before the extension education approach could be
J ack Lippes,
L ippes,
inventor
consolidated, foreign experts including Mr. Jack

IS. Boserup, Ester, Population and Technological Changes A Study
of Long Term Trends, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1961 .
16. Kuznets, Simon, "Population and Economic Growth",
Proceedings
of the American Philosophical Society, vol. Ill, no.3, 1967.

17. Easterlin, Richard A., "Effects of Population Growth on
Economic Development of Developing Countries",
Anna 1s of
American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 369, 1967
Pat,
Limiting
18. Caldwell, John C. and Caldwell,
Growth and
the Ford Foundation Contribution, Francis
Haven, 1986.

the
the

Popu1 at i on
N
Pinter,

19. Djurfeldt, Goran and Lindberg, Staffan, "Pills Against Poverty:
A Study of
the
Introduction of Western Medicine
in
a Tamil
Village," Macmillan, N. Delhi.1980.

22

of the Lippes loop, convinced Indian planners that a magic bullet
the
had been discovered for the population problem in the form of
loop .

this point in time, the World Bank was increasingly concerned
At
among countries who were prospect i ve
trends
about population
line with
the recommendations of a Wor 1 d Bankborrowers.
In
programme
alterations were made ,
report,
sponsored committee
the
This
formed
the
cornerstone of
the
I.U.C.D.
incorporating
ad
h
few
I.U.C.D.
a
the
Within
years
the
mid-si
11es
x
.
programme in
India,
conditions
prevailing
in
the
failure
a
under
proved to be
to family
Allocations
on it was soon abandoned.
re 1ianc e
and
on
relied
The
programme
now
continued
increase,
to
p1anning
and
sustainab
1e,
not
approach
was
camps.
But
the
camp
v asec tomy
after deaths due to tetanus at a c amp in Gorakhpur, it was quietly
Vasectomy however was at the centre of the programme
abandoned .
largely
and was
coercion was
seventies;
rampant
during the
the
for
the
overthrow
of
government.
responsib 1 e
From the Sixth Plan or wards women have been at the
forefront of
rates.
Over the
the programme's attempts to bring down birth
Sixth and Seventh Plan periods, allocations to family planning
continued to mount. Yet towards the end of the Seventh Plan
there
was increasing realization that the programme had failed.
The Mid
Term Appraisal of
rate had not
the Plan noted that the birth
The
fallen despite considerable rise
in couple protection rates.
that
observed
Public Accounts Committee,
Comm i 11 e e, in its 139th Report,
despite massive financial
the birth
f inane i al inputs into the programme,
rate had remained stationary. Indeed the late Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi observed in his inaugural address to the XXI
International
Population Congress in 1989 that "there was
inadequate causal
connection between our family planning programme and the impact of
increase
these on our birth rates" and that "the
rate of
in
financial outlays in
is not matched by
a
family planning
commensurate decline in birth rates."

is adop ted with
What has occured is that a programme strategy
A new
appears
then
aground.
to
runs
work,
rapidly
enthusiasm; it
new
some
adopted,
frequently
on
then
centering
strategy
is
Again
it
agencies.
often
inspired
by
international
technology,
Now the programme p1anne rs
to work; then runs aground.
appears
hormonal
are thinking in terms of yet another technical solution:
female
add to the morbidity load of
This will
the
imp 1 an ts.
in
in the country, perhaps even an epidemic of cancer
popu1 at i on
the years to come.
* * * * *

23

ANNEXURE

I b

POPULATION CONTROL AND FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

Malini Karkal
were
Socia 1 Democrats and the Fabians
The Margaret Sanser League, Social
during
promoting
birth control in the interest of women ' s health
the 1920s. In 1952 John D. Rockefeller founded Population Council,
to
comm111 ed
which
as a lobby for activist demographers
served
explosiv e
of
the
goals
redefining
age
of contraception in an
population growth.

scienc e .
a
definition
demography
is
multi-disciplinary
By
to
population lobbyists it has come
However, with the support of
be dominated by statisticians who see human issues as the issue of
h amp e ring
numbers.
described
population
growth
They
as
development efforts .
The purpose of birth control was only one ach i ev i ng
Control.
And
this
in
meant
Population
turn
and
demographic
by increasing contraceptive
targets
prevalence
reducing birth rates.
through
essentia 11y
is
population programmes
the
of
P1anning
to meet
number
of
largest
people,
In reaching the
socie t a 1 goals.
needs
of
the
the
ignored
programme has
socletal
goals,
the
rog
p
ramme
The
quality.
sacrificed
service
individual clients and
1 s directed towards women since the prevailing patriarchal socie ty
in
only
As women are recognized
it
easy to target them.
finds
by
interests
roles, the programme promotes its
mothering
their
demand
The
the maternal and child health problems,
highlighting
's
women
for
that
the
need
activists
emphasizes
of
women
and
health
and
their
for
recognizing
reproductive
empowe rment
popu1 at ion
rights,
is
by
the
ignored
still
rep roduc 11v e
the
fit
women
are
manipulated
Currently
to
p rog rammes.
given
are
demanding
their
that
needs
be
technology, whereas women
priority.
Population
In view of the forthcoming International Conference on
i t
and Development (ICPD), to be held in Cairo in September 1994,
the
understand
issues
that
the
the
roles
basic
to
and
is essential
the
agencies
have
in
played so far
discussing
in t e r-n a 11 on a 1
population and development issues.
World
Third
the
far shows that the interests of
Experience
so
countries and those of the industrialized countries are distinctly
of
different.
On the population issue, whatever be the decisions
succeeded
the international gatherings, the USA has persisted and
conf e renc e
promoting
population control. In the
in
forthcoming
issues
women are hoping to promote their point of view, including
related to economic development, environment and women s health.
In the 1960s and 1970s, political leaders and intellectuals in the
the
perceive
relationship
to
have
come
countries
developing
as
industrialized
countries
the
World and
between
the
Th i rd
and
essentia 1 1 y "feudal" — in which the rich countries dominated

24

to
Th i rd World leaders wanted
the poor countries were dependent,
the
of
character
feudal
the
transform
the disparities and
reduce
international order.

reso1ut ions,
a series of
1972,
1962 to
In
the decade
from
that
saying
bodies,
UN
the
passed
by
were
initiated by the USA,
development
to
iment
imped
a
serious
was
rapid population growth
and that programmes to control population were urgent 1y needed.
Family planning was legitimized as a human right, and governments
were motivated to provide family planning services, U11 imately the
notion of setting targets for population control was accepted as a
UNESCO,
Major functional agencies — WHO,
development policy.
paral
1e1ed
acquired
mandates
that
—
World
Bank
roughly
FAO, ILO, L
UN.
those emanating from the

