In the last four years, the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership has worked hard to improve access to medical abortion around Asia. One of our projects is medical abortion hotlines. We partner with regional and global organizations in order to launch and run these hotlines. Currently there are three major hotlines in Asia: In Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand.

They can be reached on the numbers below:

Safe Abortion Hotlines

Pakistan:
0307-4940707(Urdu, Punjabi)
0315-9473399(Urdu, Sindhi)
0315-9473399(Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi)
Indonesia:
062-274-6686120(Bahasa)
Thailand:
083 9944 212: 8-10 am daily
089 0063 948: 16.30 daily
084 4634 647: 6-10 pm Mon-Tues
086 5170 544: 6-9 pm Wed-Sun

For September 28, we interviewed one of our partners, Peace Foundation which operates the medical abortion hotline in a few regions of Pakistan:

How did Peace Foundation become involved with the medical abortion hotline?

As our society (in Pakistan) does not believe in abortion, openly talking about abortion is considered a sin. In rural areas, medical doctors are mostly not available. Many women lose their lives because of unsafe practices of abortions. Peace Foundation wants to save the lives of women from unsafe practices of unsafe abortion in society.We are an active member of the Women Global Network for Reproductive Rights, and has always been involved in sexual and reproductive health. We participated in regional conference meetings held in South Africa and Thailand, where we met with Women on Waves, the Women on Web Foundation and the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership. We discussed them concept of telephone hotlines for defending sexual and reproductive rights of women in Pakistan. We focused on safe medical abortion.

Tell us a little more about the Suhaili hotline.

Our project has been running from April 2010 to the present. Cell phones are available everywhere in Pakistan, even in deserted areas. Here, bread is expensive but cellphone charges are cheaper. One can call anywhere in Pakistan at 1.50 Pakistani rupee equivalent .017 US$ per minute, and send short text messages at 0.30 paisa with 875 characters. That is why we selected this means of communication for sharing information regarding reproductive rights, focusing on termination of unwanted pregnancy and protecting women from post partum hemorrhage.

We have two lady councilors, one project coordinator. Our councilors have cell phone for counsel women and girls in the Sindh Province of Pakistan . Following are key strategic points of this project:

Name of service: Suhaili Hotline Project
Hotline Number:+923159473399.
Service on phone: 6-10 hours.
Service providers: Two trained lady councilors,
Area covered: Sindh province.
Languages used by councilors: Sindhi, Urdu, Marwari and Siraki.
Focused theme of hot line: Provide correct information regarding safe medical abortion and suggestions, how to use Cytotec to remove unwanted pregnancy.

What are the advantages of medical abortion?

Peace Foundation worked for safe medical abortion, because it is easier and it also maintains privacy. Surgical abortion cannot be hidden. Medical abortion can be hidden and women can do it easily. Surgical abortion is very difficult for women where as medical abortion is easier and it is in the hands of women how she uses it. Women have not need to disclose that she is going for abortion.
Why is post partum hemorrhage a problem in Pakistan?
Hemorrhage is the most common cause of maternal mortality in Pakistan. Misoprostol is also effective to stop bleeding after delivery. Pregnant women are often in a poor nutritious state, giving them fewer reserves. Besides, doctors often do not have the instruments like medicines to prevent or treat hemorrhage. In this situation women have not room to go for help.

What are the challenges of running a hotline in Pakistan?

Working for safe medical abortion is not empty from threats and challenges. High rate of illiteracy among women and girls, the lack of permission from men for women to go out are some of the challenges. Thinking about sexuality is considered matter of men not women. Lack of knowledge about reproductive health, social values and norms, and poverty, social customs and traditions and religious extremism are major challenges in Pakistan.

Could you tell us a little bit about the women who call? Are these women married, or unmarried? Do victims of sexual abuse call?

70 percent of all calls are from women who have several children, but their husbands do not use contraceptives. Other women could not use contraceptives, because they are dependent on their husbands, and their husbands do not bring them contraceptives. In other cases, husbands want more children to help them run the kitchen of the house. Sometimes the husband is unemployed and uses drugs.
Some 25 percent of the calls are from unmarried women. We see fear and remorse in them. They say to us, please help me this time, next time I will not do it. They request us to save their lives, otherwise, their parents will kill them. They say that they did not know they would get pregnant. But now they are in a fix. Sometimes their friends also call us. But we ask them to get the contact number of the woman, and ask her to speak.
We have not heard from any caller about sexual abuse.

How do you spread information about the hotline?

We have sufficient human power, we have eight women advocacy groups in major cities of Sindh province. We have links with civil society organizations working in development sector; beside this we have trained two councilors and one project manager. They have been receiving training from international trainers in Lahore.

To spread information we,
1. Conduct a press conference at National level at Lahore:
A press conference was called in Lahore, where we three Pakistani partners and our sponsor were present. We shared objectives of Suhali hotline project and methodology. It was published in all main newspapers of Pakistan and telecasted on Pakistan television.
2. News polished on the website of Mama Cash:
Our news is published on the website of MamaCash from the Netherlands, the main donor of the project. It shows our contact number and other project details.
3. Through Short text messages on cell phone:
We publicize our contact number through short text messages to random numbers.
4. Press advertisement of cell number:
We published our cell contact number in regional newspapers, We publish leaflets with information of misoprostol and contact number. We got leaflets to newspaper hawkers to distribute with newspapers.
5. Mobilization meetings:
Mobilization meetings with lady health visitors, nurses, midwives and elected women councilors. We shared with them our contact numbers and information regarding safe medical abortion.

What do you think would be a good strategy to maximize access and reach out to more people?

Disseminating information can help create awareness and mobilize the community to know about it. On the basis of our three years experiences, just information dissemination is not enough. Illiterate women cannot read and do not know about medical abortion. Illiterate women have so many misconceptions regarding abortion. Older female member of families do not think of abortion as a suitable option for their daughters or daughters-in-law. Mostly women of our society are dependent. They do not take single step outside of their house without the permission of husbands. In this context, we would like to suggest:
1. There should be male involvement with male councilors and mobilizers.
2. There should be involvement of pharmacy stores, they should display misoprostol like other daily usable drugs. Miso should be displayed with photos, so that every one can see and buy.
3. There should be more involvement of female medical doctors, who ask their clients to use miso .
4. There should be medical abortion’s clinics. Mostly women fears to take miso, because they assume there will be side affects. If there will be medical abortion clinics, women will come there, and will take one course of miso there.
5. There should be free supply of miso to needy women.