Topic: Reproductive Health
Country: Burkina Faso
Delegate Name: Jasmyne Bush
School: Williamston High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Burkina Faso position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
Reproductive health refers to diseases, disorders, and conditions that affect the functioning of the male and female reproductive systems during all stages of life. In many parts of the world, women lack control of their reproductive rights. These lack of rights are results of economic barriers, the absence of education about family planning methods, religious and cultural restrictions, and limits on access to various forms of birth control. The dangers these women could potentially obtain from not knowing about their reproductive health is uncanny. If women don’t, the unknown could extend into other parts of their lives as well. Young girls now are being the victims of things such as: child marriage and female genital mutilation, pregnancies that are dangerous to inadequate prenatal care, and death as a result of certain pregnancy complications. These certain things are a real risk that many of these women are currently facing. HIV/AIDS are sexually transmitted diseases that these women have an increasing chance of contracting. At this day in age, women constitute more than half of all people worldwide living with HIV. Women with these certain diseases, additionally, have an increased risk of transmitting them to their children. Burkina Faso is experiencing a rapid population growth which is pushing its capacity to complete its demographic and to harness its economic potential. At the center of this population growth is its reproductive health. The 2010 the Demographic and Health Survey indicated the following: 6% of women have a high total fertility rate, 11% have a high adolescent birth rate, and 15% have a low contraceptive prevalence rate. This is further compounded by poor child survival rates with only one in five children reaching the age of five, and by poor maternal outcomes, with only 17% of pregnant women completing 4 antenatal care visits.Maternal mortality and morbidity rates in Burkina Faso are among the highest in the world. A Burkinabe woman dies from pregnancy-related complications every three hours, and for each maternal death that occurs, 20 to 30 women suffer from pregnancy-related disabilities. Approximately 29% of Burkinabe women have an unmet need for modern contraception, and maternal and newborn health programs remain severely underfunded in Burkina Faso. In order to solve this epidemic measures need to be taken. Although there have been things done to help, none of them have been that effective. What should be done is that Burkina Faso should strengthen health centers and the health of the community health workers so more people have the opportunity to get access to receive the information of their reproductive health. In addition, training the health workers to deliver services, engaging the community members with significant influence, and making sure women have the rights to look after themselves in order for them to be healthy are all easy goals that can be achieved and should be done. Although these are small steps to decrease this growing quandary. Family planning programs need to be strengthened so that all women can more easily plan the timing and spacing of their pregnancies. This will reduce levels of unintended pregnancy, and thereby the need for abortion. At the same time, improving access to high-quality postabortion care services, especially in rural areas, is critically needed to reduce maternal illness and death in Burkina Faso.
