Call for policy to ensure health services for ethnic minority women

Awareness is essential to increase the health care of ethnic minority women in the country, rights activists said at a seminar on Friday, also calling for a policy to ensure smooth health services for them.

The speakers made the call at the seminar, titled "Diversity, Indigenous peoples and SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights)", organised by Indigenous Peoples Development Services (IPDS) at CBCB Center in the capital.

In his speech, IPDS President Sanjeeb Drong said, "A policy on SRHR for Indigenous women is very important. A national-level policy is required on this. The country is moving forward but ethnic minority peoples also need to join this development process. In order to achieve the SDGs, the ethnic minorities must first come forward in development activities".

The Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) has developed a new curriculum, in which the subject of Indigenous peoples has been included for the first time, he added.

In the keynote presentation, IPDS coordinator Tuli Lavanya Mrong said that the main problem of Indigenous women is not discussing sexual and reproductive health in the family and society. The Indigenous society needs to be made aware of the importance of this issue.

DGFP family planning manager Indrani Debnath, ILO representative Anne Drong, RedOrange Media and Communications manager Ruhan Shama and garment workers Chumki Gomez and Mithu Rangdi, among others, addressed the seminar.

Members of various Indigenous communities including Chakma, Garo, Khasia, Santal, Marma and Tripura participated in the seminar.