Sexual health of male migrant workers

Sexual health is defined as part of reproductive health and includes healthy sexual development; equitable and responsible relationships and sexual fulfilment; and freedom from illness, disease, disability, violence and other harmful practices related to sexuality. For this project on Health Problems of Migrants Workers, a section on sexual health was incorporated based on a special concern over sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and high-risk behaviours. Access to healthcare is recognised to be a problem with minority or marginalised groups, including adolescents and migrant populations, especially undocumented migrants. This exacerbates the issue of control and management of STDs. The Sexual Health section covered experience with sexual intercourse, and a limited number of questions related to sex partners and condom use among those who are sexually experienced

Selected data on health status of migrant women respondents

Reproductive health is " a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in all metters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Implicit in this is the right of men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective and affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation of fertility, which are not against the law, and the right of access to health-care services that enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth." The survey on Health Problem migrant workers included a section on women's health covering aspects of reproductivehealth. This was based on concerns over reproductive health needs of migrant women workers, particularly since the large majority are in the reproductive age-group, and the utilisation of goverment healthcare facilities. The latter has implications for the potential burden on public healthcare service in terms of resources and costs. Specifically, the women,s health section included questions on pregnancy, place of delivery of last baby (born in Malaysia), posnatal care related to this delivery, and mode of payment. For those currently pregnant, questions were asked of sources of antenatal care, postnatal care and respective modes of payment for those services. This section olso included questions on current contraceptive practices, source of supplies, and mode of payment for contraceptive methods

Delayed Marriage and Very Low Fertility in Pacific Asia

The general decline in fertility levels in Pacific Asia has in its vanguard countries where fertility rates are among the lowest in the world. A related trend is toward delayed marriage and nonmarriage. When prevalence of cohabitation in European countries is allowed for, levels of "effective singlehood" in many countries of Pacific Asia have run ahead of those in northern and western Europe. This raises questions about the extent to which delayed marriage has been implicated in fertility declines, and whether the same factors are leading both to delayed marriage and to lowered fertility within marriage. The article argues that involuntary nonmarriage is likely to be more common in Pacific Asia than in Western countries, and that resultant involuntary childlessness plays a substantial role in the low fertility rates currently observed. Copyright 2007 The Population Council, Inc..