ICTs Opportunities in Sexual and Reproductive Health
By +SocialGood Connector Nashilongo Gervasius Nakale
There is no doubt that the development of information and communication technologies (or ICTs) has brought about commendable progress and successes in different areas of development.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), illustrated some of these successes when she spoke recently at the Social Good Summit held by the UN Foundation and partners in New York.
At the event, I spoke to her about the positive impact that technology has brought about in her field. She stated that there is no doubt that ICTs can provide opportunities, especially for young women, to learn about the diverse family planning methods available — thus giving them new levels of control over the trajectory of their lives. “Technology has open up whole new methods in programming around sexual and reproductive health, such as modern contraceptives and family planning,” she added.
Dr. Kanem highlighted that through UNFPA programs we see more young people being empowered through connectivity, “adolescent girls and even women of reproductive age are able to track their menstrual cycles, as well as pregnancies, among other things,” she said.
Expanding further on the role of technology, Dr. Kanem highlighted that another key developments is the opening of surrogacy services across the world. However, this progress came with a warning that “the promise of technology is real, but that comes with demands for quality services through provision of accurate information to empower young inexperienced users, otherwise it can cause more damage.”
Dr. Kanem also emphasized that existing demographic realities offer a challenge in assessing the real impact of ICTs efforts in this field. “The majority women who are central to reproductive health are unconnected as they live in the developing world where more challenges are found.” Dr Kanem urged that until the digital divide is addressed, ICTs impact will still be skewed and not equitable.
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