Third World
1974 Bucharest conference on population,
the
At
draft
and
opposed
organized
the
official
well
were
(:oun tries
300
to
interests;
promote
American
that
was
designed
reso1ution
The
of
version
final
the
debated.
introduced
and
amendments were
had
extensive
of
Action
undergone
changes
in
Population
World
Plan
in
to
substance,
especially
the
provisions
relating
spirit and
"basis for an
Its stated
fertility and population control.
population
is,
all,
solution
of
problems
above
socioeffect i ve
that
out
point
transformation
to
were
."
Efforts
economic
of
a cause but
a consequenc e
popu1 a t ion problems are not
underdevelopment.
Inspite of Bucharest asking for more equi table d i stribut ion of
the
resources, population control programmes were promoted during
the
In
20
years
1974 and 1984.
intervening between
periods
harder than any other Western
preceding Mexico, the US had pushed
the developing
policies
in
government
to promote population
population
research and,
countries.
It had contributed most to
population
assistance,
had mounted the
largest
through USAID,
Washington,
in
with
maintained a corps of 60 professionals
for
support
provided
and
advisors
in more
than 40 countries,
accepting
family
es
Countri
family planning in over 90 countries,
planning received aid from the USA.
conformity with
The Declaration adopted at Mexico was in strong
It
governments
stated
the
should " as a
that
the official draft,
"uni versa11y
make
family
planning
services
matter of urgency"
that
Declaration
and
also
added
"social
The
available."
wide
disparities
contribute
to
the
in
the
population pressures may
d
e
v
1
oped
e
life
between
developing
and
welfare and the quality of
The goal of the population policies, as enunciated at
count ries . "
the shortest
the stabilization of population within
Mexico was
possib
1e.
period
i ssues,
UN agency working
for population
the official
UNFPA,
an
i mp ac t on
emphasi zes that population size and growth have
of
impact
the
Since
and sustainable development.
en v i ronment
resources
is
the depletion of
1 i fe-sty1es on
consumer i st
the
repeatedly discussed, UNFPA does mention it but it imphasi zes

25

there fore
rates.
It
reduction
in population growth
need
for
to
target
are
expected
p romot e s contracept1ve technologies that
demographic goals.

F rom 1974 to 1984 the rate of growth of the world's population has
However,
decl 1 n ed f rom 2.34 per cent to 1.67 per cent per annum.
the
there
to
any
that
was
relationship
is
no
evidence
there
such
of
and
the
technologies
promotion
the
in
growth
rate
decline
as foam, the pill or the lUCDs.
popu1 at 1 on
that
popu1 a 11 on crisis theory implicitly assumes
The population
impact on
growth has a simple, direct, and inexorably negative
data
f rom
incomplete
which means that even crude and
welfare,
to moderate
least mild
show
at
developing countries should
factors.
No
negative correlation between the two categories of
that
either
suggests
such correlation has appeared
and
it
the
population growth has little or no effect on welfare, or that
effects are contradictory or self-neutralizing.
Such a conclusion
has important implications for family planning programmes.
1in
n
Population control
being vigorously promoted
is
spite of
IS
con t ro1
absence of
evidence supporting
to economic
its relationship
As early as the
data
from
developing
development.
1960s,
countries showed that there was no relationship between population
growth and per capita income.
Economists Simon Kuznets and
Easterlin concluded
Richard
that
from their research
the
relationship between population growth and economic development is
comp lex.

In 1973, Julian Simon cited evidence that moderate popu1 at 1on
rapid popu1 a 11 on
a stimulus to economic development,
is
g rowth
and popu1 at i on
a slight deterrent, and zero growth
g rowth only
the
in
World Bank data showed that
strong deterrerts.
decline
the
the populations of
developing coun tries
1980s,
1970s and
there was an
and yet, with the exceptions of a few,
inc re ased
level
in
of
literacy,
in
income per capita, in
improvement
fe-expectancies.
1
1
nutrition as well as in
Preston, a demographer and one of the senior participants
Samue1
the
National
Academy of Sciences study, said that because
in
a
is
capita
population
between
and
income
per
growth
relationship
soc
i
a
1
the
as
unstructured
any
and
relation
in
random
about as
used by
there was no basis for the doomsday scenario'
sc i enc es,
fur the r
family planning advocates to promote their c ause. He
the
it
is
but
brings
and
money,
that
it
gets
attention
public
added
any human
attribute
incorrect, to casually
and
minded
simple
who
He warned that those
p rob 1em to there being too many humans,
use it may crash with it when it is finally shot down.
USA has played an important role in promoting population control,
Today it is the major funder for the programmes in the Third World
in population control
is
Interest
of
the USA
conn tries.

relatively new.
"Birth cont rol

In December 1959 President Eisenhower declared
:
anything
imagine
is not our business.
I cannot
26

proper
political
emphatically
a subject that is not a
more
governmental activity, or function □ r responsibi1ity."

or

and
The situation changed dramatically i n the following ten years
President Nixon issued in July 1969 the First Presidential Message
The message said: "This administration does accept
on Population,
In
the
responsibility
to provide essential 1 eadership."
a
c1e ar
manifest
turned
into
a
years
the
had
responsibility
five
next
d ec1 a red
George Bush, then US representative to the UN,
mandat e.
private
is
longer
a
no
"Today,
the
population
problem
in
1973:
and
the
national
of
..
attention
commands
....
It
the
matter
an
from
international
leaders."
Thus the US changed its stand
outside observer to being committed to family planning and then to
the population problem.

among
g round
1osing
is
the
crisis
1970s
view
the
Since
the
among
though ironically it is gaining ground
p rof ession a 1s,
advocates
Many demographers and family plann ing
pub lie.
genera 1
are clinging to it as though it were a life preserver — which , in
much
as
Comp assion does not elicit
sense
at least, it is.
one
in
money,
Alarm brings
pub lie
support as does fear of disaster,
has
crisis
popu1 ation
perception
of an impending
The
general
and
of
research
demography
into
funds
an influx of
resu11 ed
in
to
be
For
both,
project money into family planning.
it has proven
dead
golden eggs
goose
a
a
that still lays
lavs oolden
eoos even after becoming
no
dispose
the
caracass!
hurry
to
of
duck, and they are in
invested
have
supporters of the population crisis view, who
The
are
reluctant
moral
causes,
to
were
in what they thought
he av i 1 y
and
their
were
flawed
energies
were
p e rc ep 11ons
their
believe
or
It is quite often experienced that when personal
misd i rec ted .
conflict
ideological
commitments
with
advantage
and
professiona1
at
intellectual integrity, the conflict is all too often resolved
leads
public
to
approach
an
often
Such
the expense of integrity,
in
deception, withholding of information, such as was e xpe rienc ed
and
to
attempts
figures
Nigeria
of
inflated
the
population
suppress opposing views a’ well as promotion of blatant hypocrisy.
and
demographers
population and family planning field,
In
the
to
and
appear
excuse
or
use
of
coercion
planners
deny
f ami 1 y
that
mportant
to
note
It
is
i
acceptance.
only
voluntary
support
India,
UN honoured Indira Gandhi, the late Prime Minister of
the
permits,
s
use
over
to
control
permitted
official
local
h ad
who
rat ions,
employment
mployment and school admissions, denied food
1 icences,
to
force
about salary forfeitures, threats and physical
b rought
able
compel people to submit to sterilization programmes, and was
between
July
force over six million persons to be sterilized
to
and December 1976.
X inzhong,
Qian
honour was also bestowed at the same time on
The
of
State
the
Family
Planning
of
Commission
Minister-in-charge
in
China, who was able to reduce Chinese fertility by 62 per cent
IUCD insertions in women with two or
the 1970s through compulsory
The achievements of the programme were 21
million
more children.

