he world’s population is increasing quickly and was approximately 7.7 billion in 2019. It is over 8 billion today. Natural resources are declining to meet the expanding population’s demands. Some nations are experiencing an overpopulation problem, disproportionately affecting people, particularly in developing countries. This situation affects economic development, employment, income distribution, prosperity, social protection and world peace at large. This also upsets universal access to healthcare, education, housing, sanitation, water, food and energy.

Many countries experienced lockdowns on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, damaging health systems, especially reproductive healthcare availability. Evidence from the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic indicated that there was an unequal and inconsistent impact of the pandemic on women and girls. Women represent 70 percent of the health and social sector workforce globally.

World Population Day has been observed on the 11th of July every year since 1990. The objective of this year’s observance is to increase public awareness of the effects of the increased population on gender equality and to encourage actions to address the issues relating to it. The main goal is to highlight the importance of the present global situation of the Covid-19 pandemic on society, economy, communities, women and girls worldwide. The theme, according to the UNFPA for this year, focuses on how to “Safeguard the health and rights of women and girls and putting those brakes on Covid-19”.

According to a UN report, the Covid-19 pandemic hurt 12 million people and left more than half a million dead. But the overall toll of this catastrophe has been incalculably greater. Health systems were overwhelmed and economies suffered. Women and girls were excessively affected as reproductive health services were limited and gender-based violence rose. Coming out of the pandemic, there is a need to raise awareness of women’s reproductive health essentials worldwide.

Rapid population growth continues to obstruct the achievement of sustainable development goals, in particular, eradicating hunger and poverty; achieving gender equality; and improving health and education. Family planning and reproductive health services can play a vital role in addressing population issues. They should be used not only to achieve fertility targets but also to empower women socially and economically. Women should be able to choose if, when and how many children they would like to have, free from societal pressures.

More than 200 million women in developing countries currently have an unmet need for family planning, meaning they do not want to get pregnant but are not using modem contraceptive methods. Research published by the Guttmacher Institute in Washington DC shows that this is because they are unable to access family planning services and have concerns regarding side effects. In nearly a quarter of cases, their male partners or others close to them oppose contraceptive use. To be effective, contraception provision must be accompanied by education, support and female liberation.

Family planning and reproductive health services can play a vital role in addressing population issues. They should be used not only to achieve fertility targets but also to empower women socially and economically. Women should be able to choose if, when and how many children they would like to have, free from societal pressures.

The population of Pakistan is over 240,485,658, making it the fifth-most populous country in the world. Since a large population has a profound, cross-sectorial impact on the country’s socioeconomic growth, Pakistan needs transformative change to boost family planning use to achieve at least SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production).

Sustained, rapid population growth adds to the challenge of achieving social and economic development and magnifies the scale of the investments and effort required to ensure poverty eradication; end hunger and malnutrition; and certify universal access to healthcare, education and other essential services. In many countries the growing population also poses a severe threat to national security.

Several factors are contributing to the rapid increase in the population of Pakistan. The low literacy rate among women and girls is one of those. There is a fundamental association between a girl going to school, even for a brief period of time, and having fewer kids in her lifetime than a girl who does not go to school at all. A high increase in the population is a great challenge. It has resulted in a shortage of water, electricity, jobs, infrastructure, public transportation, health, education, law and order, and other social issues.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that the situation in Pakistan calls for gender-responsive emergency measures to mitigate the harmful impacts of Covid-19 on the protection of women. It is necessary to recognise the gender dimensions of the impact from the outbreak to respond to the immediate and intermediate needs of women and girls.

The health of women in Pakistan is among the worst in the world. It does not favourably compare with that of women in the surrounding South Asian nations.

Pregnancy-related deaths affect one in 38 women in Pakistan. According to recent World Bank research, Pakistan needs to put greater emphasis on reproduction as part of a comprehensive healthcare strategy that would improve the state of women’s health in the country.

“Peace in our world begins with peace in the home”, António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, stated in his call for a global ‘ceasefire’ on gender-based violence. “One woman in three experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. With countries on lockdown and household tensions heightened, gender-based violence is on the rise, and sexual and reproductive health services are being sidelined by health systems struggling to cope with Covid-19”, he added.

The writer is a playwright and freelance journalist and can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com