Poor women in urban areas are reluctant to accept contraceptives offered to them for free, hampering efforts to slow the country’s population growth.



Few were even aware of the importance of using contraceptives, National Family Planning Board (BKKBN) deputy chairman Julianto Witjaksono said.



“Poor people are somewhat reluctant to seek contraceptives, saying that they have no money to get contraceptives at care centers,” he said at a media briefing. In fact, he said, contraceptives for low-income families were free of charge.



“I think they have a particular way of thinking that we find hard to change,” Julianto said, adding many considered children as investments.



Elvi Royyana, 43, a midwife from an East Jakarta community health center (Puskesmas), said it was not easy to encourage people to use contraceptives, especially long-term ones such as impl...