Friday, October 10, 2008 Oledan: Sexual risk-takers By Radzini Oledan Strategic space
FOR young people today, exploring their sexuality is a thrill that they are willing to take regardless of the circumstances. But this is not always the case.
For majority of the youth, the lack of appropriate information hinders them from making informed choices. This usually results to early pregnancy and early marriage.
We see young people who are barely in their teens fall into early pregnancy.
Some are forced to drop out from school as policies disallow unmarried pregnant women from continuing their education. Some are even pressured to get married even if they are ill-prepared.
Nothing is easy for a woman facing unwanted pregnancy. Pregnant teenagers cannot indulge in calculated decisions.
Some would likely end up undergoing unsafe procedures, including the use of hazardous potions and unsafe pills to terminate pregnancy.
This is the situation confronting our young people today which adults find downright disgusting.
I remember a recent conversation I had with some faculty members from Manila who said that high school students have become more daring in exploring sexual relationships. There are gangs whose form of sexual initiation greatly puts young women at risk.
It would be easy to put the blame on the family, for indeed it is in this social unit where values and characters are formed. But reality would show that changing lifestyle and economic pressure is also taking its toll on the capacity of families to raise and provide young people with the best start in life.
Initial data from the assessment on the Child Friendly Movement (CFM) in the disparity areas in Davao City shows that four out of 10 young people - especially females - are living away from home, either because of work or study.
For those who still reside with parents, two- thirds of their waking hours are spent either in school or with their peers in various settings.
Parents are also increasingly leaving their families to work offshore or in cities.
When parents are unavailable, grandparents or other family members assume most of the responsibilities. Not all of them are equipped though to provide care.
Consequently, youth not raised by both parents or those who have lived away from home exhibit greater likelihood to be sexual risk-takers than those who were not.
Even in intact families, parents fail to provide adequate information regarding health and sexuality.
In many communities, discussion on sexuality is considered as a taboo.
The main source of information is the television where there is a preponderance of distorted portrayals of sexuality and violence in its materials.
There is hope though. In other areas of the city, schools have put in place an adolescent sexuality and reproductive health programs motivating young people to delay the onset of sexual activity.
This goes to show that education programs like providing proper information on their sexuality, enabling greater control on their body and teaching them refusal, have greater impact on young people.
The strategic time to introduce adolescent reproductive health information and education is during secondary school where young people are hungry for information and at the same time, exposed to various media.
There is also the challenge to reach out to young people who have succumbed to early marriage. Leaving them out in the program implementation would have several repercussion.
Fieldwork in the different disparity areas in Davao City, identified under the UNICEF assisted 6th Countrywide Programme for Children, shows that opportunities abound for those who are willing to make a difference in the lives of our children and young people.
The untapped strategy is to capacitate and actively partner with young people in local communities.
