CONTRACEPTIVE KNOWLEDGE AND USE

Policies and some practices support the use of emergency contraception (EC) in Senegal: EC is included in national policies for family planning, social marketing programs have procured EC, and local drugstores and pharmacies distribute EC. Knowledge of EC is still very low, however, and biases and misconceptions about EC persist. ABOUT SENEGAL Senegal has an estimated population of 13,635,927.1 The country is poor but fairly urban, with 42 % living in urban areas. A large majority of the population (94%) identifies as Muslim.1 Only 4.1 % of women have completed education at the secondary level or above.2 18.7 % of young women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing. The rate is higher in rural areas and among adolescents with little or no education.2 Use of contraception is low, and high fertility remains the social norm. Nevertheless, in 2005, the government demonstrated its strong commitment to family planning by enacting the Reproductive Health Law, which established access to reproductive health services as a universal right.3 To reach th