27

and
14
million
18 million
IUCD insertions
steri1izations,
to
child.
one
As a
In
figure
was
1983
the
brought
down
abort i ons.
China
family p rog ramme,
one-chi 1 d
adoption of the one-child
resuIt of
In December 1992,
experienced a resurgence of female infanticide.
100 f ema1es,
recorded sex-ratio at birth was 114 males per
the
It
is
ratio of
105:106.
the normally expected
above
well
estimated that each year about 800,000 female infants are missing.
that
The connection between forced one-child family in a cu1ture
p re f e rs sons is ob v i ous.
Population control is so important to UN that it has no hesitation
in over looking, and even overtly supporting, v iolat ions of
rights
is evident from the fact
This
of couples,
in spite of
that
known
the world bodies UNFPA chiefs are
to make
assurances by
statements
infringing on reproductive freedom.
The
1974 World
Popu1 at ion Conference had acknowledged "the basic human right of
all
couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the
number and
the spacing of their children."
A decade later the 1984 Conference re af f i rmed that right and added
fulfil
all owed
to
their
that
parents
be
the
should
And yet Raph ae 1
responsibilities "freely and without coe rc i on."
countries
are
then UNFPA chief, stated in 1985 that
Salas,
to decide
remain
on
their own
free
and
a111tud es
and must
is
not
responses to the question of population... The UN system
this principle
and
the
judge
moral
equ i pp ed
to go behind
relationship of
The
ind i v idual
acc ep t ability of programs.•.
freedom to the needs of society as a whole is a matter for each
country to decide."
In the view of Raphael Salas the princ ip 1e of
the principle of
reproductive
freedom .
severe ignty eclipsed
f re edom was no more a universal right but
it was
Rep roduc t i v e
what ever the national government decided.

In 1986, Nafis Sadik, UNFPA President, said: "Any limitation on
the exercise of personal and voluntary choice of (family planning)
methods represents violation of the right to have access to family
However,
she further added, "judgements
about what
p1ann ing."
free
the
and
informed choice must be made within
const i tut es
the overall
a particular culture and the context of
context of
for social
and
economic
d e v e1opmen t..."
government programme
p r i nc i p1es
Freedom and informed consent that should be universal
t ransformed
limiting government encroachments on human rights are
to control
by the UNFPA into an authorization for governments
childbearing.
With
the past experience in mind, on e must look forward
to the
deliberations of the IPCD in Cairo, One needs to be cautious about
the outcome for the Third World as well as for women.

* * * *
28

ANNEXURE

I c

THE KARNATAKA EXPERIENCE

Dr. Shirdi Prasad Tekur
terms of
among
the Indian states in
ranks e ighth
Karn at ak a
land
area,
cent
of
occupy
We
5.84
per
and
land
area.
popu1 ation
of
average
population,
with
Indian
an
per
cent
the
of
with 5.31
the
national
This
well
with
compares
per
Km.
Sq.
234 people
averages and the surrounding states, except Kerala and TamiInadu ,
where more people live on less land.
rate at which this population has grown over the last decade
The
is 20.7 per cent -- a decrease from the earli e r decade
(1981-91)
in
(1971-81 — 26.8 per cent). The rate of decrease is more than
Which me ans,
the surrounding states and the country as a who1e.
our population is growing at a slower rate.
in
Population size and growth are related to the status of women
society:socio-economic status, literacy, employment opportunities,
and
and several other factors of development, other than medical
a
an area.
Family planning e f forts make
health services in
con t ro1
to
marginal
impact,
though specifically designed
population growth.
agenda since before
Family planning has been on the national
to
earliest
of
the
Independence,
and Karnataka has been one
of
details
The
same
.
and adopt policies meant for the
appreciate
the
the
evolution and modification of these programmes is beyond
purview of this paper.
any species,
in
f ema 1e
the
survival of
favours the
Nature
more female
that
fact
This
in
is
seen
the
human,
the
including
ch ildren
are born than male, especially in a g row i ng popu1 at i on
the stat ist ics
They do not seem to survive well, as
like ours.
given b e1ow show.

Females per 1000 males
KER.

MAH.

INDIA

KAR

A.P.

T.N.

1991

929

961

973

972

1040

935

1981

934

963

975

977

1032

937

the
i n Karnataka than
less f ema1es per 1000 males
There
are
than
we
better
are
surround ing states except Maharashtra, though
the national average.

she
that
meaning
The woman
in Karnataka survives less better,
the
in
suffers
from
more
inequalities than her sisters
in
except
neighbouring states.
The situation is worsening too,
Kera1 a.

29

is
this related to7
What
Literacy,
health services, poverty, or whatever
situation in Karnataka's districts.

emp1oymen t ,
let's have

a

urb aniz ation ,
the
1 ook at

district-wise

Females per 1000 male population
District

1981

1991

District

1981

1991

Be 11 ary
Bidar
Bi j apur
Gulbarga
Kolar
Ra i chur

973
968
982
981
971
988

957
953
965
962
962
978

Chickmagalur
Kodagu
D. Kannada
Hassan
Sh i mog a
U. Kann ad a

953
933
1059
987
947
958

977
989
1063
1000
961
967

the districts 1ist ed on the lef t , we see
In
it i s improving with those
for women, while
Why and how does this difference arise?

a worsening
surviv a 1
right.
1 isted on the

f ema les.
literacy
among
the
factors
is
major
cited
of
On e
1 i terate
Andhra Pradesh, the Karnataka woman is not as
Excepting
We are of course better than
as women in the neighbouring states,
the national average.
Karnataka

56 per cent of population
44.3 per cent of females

Total 1 11 e racy
Female literacy

Let us examine this factor vis a vis the districts
for female 111 e racy.

1ist ed

e ar 1ie r

District

Rural

Urban

District

Rural

Urban

Be 11 ary
Bidar
B i j apur
Gulbarga
Ko 1 ar
Ra ichur

19.50
19.66
29.58
12.94
29.56
13.16

42.13
46.48
46.70
43.05
56.74
35.79

Chic kmag a 1ur
Kad agu
D. Kannada
Hassan
Shimog a

40.39
49.98
55.45
33.83
37.16
43.27

62.13
67.05
68.84
65.62
61.26
63.42

U.

Kannada

F igures are percentages to populat ion

liter acy levels

of

all
woman appears to be more literate, but faces
urb an
The
spaces
ed
1
v
congest
i
i
ng
f
rom
of
u rb an i z a 11 on ,
p rob 1ems
po11ut i on and the crunch of resources to unequal competition.

the
to

The above figures highlight the differences
the rural woman and her urban counterpart.

many
people live
How
p rob 1em increasing?

i n cities and

30

towns,

in

and how f as t

is

this

to Total

(%)

INDIA

KAR.

A.P .

T.N.

KER.

MAH,

1991

25.7

30.9

26.8

34.2

26.4

38.7

Increase (7»)
during 81-91

36.2

29.1

42.6

19.3

60.9

38.7

Ratio of Urban Popu1 at i on

Three out of ten people i n Karnataka live i n cities and towns, and
to
same
ame rate ( 1 . e . , three more are added
it
is increasing at the s
last
decade.
the
city/town)
over
ten already in the
Which are these rapidly growing urban areas
the health status of women here?
Place

('000s)

Populat ion

in Karn at ak a?

Decennial growth rate

(7.)

to
a
f ac tor
ma jor
poverty is
live,
Wherever
the
people
ability
and for peop1e living in villages, their
conside red,
healthcare
etc.,
in the state for emp1oymen t ,
re ach
places
i mport an t.
Let us see how Karnataka fares
INDIA

in

be
to
is

these asp ec ts.

A.P.

T.N.

KER.

MAH.

