DHAKA, Sept 18, 2018 (BSS) – Rahela Khatun, 31, lives at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar district. She visits regularly a health centre run by a non-government organization (NGO). She was informed in the centre about different birth control systems. A mother of seven, Rahela was earlier in dark about those practices.
Now, she is taking birth control injection – one dose after every three months.
Rahela said, “I was totally unaware of the system. My husband doesn’t like any birth control system, especially oral pills. I’m coming here secretly. If he knows about this, he may beat me up. My husband thinks that taking birth control system is a sin as per the religion.”
Another woman, Rizia Khatun, 27, of the same camp has four children. She, too, comes to the centre to take the birth control injection.
Rizia said, “My husband used to come here in the beginning. But later, he was not interested to take the system. He also asked me not to take the birth control injection as he thinks that it is not right. I have been visiting the centre secretly for the last six months.”
Like, Rahela and Rizia, many Rohingya women are taking the birth control injections regularly. According to a survey, there are around 5 lakh children in different Rohingya camps. Around 70,000 children were born in last one year.
Monowara Begum Moni, one of the health service providers of the centre, said almost all Rohingya people don’t know what the birth control system is. Only a few of them know about condom and oral pills. But they don’t want to use those. “We are counseling them. But, many husbands don’t agree to use any birth control system. On the other hand, the women are showing their interests towards using the birth control system. Many women are taking the injections secretly,” she added.
Health and Family Welfare Ministry is working relentlessly to provide the proper treatment facilities to the Rohingya people, including women and children. Along with the ministry, different national and international NGOs are working to this end. They are providing all types of health related treatments to them.
Sources said, the government introduced two projects — Maternal and Child Health and Information Education Medication — to protect the health of children.
Besides, different NGOs along with the government are staging dramas to create mass awareness among the Rohingyas for adopt birth control systems. The government is thinking to introduce a long-term family planning process in all Rohingya camps.
BRAC sources said, the health centres of the NGOs are working relentlessly to provide health services to the Rohingya people, especially women and children.
Faizur Rahman, one supervisor of the camp, said they are counseling the Rohingyas continuously. After the counseling, the women are becoming interested in taking the birth control systems. But the men are not interested, he added.