Global Female Condom Day, September 16

WHY DO WE NEED FEMALE CONDOMS?

• 222 million women in developing countries who wish to avoid a pregnancy have an unmet need for contraceptives.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 million people acquire a sexually transmitted infection every day.
• UNAIDS reports that in 2013, an estimated 2.1 million people became newly infected—the majority through sexual transmission.
• A UNAIDS 2014 report estimates that young women 15–24 years old in sub-Saharan Africa are twice as likely as young men to be living with HIV.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Black women in the U.S. are disproportionately impacted by HIV, accounting for approximately two-thirds of women living with HIV.
• The CDC reports that young Black gay men and other men who have sex with men comprise the overwhelming majority of new HIV infections in the U.S.
• Globally, gay men and other men who have sex with men are 13 times more likely to be HIV-positive than the general population.
• Female condoms can be used by women and men living with HIV to meet their family planning needs and claim their rights to healthy, mutually respectful, and fulfilling sexual relationships.

10 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE FEMALE CONDOMS

1. Female Condom is a sexually transmitted Disease prevention tool and a contraceptive tool which prevents unplanned pregnancies
2. It is 17 cm long which is about the same length of the unrolled male condom and wider than a male condom
3. Female Condom shouldn’t be used together with male condom because it could be damaged during sexual intercourse due to the friction
4. Female Condoms are made of polyurethane or nitrile, which make them strong and durable. There is no need to store it in a special storage conditions as it is resistant to humidity and high temperatures
5. It gives women the opportunity to share responsibility for the condoms with their partners. It also provides the alternative if the partner is unwilling to use a male condom due to personal, cultural, religious or other reasons
6. The female condom is safe, simple, and convenient
7. You can insert it ahead of time or as part of sex play
8. Globally, female condom distribution increased by 10 million between 2008 and 2009.
9. Today the female condom is available in over 90 countrie
10. In 2008, donor countries supplied 18.2 million female condoms globally, compared to nearly 2.4 billion male condoms

On Global Female Condom Day, Sept. 16, we’re showing the world that women and men want access to female condoms by dancing for demand! Anyone can participate, alone or with a group!
Get started: www.femalecondomday.org. #Dance4Demand