Sexual and reproductive health- a question of priorities The signpost International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) 1994 and the chain of events leading to it were a visible shift from Population towards Reproductive Health (RH). In this connection another newness brought to old issues through ICPD was the language change suggesting replacement or at least emphasis on the introduction of new jargons. Earlier obsession of policy makers with reduction in fertility and population growth steered population programs towards chasing demographic targets, which overlooked socio-cultural values in the developing world. Health, including Sexual and Reproductive health(SRH), has different cultural perceptions and various determinants. Some crucial determinants of SRH include information, education, lifestyle, religion, region, law, gender roles, economy and political will. These factors are not only separately related to SRH but mutually influence each other. The vital new issues underscored by ICPD encompassed Gender Equity, Violence against Women, Trafficking of Women, Female Genital Mutilation, Child Marriage, Male Roles and Responsibilities, Unsafe Abortion, Infertility, STDs/HIV/AIDS, Safe(r) Motherhood and Antenatal Care. Taking into consideration the fact that in this world , men are the first to be heard and women are the first to be harmed, it is suggested that men, specially the young men, should be the primary audience and women, especially young women, regardless of their marital status, should be the direct beneficiaries of SRH interventions. It is time to go beyond rhetoric and take concrete yet pragmatic decisions and actions on the most debatable, disputed and tabooed issues in our society. For instance, the issue of Abortion. The Quran does not clearly address this issue. However, there is a general feeling that Islam permits Abortion only for the most serious reasons. It is time to develop a consensus on this, include rape, marital rape, incest, and war victims in the list of most serious reasons for safe abortion. The biggest challenge is; are those who are in the corridors of power and politics ready to take immediate steps to change not only the condition but position of oppressed men, women and children in their respective societies. Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen Demographic Data & Estimates for South Asian Countries

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