Workshop on Reproductive Health and Rights

Chandigarh, March 10, 2023: On the Occasion of International Women’s Day, the Department-cum-Centre for Women’s Studies and Development, Panjab University, Chandigarh organized a workshop on Reproductive Health and Rights. 
The Resource Person, Dr. Baljeet Kaur, Assistant Director (Retd), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Punjab started her discussion with emphasis upon the need to be able to talk about reproductive and sexual issues. These are issues which she said should be discussed at school level, but are often glossed over with a feeling of embarrassment among both teachers and students alike. In the course of her talk, she elaborated the process of ovulation, the female reproductive structure as well as the male reproductive structure.  She further shed light upon the various methods of family planning while lightheartedly sharing her experiences in the field. Clarifying the difference between the oral contraceptive pill and the I-Pill, she emphasized upon the fact that the I-Pill is just meant for emergency use, such as failure of traditional contraceptive devices, and not for everyday use.  She also warned the participants about the possibility of sexually transmitted infections, and the greater susceptibility of girls and women to these due to their biological structure and stressed upon the need to use the barrier method for prevention of these. At the same time, she highlighted the possibility of male sexual problems due to inappropriate or tight clothing. Throughout the session, she repeatedly asserted that the boys need to be aware about women’s reproductive structures and vice versa. She concluded her talk with the assertion that information about reproductive and sexual health is often sought from non-reliable sources and we can talk about our rights only if we have the correct information. Hence we should not hesitate to ask from persons who have the correct knowledge.

The Workshop was attended by students and research scholars from across the University. Significantly a majority of the participants of the workshop were males. Prof. Manvinder Kaur while thanking the resource person also informed the house that the theme of the workshop had been decided upn a request by some male students for a talk upon reproductive health.