32.1

31.7

32.8

17.0

29.2

32.9

43.0

63.2

100.0

52.9

KAR

is

39.9
33.7
22.9
39.1
36.2

4,087
402
648
426
652

Bangalore
BeIgaum
Hub 1i-Dharwad
Mangalore
Mysore

What

Population
b e1ow poverty
line ( a s 7.) of
total (1987-88)

7. villages
(1987-88)
connected by
f airwe ath e r
roads

29.9

40.7

Kerala,
except
We
seem to be as poor as our neighbouring states
by
less
well
connected
Karnataka
are
of
villages
while
the
fai rweather roads than al 1 of them, even by national standards!

Since a majority of mobile popu1 a 11on is male, the Karnataka woman
to
even less opportunity to do so in this situation compared
has
her sisters.This means that the Karnatak a worn an has lesser chances
health
aw ay from her village, whether for
of reaching facilities
or for employment.

■\tS

O(

0^3

(

I p

o 0cum ^a T'0N

? f

in
female
workers
the participation rate of
When
consider
we
than
well
off
rginally
less
the Karnataka woman is ma
emp1oymen t,
1 esse r
such
as
provides
Karnataka
neighbouring
states.
1n
of
cent
per
70
Also,
for
"main" employment too!
opportuniti es
in
the
country.
main work is done by males
for
sector of employment, where a person h as work
'marginal
Th e
is
year)
in a
less than 180 days per year (less than 1/2 the time
all
employment
of
need to focus on, since 10 per cent
we
wh a t
workers
'marginal'
is
in
category.
Nine
ten
this
of
out
available
impact on survival.
attendant
insecurity
the
and
with
are women ,
on hospital
facilities?
the status of women's health depend
Does
Where
measures.
health
Yes, at least for disease care and public
do we stand on this in Karnataka?
Beds

Hosp i tals

India
Karnataka
Andhra Pradesh
Tami1n adu
Kerala
Mah arash t ra

Populat ion

('000s)

Total

Govt.

Total

Govt.

Per Bed

15,067
288
615
408
2,924
2,104

8,290
237
349
289
137
785

645.9
34.5
36.4
48.8
70.3
111.4

462.8
27.1
25.3
38.4
26.5
73.6

1316
1299
1613
1136
413
667

Needless
to point out that we are worse off
but marginally better than Andhra Pradesh.

than our

neighbours,

consistently
been
Family Welfare Programme in Karnataka has
The
has
been
and
most
the ' targets' laid down for 1 t ,
of
meeting
by
the
borne
this
i
s
of
The burden
i n that aspect.
'successful
woman, since the ' targets' are :
Sterilization
is
tubectomy
v asec tomy.
I.U.D.

women
of
numb e r
the
where
men
of
e
r
numb
the
times
15

insertion

Birth control

pills

11

i s the woman
and

undergoing
unde rgoing

again

again

Medical Termination of Pregnancy

and

again

government
Injectable contraceptives have now been cleared by the
have
(Norplant)
ones
implantable
and the
women,
use
for
on
more
This
focus
is
women;
on
i
s
completed their 'trials
for use.
the
while
morbidity
anaemia,
than half of Indian women suf f e r f rom
or
stud i ed
problems are not even
well
gyanaeco1ogica 1
due
to
the
for
utilizes
her
earnings
all
who
the one
quantified.
Qn
who
On the one
c an earn.
benefit
of the family, if and when she can
1e
strugg
and
has
facilities
to
has
acc ess to healthcare
little
access
against many odds for mere survival.

32

of women
It
is clear that unless factors affecting the survival
on
family pl ann i ng measures are an additional imposition
change,
her life.
REFERENCES:

1 . Statistical Outline of India 1992-93 - Tata Services
Department of Economics and Statistics.

2.

Limited,

Seminar
"District Census Figures 1991 and their Implications",
Deptt.
paper - 2Sth October, 1992 - presented by Dr. R Indira,
of Studies in Sociology, University of Mysore.

* * * * *

33

ANNEXURE

II

REPORTS OF GROUP DISCUSSIONS
GROUP

I

by
the
marginalization
and
disturbed
are
the
We
members
targets"
programmes.
family
planning
of
victimization of women as
—
rationalizing
app rov e the macro level trends
do not approve
also
We
causes
for
global
the
as
primary
and
size
growth
popu1 a 11on
en i vronmen t degradation.
that
con firm
data and trends in India and Karnataka
Demographic
and
health
and
in
status
improvements in women's social, economic,
i
n
1
ation
popu
standards
are
the
keys
to
decline
living
general
basic
women's
We call upon the government to recognize
g rowth .
the
access
to
their
and
own
bodies
to
have
to
control
rights
that
to
ensure
and
health
reproductive
services
r e sou rc e s
powe r,
they can do so.

strategies
and
conelusions
fol lowing
The
th
ernes.
discuss i on, centred around six
1 .

Women's health

determinants,

emerged

the

f rom

access and utilization

i ncome,
Health is an outcome of the interaction between education,
the
Health
is
also
political f actors.
and
cu1tura 1
soc i a 1,
water,
nutrition,
basic necessities
of
effect
cumu1 ative
existing
services.
•nd
of
availability
housing and access to
the
improve
evolved the following recommendations> to
The
group
and
utilization
of
l
health status of women by increasing access to
services.
1.

f rom
n the Union of budget
be an increase iin
should
There
the
allocation
5
cent.
to
of
per
existing 1.1 per cent

2.

There
should
p rog rammes.

3.

planning must be treated as part of women s health
Fami1y
not
be compartmentalized.
shou1d

4.

not be

any budgetary cut

for

preventive

the

heal th
and

too
much
with
health services are very poor,
existing
The
forthwith.
1 is must be
stopped
on family planning; thi
re 1ianc e
by
the
quality
improve
of services
urgent
i
,
need
to
There
is an
way of:
among staff

a.

Gender sensitization training
primary health care.

b.

Panchayat members' orientation to women
fertility regulation methods.

c.

Demedica 1izing and demystifying healthcare.

34

del i ver mg

s health

and

d.

the
health
Upgradation
multipurpose
workers;
of
affordable,
to
staff must be oriented to
P.H.C.
safe,
healthcare
culturally
appropriate and comprehensive
and health education for women.

5.

child
of family support services that include
Incl us 1 on
woven
elderly
and
the
be
must
adolescent
the
of
and
care
the health sys tern.

II .

Women's empowerment

control

care
into

over bodies and decision making

of
greate r
group conceives women's empowerment as a p roc ess
The
informatlona1
and
financial,
physical
control
over
material,
decide
about
resources,
a view to attain greater power to
with
recommends
g roup
The
issues
of concern to them, by themselves.
the following:

available
must
form

and
be

1 .

education should be made
and
Information
access to them in a comp rehensible
greater
ensured.

2.

Regulation of fertility of women must b e on e of
to empowerment.

3.

p1anning.
family
of
should
Women
not
be the targets
shou1d
Instead
their free consent and informed choice for family
planning must be the decisive factor.

4.

determine
to
right
absolute
given the
must
be
Women
pref
e renc e.
pregnancy, abortion, spacing and family size

5.

for
women
services
support
and
Counse11ing
comprehensive
healthcare.
p romoted to ensu r e

6.

Women's health must be built up from
shou1d
adu1thood.
It
through
to
alone.
health
rep roduc 11v e

7.

Gre at e r
laid.

8.

Older women

III.

emphasis on breast feeding
and

Access to safe

the

roads

must

be

infancy and childhood
viewed
not
as
be

and nut r11 ion must

their health must be given

be

import anc e.

fertility regulation
technology must be

user-control led

1 .

Fertility
regulation
people regulated.

2.

on
terminal methods must
discouraged,
Reliance
be
spacing and barrier methods must be promoted.

