Female condoms are still not well known in Zambia country, the Post of Zambia reported on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Jean Kapata said there was need to increase awareness and advocacy programs in order to boost access and use of female condoms.

"Although female condoms play a vital role in improving reproductive health and that they are the only method available today designed to offer woman-initiated, dual protection from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, they are not very well known," she was quoted as saying on the occasion the Global Female Condom Day.

She expressed concern that female condoms are also not available or easily accessible in many places, while female condoms are a powerful tool for the prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies as they not empower women but also protected them.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has said 90 percent of adult HIV infections were related to unprotected heterosexual activity either with a casual partner, a long- standing partner, or a concurrent partner. Sibeso Mululuma, the UNFPA assistant representative in Zambia, said during the same occasion that one of the key drivers of HIV in Zambia was low and inconsistent condom use, adding that condom use remained low especially among key populations key populations such as multiple concurrent partnerships, sex workers and discordant couples.

This is the first time the Global Female Day has been commemorated in Zambia. Endi

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