In Europe, 100 non-governmental groups on
Wednesday called on governments to ensure
reproductive health services during the
pandemic, saying many facilities have sharply
reduced them or shut down.
The predicted baby boom in Africa alone, even
as birth rates have dropped in many countries as
more girls are educated, will add to the growth
that already is projected to see the continent of
1.3 billion people double in population by 2050.
In Zimbabwe, Marie Stopes provided more than
400,000 women last year with family planning
services, Shibru said, including averting
nearly 50,000 unsafe abortions. But now the
organization’s outreach services, which reach
more than 60% of clients, are suspended. Even
at clinics that remain open, the number of
clients has dropped by 70%.
That leaves a country of men, no longer free to
work in the fields or elsewhere, and without the
distraction of sports, confined with their wives
for weeks on end.
“Husband and wife, what else can they be doing
in that house?” asked Future Gwena, a Marie
Stopes outreach worker. “I think we’re going to
have a lot of pregnancies and, unfortunately,
unintended. And most will result in unsafe
abortions, domestic violence. Our community
is paternalistic. If something goes wrong in the
home, it’s the mother’s fault, even if the man
initiated it.”
Even in normal times, the average woman
seeking contraception must get consent from
her husband, Shibru said.
Meanwhile, travel restrictions and
manufacturing slowdowns in Asia as a resultImage: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi