FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2024
MOLLY FERNANDES
Everyone has the right to work, to choose, to live…
World Population Day is observed every year on July 11, to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control. As per the United Nations, the rising population trends ‘affect’ economic development, employment, income distribution, poverty and social protections.
World Population Day was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987, the approximate date on which the world’s population reached five billion people. The father of Population Day is Dr KC Zachariah, who took the initiative to start the celebration of World Population Day.
World Population Day aims to increase people’s awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.
The theme for World Population Day 2024 is “Rights and choices for all - Everyone. Everywhere. Now”. The focus this year is on data, specifically pointing out that the most marginalised communities remain underrepresented in data, profoundly affecting their lives and well-being.
The current world population is 8,119,305,080 as of Thursday, July 4, 2024, according to the most recent United Nations estimates elaborated by Worldometer. The term ‘World Population’ refers to the human population (the total number of humans currently living) of the world.
The population of India stood at 1.44 billion in January 2024. Data shows that India’s population increased by 13 million (+0.9 percent) between early 2023 and the start of 2024. 48.4 per cent of India’s population is female, while 51.6 per cent of the population is male.
While the Economic Survey states that as per the population projections by the National Commission on Population of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Goa’s population in 2024, is expected to be approximately 15.8 lakh. Goa has a population of 10.41 crore, an increase from figure of 8.30 crore, which is very high for Goa.
‘Rights and choices for all - Everyone. Everywhere. Now.’ this year’s theme resonates with what God said when He created Man and the woman. “And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it; and have dominion…” God gives four instructions: Be fruitful (or ‘bear fruit’, have children). Multiply (as each new generation has more children and they have more children). Fill the earth (populate). Have dominion (or authority and management) over all the other creatures and to destroy the earth.
Whereas ‘Hum do, Hamare do’ is a contradictory phrase of a family planning initiative which encouraged a couple to have two children, only launched in 1952 to promote awareness among married couples. And the worst, when someone said, ‘hum do, hamara ek’.
Governments can walk a fine line. They can provide family planning resources without dictating family size, instead, empowering individuals to education and awareness by increasing access to comprehensive family planning education, including sex education. This empowers individuals to make informed choices about their reproductive health and secondly by investing in education and job training opportunities for women and girls. Another initiative could be, government policies by developing policies that promote gender equality, social justice, and access to basic needs like healthcare and education; encouraging collaboration between governments, NGOs, and international organisations to address global population issues and track the progress of policies and hold those accountable for upholding human rights and providing choices for all.
And lastly utilise online resources to expand access to healthcare services for remote or marginalised communities with communication platforms to disseminate information on natural family planning and reproductive rights in a culturally sensitive manner. No one has the right to destroy life.
