Timor Leste CEDAW Specific Report on Education and Health Sectors

through local radio programmes, and FP Focal Points at the village level. 30 The MoH isaware of the crucial role that husbands play in decision-making when it comes to FP, andis advocating for the involvement of men in RH at the national and district levels.Planning for the involvement of men in RH in 5 districts has been done. IEC materialshave been developed and produced in collaboration between the Mother and Child Health(MCH) and Health Promotion Departments of the MoH.40. The results of the DHS show disparity of urban and rural women in terms of family sizeand utilisation of FP services. Urban women tend to have 5 children, while rural womentend to have 6. Women living in urban areas use modern contraceptive twice as much asrural women. 31 It is on this premise that the MoH is resolved to tackle this imbalancethrough its SISCa and BCC programs.41. A crucial factor to ensure the success of the FP program is RH Commodity Securityincluding of FP commodities. The government has been procuring EmOC drugs tosupport the maternal health programme and with the support of UN agencies,procurement of FP commodities has been continuous. A Logistics ManagementInformation System (LMIS) is also in place. Based on a 2010 evaluation of the FPprogramme, there has been no stock-out of FP commodities at the National Hospital. Atthe district level, 70% of the District Health Centres, 60% of Community Health Centresand 45% of Health Posts did not have stock out. During this period, the evaluation foundthat the capacity of health staff in provision of FP services and counselling is adequate,but there is still room for improvement in the LMIS and monitoring.42. It should be noted that the MoH works closely with the Church, particularly in regards toFP. 32 The Catholic Church is highly regarded and can influence policy and law. Goodcollaboration between the church and government on RH and FP is well-documentedwith the letter of the Bishop of Baucau during the development of the Birth Spacing Film,and the participation of the Bishop of Dili during the National Conference on RH, FP,and Sex Education July 2010. One Catholic congregation, the Soverdy (SVD) hasrecently established the Spiritual Guidance Centre, providing counseling to couplesintending to get married. During this counseling, the MoH is allocated a session to talkabout RH and birth spacing. As such, the Church provides spiritual and moral guidance,and the government provides RH information to ensure couples have informed choice,can claim their rights, and enjoy their full potential as a couple.Prevention of Early Pregnancy43. Teenage pregnancy, as measured by the age-specific fertility rate per 1000 women in theage group 15-19 has decreased from 78 in 2003 to 51 in 2009 33 , but it is still consideredof the components of the NRHS, and the National BCC Strategy on RH/FP/SM focuses30 -31 -32 GMPTL/UNMI33 - 10 | <strong>CEDAW</strong> <strong>Specific</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on Education and Health Sectors <strong>Timor</strong>-<strong>Leste</strong>