3.

Compensation for tubectomy must be provided,
working days lost.

35

and

I nst e ad

to compensate

the

4.

on other heal th systems to bring

There must be greater research
out safe contraceptives.

5. Proper screening for disorders such as anaemia and reproductive
tract

infection must be made,

before

advising contraception.
c amp

approach

6.

Incentives,
stopped.

must

be

7.

Hormonal contraceptives like injectables and implants must
be included in the family planning programme.

not

disincentives

and

the

IV.Role of men

and
socia 1
p e rson a 1
have
consid e rs
that
men
The
group
fertility
and
for their own sexual b eh aviour and
responsibi1ity
well-being
health and
for
the effects of the? r b eh aviour on the
of their spouse, chiIdren and parents.

V. Role of Government
on
group's consensus was that the state should not renege
so
11on
1u
Nor
the
does
healthcare,
its commitment to universal
to
delegating
its
responsibility
in
lie
privatization
or
voluntary organizations.

1 . The

2. Decentra 1ized planning in which people's bodies must decide
resources needed
the
priorities,
required, should be in t reduced.

3.

and

the

recommendations
Report ' s
Shramshakthi
The
health of women must be enforced.

types
on

on
services

of

occup a 11on a 1

VI. Role of voluntary organizations

1 . There should be greater accountabi1ity of their services to the
p eop 1e.

be
ensured
screening
of voluntary organizations must
be
for
extending grants or support by
the
government
p r i or
to
health p rog r ammes.

2. P rop e r

3.

monitoring
of the health projects taken
Prop e r
through government support is essential.

VII.

up

by

NGOs

Strategies and approaches to promote equitable health

1 . Health programmes need to raise women s consciousness and se 1 festeem and enable them to organize th emseIves and address the i r
dependence
on
by themselves rather then the present
problems
the health system.

2.

must
be
health
p rog rammes
the
Al 1
and education
p rog rammes of employment
amen i ties.
36

linked
with
up
and provision of

other
basic

3.

In
the list of duties of Panchayat Raj ins11tu t i ons,
ensLi r i ng
the health of infants, children and women must be included.

4.

There
must b e regu1 ation of
worsen the sex ratio.

al 1

technolog y

wh i ch

potentially

* * * * *
GROUP
I .

2

Determinants of women's health

1.
Health awareness,
important
*

where a women feels her personal

health

i ts

Women
their
feel
own
still
is
not
health
their
responsibi1ity, and healthcare is availed of on 1 y if
it
free
is
or
is
given
incentive
some
to
obtain
population
it.Therefore
control p rog rammes
find
e asy
in these women whose minds are
targets
to
cond i t i on ed
such means.
many
is
a time
as
"p rog ramme"
Awareness
perceived
related,
or
being
a fixed
"for
period
time"
of
" focuses
on specific aspects of health" , and not
a
as
process that must have a holistic dimension.
must
Awareness
also
knowledge
the
mean
of
for a woman to stay healthy, before
requirements
she must be aware of the science of her body.

2.

basic
wh i ch

Employment

tend to have lesser children;
Working
women
therefore
creating
area specific income generating activities for women is a pos111ve
approach towards giving women more access to resources, inc reas ing
their
self-esteem, status, decision making capacity and more
say
in health matters — their own and also their families'.
basis fo creating employment opportunities for
The
women
should
improvemen t
not be the control of the size of the family, but the
of women's income earning potential. Co-operatives have proved
to
b e a success in this context.

3.

Educat ion

It
is seen that women who have had minimum primary education
very receptive to development messages.
Policy should find innovative means to make
education more accessible to women.

37

forma1

and

are

non-forma1

4. Availability of health services
yet the
The group concluded that health infcast rueture does exist,
not.
do
quality,
facilities to provide services of reasonable
c an
PHC's need to be better equipped, for which steps
Th e re fore
be taken to ensure better implementation on a macro level.

II . Control over bodies and reproductive rights of women
Decision making rights are integral to health education and health
Fertility awareness then foilows .
awareness.
III, Access to safe fertility regulation

and
informed
Information on side effects should be p rovid ed
be
emphasized,
to
consent
for fertility regulation need
in mind,
b e borne
needs and preferences should
Individual
women.
on
instead of pushing harmful contraceptives
* Natural methods of fertility regulation should be promoted.
* * * * *

GROUP

3

. Determinants of women's health
knowledge about its delivery
1 . Access to both healthcare and
determined by other factors, the foremost being education.

is

and
to knowledge
2. Access to education is synomymous with access often denied
by
as a consequence, healthcare. This access is
g
i
r1
ado1 escent
the
lack of facilities, particularly for the
whose family expresses insecurity about her leaving the home i n
as
This is compounded by conditons such
search of knowledge.
role
lack of separate toilets for girls which play a crucial
in deciding the duration of a girl's educ a 11on.

is intei—related to other issues — a more educated
3. Education
the
enh ancing
thereby
a better educated mate,
girl
needing
dowry amount required to settle her.
4, Access and utilization are also improved by a mother's level of
services.
health
of
and her own utilization
awareness
b reeds
and
care
her
part
to
medical
on
seek
advice
Reluct anc e
till
a
i
s
1enc
e
her
the
tendency
to
suffer
daughter
same
in
1n
re
ached.
crisis point is
attitude is a product of both her
The mother's phlegmatic
healthcare,
affects
heritage which
and cultural
socia 1
girl's
young
life.
nutrition and various other aspects of a
is
in
access to healthcare plays a crucial role and
5. Physical
marginal
turn governed by factors such as all-season roads and

38

paper),
employment vs. full time employment (ref:Dr. Tekur's
are often
last
The
is important because of facilities which
present iin
n the work place.

found ation
adolescence — often provides a firm
Focus on
to treat
The aim must be
future use of health services.
only time
(the
is not just pregnant
girl/woman when she
receives iron, tetanus toxoid (T.T.) and other essentials).

for
the
sh e

late.
Anaemia is detected only in pregnancy, when 11 is often too
of
T.T.
for injuries is as important as giving 11 in the context
neonatal/puerperal sepsis.
s1ow1y being
is
awareness of one's own body
education
as a clever mark e ting
industrial
sector;
the
exploited by
educ at i on,
the guise of
"reproductive"
and under
t echnique
in
are promoting their brands of sanitary napkins
manuf acturers
schoo1s.

Sex

of
the woman when
Government services — focuses on health
pregnant and thereby builds up the ill us i on that it has nothing to
offer to women with any other ailments.

Local persons — currently utilized for healthcare delivery are
in
and
often providers of misleading if not false information
fact may propagate values not necessarily productive.

II . Women's empowerment,

control

over bodies

1 . This relies mainly on self-esteem and c an b e achieved only by
to
access
equal
establishing equal property rights,
and
Vocat i on a 1
training
edcuation
about their bodies and health,
to become
the final objective of enabling women
would have
financially independent.

2. Women's empowerment has

its

roots i n

the family
religion
soc i e ty
each ind i vidua1
pressures make them get married for
♦ Socie t a 1
as some one's wife or mother.
*

an

identity

Family and religion force them to stay married because
the total lack of alternative options.

* All

of

finally lead to a situation of helplessness,
these
them vulnerable to decisions made by others — for
making
to the common belief
that
it
is
it
e x amp 1 e women succumb
to
rather
use
than men
some
for women
p re f e rab 1 e
cont racept i ve method for fear men (particu1 ar1y those who
have accepted vasectomy) would become weak and consequently
the marriage adversely affected .

