By Amina Abdul Salam Countering the crisis of population growth requires a change of culture, customs and traditions inherited from thousands of years ago. In this domain, a seminar on "Population ... The basis of Development" was held recently by the Society for Media Development and the Advancement of Women (SMDAW). Dr Ghada Farouk, SMDAW Chairperson, pointed out that there are many misconceptions related to the over population issue that should be corrected. For example, having girl children is not a shame. And then again, frequent childbearing should not be for the purpose of producing children to work in order to help support the family as happens especially in the countryside. Dr Maysa Shawki, former Deputy Minister of Health and Population and Professor of Public Health, Cairo University, spoke of the current population situation, noting that the national strategy for population, 2015-2030, was one of the most important issues in this domain. She said many workshops had been organised to raise awareness of the hazards of overpopulation, especially in rural areas. An atlas of population development, she said, had been issued. Dr Abdel Qawei Head of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Union pointed out that there is an urgent need to increase the number of rural guides who number 14,000 guides only and serve 16 million women and direct contact is the most powerful communication with the public. Dr Amr Hassan, Assistant Professor Obstetrics and Gynaecology, stressed that over population badly affects society. The state is unable to supply the infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and housing units to cope with the population increase. He attributed the increase to underage marriage and some women having three or four children before they reach the age of 20. And this also may lead to raising mortality rates.
