CUBA: Teen Pregnancy a Challenge
The cuban press reported on 23 July on the challenges of teen pregnancy for Cuban society. The report referred to the activities developed in the country by the last World Population Day, dedicated to universal access to reproductive health. With support from UNFPA, the Population Studies Center hosted a training for journalists on the issues. Read in Spanish: SEMlac
URUGUAY: New Gender Statistics Show Inequalities among Women and Men
Several media outlets reported from 23 to 24 July that, according to the last statistics on gender published by the National Institute of Women (Ministry of Social Development) and UNFPA, Uruguayan women face inequalities in aspects such as access to the labour market, income or political representation. The document highlights the need to include gender inequalities challenges in the social reform that the current government is implementing under the Ministry of Social Development leadership. Young, rural and afrodescendent women have serious difficulties in obtaining a job and their activity rate is more than 20% lower than men. Family care giving appears to be the major reason explaining these differences, since Uruguayan women reduce their participation in the labour market when the number of children is higher. Read in Spanish: La República, Canal 4, El Telégrafo, Info Maldonado, Ecos Regionales, Canal 5, VTV, Telemundo.
ARMENIA: Role of Elderly Evolving
ArmeniaNow reported on 23 July on the role of seniors in evolving Armenian families. About 73 percent of older adults above the age of 50 now subsist below the minimal consumer bracket of 42,000 dram ($103), the minimum required to survive, according to a 2008 Report on Aging Survey in the Republic of Armenia, conducted in part by the National Statistical Service of Armenia under the auspices of the United Nations Population Fund.
Increased life expectancy and the migration of younger generations abroad also mean that the considerable expense of a rapidly aging population will not go away any time soon. According to Garik Hayrapetyan, UNFPA Armenia assistant representative, adults over the age of 60 will make up about 21 percent of the entire population by 2024. "We understand that old people are a wealth of experience and knowledge," he says about mounting concerns over the effect of an aging population on the already strained finances of the pension and healthcare systems. "But society has an obligation to make sure that the life [of seniors] is appropriate." Read in English: ArmeniaNow
BELARUS: Counteracting Gender Inequality
Church.by reported on 23 July (and cerkov.by – on 26 July) that Charity Sisterhood Union joins the project “Developing national capacity to counteract domestic violence in Belarus in the context of increased gender equality” and signed a letter of understanding with UNFPA. UN Resident Coordinator / UNFPA Representative in Belarus Antonius Broek is quoted saying, “Ending violence against women should not just be perceived as ‘good for women’ but it is also ‘good for men’, as they are in fact the root cause of this violence. Therefore, gender equality is key in finding a solution to the violence against women, and Belarusian Government and other Governments are there to take the lead in solving these issues.” Mr Broek added, “in Belarus an important step forward would be the early adoption of the legislation related to violence against women.” UNFPA Projects Manager Galina Dzesiatava spoke on the expected outcomes of the project saying, “One of the main outcomes is development and implementation of the model of intersectoral collaboration in addressing domestic violence in the three pilot regions. This means that regardless of who the woman reports to - the district inspector of police, doctor, psychologist, priest, to the crisis room or public organization - she will get expert help and needed information.” Head of Social Department of the Minsk diocese Oleg Shulgin said that gender inequality is a result of the fall. Read in Russian: church.by, cerkov.by.
MYANMAR: Gaps in Family Planning
The Myanmar Times on 23 July reported that, "while the government, UNFPA and other partners spent about US $2.66 million on procuring and distributing contraceptives in 2012, this was still $3.14 million short of estimated demand."