39

III Access to safe
1 .

fertility regulation

to
atural methods need
Other safer methods such as scientific n
added
g roup
The
in
the
government
programme.
be
included
the
of the man and
though
that this would curtail cooperation
both
"no"
—
to say
ultimate reproductive right — the strength
husb ands.
and
to
contraceptives
their
to unacceptable

of
imp 1ic at ions
2. Under
the
impact of harmful technology, the
the
and
amnlocentesis
sc ann i ng ,
trends
as
ultrasound
such
IVF were
indiscriminate promotion of in-v itro fertilization —
may
these
considered.
It
11 was agreed that the final control of
b ad
consequent
and
arise
only as a result of consumer action
p r ess.

IV.
1 .

2.

Role of men
and
both father
The man must be made to appreciate his role as
con
t
ribut
e
c
an
...
He must realize that a healthy woman
husb and.
i
b
i
11y
1
respons
to family and work. He must begin to take
more
methods" but which are in
supposedly labelled "male
'
methods
for
condoms,
in the case of
as
provided and bought by women
fact
women
in
areas
and
bought
by
to women by ANNS in rural
given
urb an areas.
schemes
vulnerable
incentive
to
are
more
Men
lure
such
which
into
tactics
them
suscept ib 1 e
to
women.
family plann i ng methods which affect their

and
are
accept ing

V. Role of government
1. The state must acknowledge
many
have
as
children
circumstances.

that each individual has a right
needs
by
her
as
governed

2. Legislation must be clearly biased towards women's
as maternity leave and breast feeding.

issues

to
and
such

the
medical personnel must be the decison-makers 1 n
3. Qualified
individuals
non-med i c a1
civil se rvic e hierarchy, as opposed to
enough
not posted long
health
and
are
oriented
to
who
are not
orientati on.
i n any on e department to obtain this
4.

5.

6.

unnec essary
p romoting
doc tors
advertisement
by
Unethical
by
penalized
and
condemned
is
be
to
strongly
practices
disciplinary measures.

must
go
Care
the living child must become a priority and
of
For
every
fertility,
in
attempts
hand
hand with all
to regulate
on e
be
must
in
intervention
planned
fami1y p1ann i ng there
accompanying step in
i n improving child care.
A change in the medical
issues discussed above.

education syllabus was urged to

40

stress

VI.
1.

Voluntary organizations
Their primary role
health facilities
health.

is to create awarenss i n three main
available, rights of the woman, and

fields
women s

2. Voluntary organizations must orient general p r ac 1111 on e rs ( f rom
whom most people seek medical t re atmen t )
priority and also update them regularly.

to women ' s health as a

in
methods
i nnov a 11v e
organizations
must develop
heal the are
people
and
both
training
field
t e ach i ng
and
me thods/modules
health.
These
the of women's
personnel
iin
n
enable
a
free
adopted
adop
b> the government and thus
could
be
ted
exchange of material and ideas.

3. Vo 1un t a ry

VII. Strategies
1.

of
The focus must shift to the school which becomes the source
education
available
and
of
health
services
information in
terms
in
Preferably this
would
be
on
health,
nutrition and hygiene.
complusory and free for girls.

2. Girl dropouts must be foil owed up , causes studied and
deficiency
remedied.

which

has

led

to

girls

d ropping

ou t

whatever
be
must

3.

women
parishads must have a large representation of
Zilla
and
health
upto 50 per cent and implementation of
preferably
family planning programmes must be channelised through them.

4.

male
Responsibility among men would improve if there were more
now
restricted
g rassroot
level
workers
to
who are right
malaria and filaria control programmes.

5.

The

6.

Legislation already in existence with respect to breast
monitored,
facilitated
at marriage must be
and
age
voluntary health organizations.

7.

The role of media must be to provide information 1 n a diffe rent
given
only
ton e from that of the government even if funds are
on
family planning. Material
p rep arat i on
be
work
must
for
and decentra 1ized such that local and
1inguistic
regionalized
features are taken into consideration.

8.

Mulitinational
who are supposed
investors
for
development work must be u rg ed
money
p rog rammes in preference to others.

9.

Alternative indigenous methods of fertility regulation known to
be in existence in India must be explored.

heal th budge t must be considerably

* * * * *
41

increased

feeding
through

to
al locate
some
to
heal th
support

1

GROUP

4
about health)

(knowledge

I.

a.

1 .

poor hygiene due to lack of basic
Poverty,
drinking water, sanitation, housing

2.

Low ag e

3.

Lack of awareness about
curative heal the are.

4.

b.
1 .

2.

3.

Determinants

a t ma r riage

and

2.

3.

as

frequent child-bearing

importance

of

timely preventive and

Access and utilization
of
because
areas are poor 1y covered by health workers,
Remote
by
ridiculed
are
on
Women
cycles
public transport.
of
lack
accessible
easily
LHVs
and
therefore
cover
only
villagers
villages.
or
quacks
local
by
Most
often
resort to t re a tmen t
people
and
'medicine men' who exploit villagers' sup e rst i 11ous b e 1 i e f s
extremely
only
in
is sought
help
practices.
Professional
critical cases, when it often i s too late.
of
is a clear g end e r bias which makes the health
There
high-income
in
families,
Even
ority.
p
r
i
girls last
and
celebrations,
festivals
and
on
spending
lavish
is
the are.
heal
ventive/curative
pre
on
re luctance to spend
control

women
there
but

over bodies

themseIves -- the
This is possible only when women are aware of
be
awareness can
this
st rue ture and functions of their bodies;
and
women.
men
created by informal education for both
empowerment, which c an
Con t ro1 over bodies is close1y linked to
levels and their
awareness
be made possib1e by increasing their
their
increase
e
r
to
ord
economic activities, in
for
skills
economic independence.
and
It
is essential to involve men i n the empowerment process
and
women's
reproductive
health
understanding
of
their
increase
rights.

III .
1 .

the

such

only
pregnant
to
health services and attention
public
Poor
these
In
PHCs
services.
fact
use
discourage women to
women,
sterilization
and
health
workers
associated
with
are
only
possible 'cases' for sterilization.
attend to pregnant women as

II . Women ' s empowerment,
1 .

early and

amenities

regu1 at i on
fertility
Safe
cont racept i ve technolog i es

methods,

i mp ac t

of

harmful

v a rious
the
information
on
of
lack
There
is
a
total
s i de1e
possib
rop
e
r
p
use,
— the i r
available
contraceptives
individual
needs.
effects and suitability to

42

2.

Most
women in both urban and rura 1 areas are not aware of
technologies such as vaccines, injectables and implants.

3.

resu1t
in
Even
the
widely used spacing methods such as IUCD
f rom
ranging
heal th
disorde rs
se rious
several
often
disturbances in menstrual eye 1es to pelvic infections and backaches.

4.

such
with
public health system has no sympathy for women
The
comp 1 ain ts. They are dismissed as common complaints, some p a i nTh e re fore
killers are prescribed and the woman left to suffer,
contraceptives
would
long-ac ting
hormona 1
introduction
of
definitely damage women ' s health further.

5.

More importance should be given to research on and promotion of
and
methods, using locally available plant material
self-help
p rac t ices
other home remedies, Indigenous medicines and health
authenticity
al so b e promoted after establishing their
shouId
and usefulness.

IV.

Role of men

1 . Men

have
an equal responsibility
women receive adequate healthcare.

in

ensuring that

girls

new

and

2.

