Freetown, September 22 (IPS) – Eunice Dumbuya, a young activist in Freetown, Sierra Leone, still remembers that he was called a promiscue after he had received a contraception implant a few years ago. She knew the risks of an unplanned pregnancy in her conservative country, so she made a choice.
“I had to go to the hospital with my aunt for contraceptives because my mother was very strict,” she explained. “My aunt was the one who supported me. The use of contraceptives increased my self -confidence,” Eunice shared.
In Sierra Leone, many people see sex outside of marriage as a taboo, while the birth is considered a blessing within marriage. As a result, the use of contraceptives can draw a hard judgment.
‘Some people, as soon as they have the [contraceptive] Implanting under your skin, assume that you are a promiscue, “said Eunice.” If you are a teenager, it’s worse. People think that you are doing something inappropriate for your age, just because you are on contraceptives.
Cultural and religious barriers
Family planning remains an important problem that the lives of women and men in Sierra Leone shape. According to the 2019 Sierra Leone demographic and Health SurveyThe percentage of contraception prevalence is 24 percent for all women, 21 percent for married women and 53 percent for sexually active unmarried women.
Despite the rising use, many women are still confronted with large barriers. Fayia Pionay, the integrated marketing officer at Marie Stopes Sierra Leone, a non-governmental organization that offers family planning, and sexual reproductive health services in Sierra Leone, pointed to cultural stigma, discrimination and religious beliefs as major challenges.
“It is important that married women use contraceptives to use births in space, regain their health and support their families through work,” he said. “Young people use it to postpone the birth, to concentrate on education or skills and to plan the future. Nationally it enables young people to become productive and contribute to the development of the country.”
However, the opposition of religious leaders makes family planning difficult to promote. “There are still communities where religious leaders preach against the use of family planning, which seriously limits acceptance and its use,” the Poray added.
This resistance often drips to families, especially those with strict religious beliefs. Mariatu Sankoh, a university student, reminded how difficult it was to look for contraception. “I can’t confront my parents to tell them that I want to take contraceptives because I know that I would receive the beating of my life, something I have never experienced before,” she said. “So I had to take matters into my own hands because I don’t want to get pregnant.” She added that the first time she went to the hospital for contraception, she had to go with a friend’s aunt to prevent suspicion.
Explanation also stated that some people falsely believe that contraceptives cause infertility, and others exaggerate side effects.
“All medicines have side effects and family planning is no exception,” he said. “Despite the side effects, the benefits of using family planning outweigh the risks.”
Control of women’s choices
In Sierra Leone, Stigma is often rooted around contraceptives Gender -based violence And tries to control women’s bodies. These problems remain widespread. About 62 percent of women 15 to 49 years old have experienced physical or sexual violence. And 61 percent of the always married women have abused their partners, whether it is physical, sexual or emotional.
Experts say that stigma around contraception goes beyond family planning. It is bound by the way in which society treats the independence of women.
“In our African society, when a young girl uses implants, she is often rated hard,” said Rebecca Kamara, who remembers that she has to deal with Stigma herself.
“That was one of the most important challenges I stood for. Even partners cannot be supportive. Some prefer that you use emergency pills that are used with serious side effects. When I started using contraceptives, I was still studying. I didn’t want an unplanned pregnancy to disrupt my education,” she explained.
“I was viewed in a very humiliating way when I started using implants at a young age,” says Isha Sesay, a young, unmarried woman. “Some family members and neighbors whispered behind my back that I had several partners, that’s why I used it.”
Just like Isha, many young women in Sierra Leone stand against Stigma of family, friends and neighbors to choose to protect themselves.
Some men still believe that only women with multiple sexual partners use contraceptives.
“If I am the only one you sleep with, you can’t stress to use it. I can’t go out with a woman who uses contraceptives. They are those you should be afraid of,” said Francis Kanu.
Michael Sahr Kendor, a married man, shares a similar position. “I can understand a teenager who uses contraceptives, but I don’t see the reason for adult women to use contraceptives,” he said.
Progress?
In Sierra Leone, Efforts are made To promote family planning and to expand access to reproductive health services. The country is part of the FP2030 -InitiativeA worldwide partnership to ensure that all women and girls have access to modern contraception by 2030.
The United Nations Population Fund has increased efforts and provides contraceptives used in the public sector, but despite this it says, it says Stigma around contraception Use remains a challenge.
Adama*, a visually impaired woman, shared how health workers still discriminate against people with disabilities who try to use contraceptives.
“Once, when I went to a pharmacy to buy an emergency pill, the pharmacist, while handing me the recipe, told me to inform me the person who sent me to eat well before they take it,” she said. The comment made her terrible because the pharmacist assumed that she could not be the user.
Marie Kamara, another woman who lives with a disability, said that she simply cannot afford any contraceptives.
“I have never used family planning. I know that I am not financially strong, so contraceptives are clearly not an option for me. I can hardly afford basic needs such as food, so think of contraceptives and how to preserve it is not even realistic.”
Courage in the light of stigma
Eunice in Freetown regrets that the stigma is getting worse about contraceptives. Yet she believes that women must be brave and make their own choices.
“The social pressure has encouraged many girls to remove the implant or switch to less visible methods. Although the stigma influenced me, I did not remove it because I knew that I could not let people determine my choices. Sometimes you just can’t escape the stigmatization,” she said.
Note: The name of Adama has changed because she wanted anonymity.
IPS a desk report
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