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ocal governments should do more in their family planning campaigns, especially for couples of child-bearing age, the health minister says.

Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said recently that despite a decrease in unmet needs to 9.1 percent in 2007 from 12.7 percent in 1991, the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in Indonesia remained at about 60 percent, while short-term contraceptives, such as injections and pills, were still the most popular types of contraception.

Moreover, male participation in family planning programs reached only 3.24 percent during the period 2000-2008, according to National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) data, she added. “It is critical to get the buy-in from local governments in order to expand to a national commitment,” said Endang in her keynote speech delivered at the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR), which was held at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

She said the number of women taking short-term contraceptives, especially injections, had risen. “Couples who do not want to have more children tend to use such contraceptives,” she said, citing the 2010 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey.

Studies show that 91 percent of the more than 14 million babies born to adolescent women between the ages of 15 and 19 each year, occur in low- and middle-income countries. Six million of the total number of adolescent pregnancies are unwanted, and are partly caused by low contraceptive use.

“Sexual activity among adolescents and cases of extramarital sex continue to increase. However, modern contraceptive use among adolescents who want to avoid becoming pregnant remains low, despite the fact that unwanted pregnancies carry a higher risk of problems both for young mothers and the children they give birth to,” Endang said.

The 2007 Indonesia Young Adult Reproductive Health Survey showed that male adolescents were far more likely to engage in extramarital sexual activity than young females.

Sumaryati Aryoso from the Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development said the government had initiated support to enhance quality of life among the population by providing free contraception for low-income families. Unfortunately, reality often paints a different picture.

“I’ve received complaints from low-income women in different regions, who have been forced to pay for each contraceptive service they receive. Some local regulations even stipulate that intrauterine devices (IUDs) will cost more than injections or pills, discouraging people to use longer-term contraceptives like these, even if they only have to pay Rp 25,000 (US$2.8) for the most effective and safest method of birth control,” said Sumaryati, adding local governments should play a bigger role in making sure family planning programs in their areas were well-implemented.