Women's health and

3.

Men should realize the importance of spacing,
in determining family size.

4.

delivery,
during
must
b e encouraged to help their wives
Men
their
will sensitize them to women's needs and r ecogn i z e
This
role in the family.

5.

at
Men
shou1d avoid any behaviour which will put their family
a
assumes
greater importance vis
sexual 1y
vis
risk,
This
t ransm111 ed diseases and the HIV/AIDS virus.

V.

Role of the government

1.

paper,
The
development schemes of the government look good on
poor 1y
For
are
instance,
IRDP
implemented.
the
but
Rur a 1 Development Programme, envisaged to
gene rat e
Integrated
in rural households,
may
and
emp1oymen t
income
a
lead
to
family's
Instances
families
indebtedness.
of
increased
purch asing hybrid cattle in dry districts (of course the cattle
die
soon ) and others making debts to repay
bank
very
loans,
common.
setting off a vicious cycle of indebtedness, are quite
medic a 1
Unde r these circumstances, health is last priority, as
costs money.
treatment

2.

Therefore government schemes and programmes must be
realistic,
suited
a.,d individual needs
and
to
local
implemented
with
then
sincerity,
can it meet its
Only
purpose
of
economic
development and income generation.

rep rodcutive

43

rights must

be

recogniz ed.
and of

their role

3.

need
Panchayati Raj bodies can ensure a more decentralized and
Women members must be encouraged to
- based healthcare system,
bring women's issues to the foref ron t.

V. Role of NGOb

already having
NGOs
1 .
government in :
a.
b.

a field base can work

with

c1ose1y

the

facilitating the proper implementation of its health programmes
— prophylaxis, pre and post natal care, family planning.

beneficiaries
in
identifying
development programmes.

c. conducting
pub lie.

health

and

disbursing

for

the

issues

and

and fertility awareness programmes

d. training

health workers, including on
of
sensitivity to women's problems.

g end e r

for

1 oans

home
and
tried
tested
households
to
utilize
to
taken
Care
be
must
mus t
and maintain herbal gardens,
remedies
on
cowdung
smearing
as
against unsafe practices such
c aution
the newly-cut umbilical cord of inf an t s.

e . encouraging

f . encouraging promotive and preventive healthcare through
nutrition
— for example, the use of greens,
affordable fruits and vegetables.

44

lentils,

p rop e r
easily

ANNEXURE III
NOTE ON RESOURCE PERSONS

DR. MALINI
of Pub lie
Institute
sponsored
the Bomb ay

KARKAL retired as Professor and Head of the Department
International
the
f rom
Health and Mortality Studies
university
d
e
emed
which
is
a
for Population Sciences
India,
at
of
Government
the
by the United Nations and
University.

education
formally trained in public health, health
Kark a 1,
Dr.
of
i1
Counc
Indian
consultant
to
the
has been a
and demography,
Health
and
New
the
Delhi,
(World
in
ICMR,
Rese arch
Medic a 1
projects
C —.. — - _ She has completed research
Organization (WHO) in Geneva.
of
various
population
aspects
and wri tten research papers on
mortality,
health
issues,
p1ann i ng ,
f am i 1 y
ferti1ity,
and
affecting
women
policies
and popu1 a 11on
urb aniz at i on,
and
in
movement
the
women's
i s actively involved
She
children,
at
issues
present.
unde rtakes academic worx on women s
and
Med ic ine
of Social
DR.
MOHAN RAO teaches at the Centre
Delhi
.
New
Nehru
Jawaharlal
University,
Commun i ty Health at the
pub
lie
lacunae
?
in
India's
He
i s particularly concerned about the
is the
sys t em and the assumption that population growth
health
degradation.
ronment
and
envi
c ause of pove rty, underdevelopment,

Dr.
Rao's study of the health and family p1ann i ng
Mandya, a weal thy agricultural district in Karnataka,
lacunae in the health system.

in
services
the
exposes

resurgence of fundamentalist forces in the country and
The
need to promote secularism are also of concern to Dr. Rao.

the

A student
DR. SHIRDI PRASAD TEKUR is a peadiatrician by training,
stint in
brief
of St. Johns Medical College in Bangalore, he had a
has also
He
the Department of Community Health at his alma mater,
served in the army.

Tekur is presently the coordinator of Community Health Cel 1
Dr.
and
(CHC),
a Bangalore based voluntary organization promoting
also
among
CHC
health
community
voluntary
agencies.
facilitating
a
interacts with the government on various issues and is part of
the
community
of
concerned
organizations,
health
in
with
ne twork
count ry.
Dr.
Tekur is also interested in alternate and indigenous systems
to
He practises homeopathy, and teaches the subject
of medicine,
students
and
workers.
He
health
is
also
the
Vicemedical
President of the Drug Action Forum in Karnataka.
45

researcher,
h as
BATLIWALA, a women's activist and
SRILATHA
MS.
been involved in grassroots development programmes for the last 20
She was till
recently
the
in
Maharashtra and Karnataka.
years
has
State Programme Director of Mahila Samakhya in Karnataka. Sh e
the
and
worked with the Tata Institute for Social Sciences
a 1 so
n Bombay.
Found at ion for Research in Community Health iin
Alternatives
De v e1opmen t
Present 1 y
she is India Coordinator for
with Women for a New Era (DAWN), an international network of women
researchers and ac 11v i sts.

46

ANNEXURE IV
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

1.

Ms. Malini Karkal
No. 4 , Dhake Colony
Andh e ri West
Bombay - 400058

2.

Ms. Srilatha Batliwala
751, Sth Main, 3rd Block
Koramanga 1 a
Bang a lore
560034

3.

Dr. Mohan Rao
3507, Sector D
Pocket 3
Vasan t kun j
New Delhi
110030

4.

Dr. Shirdi Prasad Tekur
Community Health Cell
326, V Main
1 Block, Koramangala
Bangalore 560034

5.

Ms. Mary Kutty Mathew
Ashraya Children's Home
Jawan's Colony
BDA Park, Double Road
Ind i ranaga
Bangalore
560038

6. Sr. Deena B S
7. Sr. M Mauricia
Holy Cross Convent
Arsike re
Hassan Dist. 573103

8.

Ms. Aruna R
Need Trust
62, Richmond Road
Sacred Heart Church Compound
Bangalore 560025

9. Dr. Chitra Stephen
Department of Community Health
St. John's Medical College
Bangalore 560034

10. Ms. Sarala Hanock
Health Coordinator
Sirwar Health Centre
Sirwar
Raichur Dist. 584129

1 1 . Ms. Elizabeth Whitney
School of Nursing
Church of South India Hospital
Chikballapur 562101
Kolar Dist.

12. Ms. Blessing Harper
School of Nursing
Church of South India Hospital
Chikballapur 562101
Koi ar Dist.

13. Ms. The res i t a
Mahila Samakhya
976, Geetha Road
Chamarajapuram
Mysore - 570004

14. Sr. Mary Devassy
St. Joseph's Hospital
Martalli
P.O.
Koi 1 egal Taluk 571491

15 . Ms. L Jayalakshmi
Manush Educational Centre
802, Rahamania Manzil
Chintamani 563125

16. Sr. Flora D'souza
Fr. Muller's Hospital
Kank anady
Mangalore 575002

17. Mr. K T Arasu
Alternative Development of India
Plot No.1, V G N Nagar
lyappan Thangal
Ko11 am P.O
Madras 600056

47

is.

