Women, youths must be told about their health: UN envoy

WOMEN, children and youths must be told about their health and sexual rights, an official says.
Rosemary Pawih, the youth ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund, said during the launching of the World Population Report yesterday in Port Moresby more awareness was needed in communities.
She said women should be informed about their health rights, how their body worked as part of growing up, what to avoid and family planning methods to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.
She said educating women on health issues was educating a family and that would also help the country.
“Women and children need to be told as it is their right,” Pawih said.
She said Papua New Guinea’s population was increasing at an “alarming rate of 3.1 per cent”.
Pawih said, therefore, education youths, mothers and children about their health was vital part of the social development.
Secretary of National Planning and Monitoring Koney Samuel said it was becoming a national issue which the Government had set as a priority.
Samuel said the Government has made significant investments in the past five years particularly in the health and education sectors to address such social issues.