Pakistan bans contraceptive ads over fears that children will be exposed to sex

Television channels and radio stations must comply to new rules or face legal action, despite Government concerns over a growing population

Condoms are shown to a group of women during a safe sex education class in Pakistan (John Moore/ Getty Images)

Pakistan has banned all broadcast advertisements for contraceptive products over concerns that young children might be exposed to the idea of sex.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said it was implementing the ban – which includes all contraceptive, birth control and family planning products - in response to complaints from parents.

The ban comes despite a government initiative to encourage the use of birth control in the country, a conservative Muslim country where talking about sex in public is taboo.

The regulatory group said in a statement: “(The) general public is very much concerned (about) the exposure of such products to the innocent children, which get inquisitive on features (and) use of the products”.

After gaining attention on social media for its decision, however, PEMRA issued a further statement to say it acknowledged the ban had “devided public opinion” and would not necessarily place a blanket ban on all advertisements.

“At the same time,” it said, “due to our religious and cultural compulsions, there are concerns by parents about the use of language, innuendos and visuals in such advertisements and the primetime slots in which these ads are aired.”

With around 190 million inhabitants, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and has a lower rate of access to birth control than the regional average, according to the World Health Organisation.

Use of contraceptives is low and last year fell even further by as much as 7.2 per cent according to government statistics.

The national population is projected to increase to more than 227 million by 2025, with experts warning that the population is growing too fast and will soon outgrow its resources.

In 2013, Pakistani media regulators pulled a condom commercial after receiving public complaints, branding it “immoral”.

Advertisements for condoms and other forms of birth control are rare, but it is unknown whether or not the enforced ban will extend to the government’s own family planning efforts.

The country has long-held problems with sexual health, with more than 2,800 people reported to have died of HIV and AIDS last year.

While the Pakistani government officially acknowledges less than 4,000 cases nationwide, the UN says that figure could be well over 100,000.

Television channels and radio stations that do not comply with the new ban will face “legal action under PEMRA laws”, according to the regulatory body, although no specific punishment has been mentioned.