Dr. H R Kadam
Prineipal
Health & Family Welfare
Training Centre
Magadi Road
Bangalore 560023

19.
20.

Dr . Bhavani Belavady
Ms . B S Mangalagowri
Society for Development
of Women and Children
' Rama 1e e1 a' 271
M.S. Road, V V Puram
Bangalore 560004

21.

Ms. Kama 1 a Rao
Srinidhi 1672/73
10th Main, A Block,
Sub ramanyan agar
Rajajinagar
Bangalore 560010

22.
23.
24 .

Ms . K V Ch a 1 th ra
Ms . C Sudh a
Ms . M S G1 r 1 j a
Grama Vikas, Honnese11ah a 111
Ye 1agondah a 11i P.O.
Kolar Dist. 563127

II

Stage

25 .
. 26.

Dr. N Bhaskara Rao
Ms. C S Veeramatha
ISEC, Nagarbhavi P.O.
Bangalore 560072

27.

Ms. G Bharathi
SIRC Community Programme
Sirwar Health Centre
Sirwa r
Raichur Dist. 584129

28.

Ms. B S Mangalagowri
Society for Development
of Women and Children
'Rama 1ee1 a ' 271
M S Road, V V Puram
Bangalore 560004

29.

Mr . K H Krishnappa
Asst. Editor (E)
M.EM. Wing
Directorate of Health and
Family Welfare Services
Anand Rao Circle
Bangalore 5600O9

30.

Dr. MV Bh a t
Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh
D K District Branch
Arc adia, Falnir
Mangalore 575001

31 .

Mr. G Y Chandrashekarappa
Vittal Vihar Charitable Trust
444, 12th Cross, 4th Main
West of Chord Road II Stage
Bangalore 560086

32.

Ms. Ammu Joseph
3698, 9th Cross
18th Main, Service Road
HAL II Stage
Bangalore 560008

33.

Ms. Seeth a 1akshmi
Times of Ind i a
S & B Towers, M G Road
Bangalore 560001

34.

Ms. Susheela Subramaniam
Southern Economist
106-108, Infantry Road
Bangalore 560001

35 .

Dr. Gwen Richards
Samuh a
Jal ah alii P.O.
Deodurga Taluq
Raichur Dist. 584116

36.

Dr. M K Vasundhra
Prof. HOD of Preventive and
Socxal Medicine
Karnataka Medical College
Hub 11 580022

37.

Ms . Sanghamitra Iyengar
Samuh a
N-12, ITC Park
1, Lavelle Road
Bangalore 560001

48

38. Ms. Gangamma
Mahila Samakhya
276, 2nd Cross
Cambridge Layout
Bangalore - 560008

39. Mr. Srinivas
Indian Express
No. 1 Queens Road
Bangalore 560001

40. Mrs. Nargis Satyapal
114, Sector A J a 1 avayuvihar
Kamman ah a 11i
St. Thomas Town P.O.
Bangalore 560084

41 . Mr. K H S Jayadev
42. Mr . Syed Zahiruddin
43. Ms. Geetha Thakur
JSB Juvenile Service Bureau
62/A, 6th Main, 40th Cross
Sth Block, Jayanagar
Bangalore 560041

44. Ms. Chinamma
People's Movement for
Self Re 1iance
G P Ma 11appapuram
P.B. 19
Mysore D i st .

45 . Mrs. Kumari
Health and Family Welfare
Training Centre
Magadi Raod
Bangalore 560023

46. Dr. T V Neelamma
Deputy Chief Superintendent
HAL Hospital
SHC Compound
Bangalore 560025

47. Dr. H R Raveendra
Department of Preventive and
Socia 1 Med icine
Karnataka Medical College
Hubli 580022

48. Ms. Indira Swaminathan
Educational Consultant
'Aksh ayam'
14, Suddaguntep a 1ya
C V Raman Nagar P.O.
Behind GTRE-CDA
Bangalore 560093

49. Ms. Stella Joyce
Need Trust
62, Richmond Road
SHC compound
Bangalore 560025

50. Mr. M R Raja Kumar
B V K
Iyengar Road Cross
109 Lakshman Rao Road
Bangalore 560053

51 . Ms. Vijaya Srinivasan
‘Samath a'
461, I Cross
Maruthi Temple Road
Kuvempunagar, Mysore

52. Ms. Hema Srinath
ISST, 16th Cross
Gayathri Devi Park Extn.
Ra jmah al Vilas
Bangalore - 560003

53. Dr. Mar i e
54. Ms. Helen
CREST, 71
Bangalore

55 . Ms. Mary Arul
Myrad a/P1 an
88, Dharmapuri Project
Sipcot Housing Colony
Hosur 635126

56. Ms. Glory
Health Coordinator
Women's Voice
No.47, St. Mark's Road
Bangalore 560001

49

Mignon Mascarenhas
Kumar
North Road
560084

57.

Ms. Parvathi Rai
People's Movement for
Self Re 1iance
G P Mallappapuram
P.B. 19
Kollegal 571440
Mysore Dist.

58.

Ms. Victoria
He a 1 th Worker
Women's Voice
No.47, St. Mark's Road
Bangalore 560001

59.

Ms. Mahadevamma
People's Movement ■for
Self Re 1i anc e
G P Mallappapuram
P.B. 19
Kollegal 571440
Mysore Dist.

60.

Ms. Surekha
Fedina - J anavidya1 aya
Vidyaranyanagar
Sarjapur 562125

61 .

Ms. Bhagyamma
People's Movement for
Self Re 11ance
6 P Mallappapuram
P.B. 19
Kollegal 571440
Mysore Dist.

62.

Mr. Vijayapp a
Fedina - Sarjapur
Anekal Taluk
Bangalore Dist. 562125

63.

Ms. Janaki Rao
62 H Modi Residency
Miller Road
Benson Town
Bangalore 560046

64 . Ms . Sucharita S Eashwar
65 . Ms. Vanaja Varma
66. Ms . Cheryl Anne Rebello
67. Ms. Amruthava11i
68. Ms . Kavith a N
Madhyam Communications
Bang a1ore.

50

ANNEXURE V
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
December 10
9.00 am

: Registration of participants

9.45 am

Invocation song
Ms. Kavitha, Ms. Amruth av a 111
Welcome and introduction
Ms. Sucharita S Eashwar
Executive Director, Madhyam Communications

10.00 am

:

Information Update
on population policies,
f ami 1y
p1anning
strategies and impact on women's health
in
Karnatak a

Dr. Mohan Rao
JNU, New Delhi
Ms. Malini Karkal
Researcher and consultant
Popu1 ation and women’s health

Dr. Shirdi Prasad Tekur
Coordin ator, Community Health Cell
Bang a lore
LUNCH
2.00 pm

Focus

on birth control and

of 'Something
Screening
by Ms. Deepa Dhanraj

women s
Like

a

health

War ' ,

a

film

TEA
4.30

pm

: Setting the agenda for discussions the next day
Led by Ms. Srilatha Batliwala
Former State Director, Mahila Samakhya (Karnataka)

5.30 pm

:

C1ose

for the day

/o' r' library
ff
AND

>

OOCUMcNTAT.ON

)

UNIT

51

■pC M-I3O II

ossa

-

December 11
9.30 am

:

Identifying key issues for discussion

Formation of groups
Discussion
in
part icipants

groups o f

issues

identified

by

Drafting of statements and recommendations

LUNCH
2.30 pm

Plenary
Presentation of group statements and recommendations

Discuss1on
5.00 pm

Conelusion

52

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