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BKKBN taps youngsters to promote program
Collaborating with artists and celebrities, the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) are promoting the government's family planning program to a young audience through the Jakarta Youth Fiesta music festival Sunday
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Collaborating with artists and celebrities, the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) are promoting the government's family planning program to a young audience through the Jakarta Youth Fiesta music festival Sunday.
"Over the past five years, the implementation of the family planning program has not been working that well," BKKBN head Sugiri Syarief told a press conference Thursday.
"Young people's knowledge of the family planning program is still lacking," he said, adding that he regretted hearing the occasional remarks of some celebrity couples who say they want five or six children.
These kinds of remarks from celebrities, who are viewed as idols among younger generations, is likely to create a false impression that the BKKBN's notion of "two children are better", previously "two children are enough", is a thing of the past.
"So, through the event, we aim to create family planning awareness among young people," Sugiri said.
Sugiri said Indonesia experienced its first baby boom period during the 1970s.
"We must not be late in preventing a repetition of the baby boom because it would be hard to deal with the social costs, especially in terms of education and health."
Artist and father of three, Butet Kartaradjasa, 47, said he was concerned about the family planning issue.
"It is better to carefully plan a marriage or postpone it until one is really ready," he said.
Sugiri said that in general the average marital age was not too low, with the average woman marrying at 24.
The issue of premarital sexual intercourse was mentioned in a BKKBN release. According to the release, several studies have found that between 21 and 30 percent of Indonesian youth in major cities Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta have had premarital sexual intercourse.
According to research conducted by NGO Annisa Foundation in 2006, 42.3 percent of senior and junior high school students in Cianjur, a small town in West Java, had already had sexual intercourse.
The 2008 Jakarta Youth Fiesta, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in the west plaza of Gelora Bung Karno sport stadium, Central Jakarta, features local music bands such as Samsons, Steven and The Coconut Treez.
