Socio-cultural Factors Affecting Sexual Reproductive Health The Roles Of Traditional Institutions Among The Borana Pastoralists Of Oromiya Southern Ethiopia

Sexual and Reproductive Health conditions account for a substantial portion of the globalrnburden of disease. But, for women in reproductive years the burden of SRH conditions isrnfar higher than any other category of illness. Unfortunately, for women in sub-SaharanrnAfrica the SRH conditions are much worse and alarming. According to the MDGs byrn2015 the child mortality rate would be reduced by two-thirds, MMR would be reduced byrnthree-quarters and HIV/AIDS epidemic have halted or began to reverse. Traditionalrnbeliefs and practices exist in all areas of life, including reproduction and sexuality.rnHowever, little is known about the social and cultural factors affecting SRH and the RHrnneeds of pastoralist communities in Ethiopia such as Borana who have a distinct socioculturalrnmake-up compared to the mainstream farming highland population. Besides, thernroles of traditional institutions such as the Gada and Gumi in SRH promotion are not wellrnestablished and priorities in RH care not well documented. In these regards, the beliefs,rnvalues, and norms that underpin the socio-cultural factors that affect SRH, the roles ofrnTraditional institutions in the promotion of SRH and priorities in the RH care should bernexplored.rnAn exploratory qualitative study was conducted in the lowland districts of Borana andrnGuji zones in January and February 2006. Interviews with focus groups and keyrninformants, observations, and secondary data collection were used as data collectionrntechniques. The Participants in FGDs and individual in-depth interviews were selectedrnpurposively. FGD participants were homogenous, were as key informants werernhetrogenous and selected using snowball sampling techniques. The data was analyzedrnmanually in the field and using computer soft wares.rn2rnSRH norms, rules, and regulations were identified. Sexual relationships are highlyrnregulated and subject to certain restrictions. Sexual relation is forbidden with a woman orrnman, who belongs to the generation ‘Gada grade’ of one’s father or one’s son, or whornbelongs to one’s clan, or who has uterine and kinship relations. Girls must remain chasternand virgin before marriage; breastfeeding women must abstain from sexual intercoursernwhile breastfeeding were among the salient sexual norms identified. There are strict rulesrnand regulations against individuals who contravene the customs and laws of Boranarnknown as Aada-Seera Borana. Jaala-Jaalto is an extramarital sexual relationship betweenrnmarried women and men. It is unlawful but tolerated and condoned by the society. Socialrnfactors that affect the SRH include among others, rampant consumption and sale of arnlocal liquor “Arake’, religious crusades and education against the customs and laws,rndramatic increase in urban-rural interaction, and conflict and militarization. There is arnhuge gap between the RH needs and the RH services rendered by stakeholders and actorsrnin the area.rnTraditional institutions in Borana society are still viable and have significant influencernover the lives of the Borana people. These institutions play vital roles in the promotion ofrnpositive cultural behaviors, and have started playing significant roles in the prohibitionrnand abandonment of practices identified as harmful by external development actors.rnRecommendations made were to recognize and empower traditional institutions asrnpotential partners in the promotion of SRH especially in the fight against HIV/AIDS andrneradication of harmful RH practices, and actions to be taken to improve the SRH servicerndelivery in the area.

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