Urgent call made for teen sex education<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The 18-year-old "Maya" thought the world had ended for her when
\nher doctor confirmed that she was pregnant. She thought she was
\njust having her first ever intimate relationship.<\/p>\n
She was depressed and hopeless and didn't know what to do. She
\nworried about how her boyfriend and her parents would react and
\nwhat the neighbors would think. She imagined that she could not
\nfinish school, making it hard for her to pursue a career and have
\na good future.<\/p>\n
All she could think of was aborting the pregnancy. Maya
\nstarted to do things that are not recommended for pregnant women.
\nBut still her belly was getting bigger.<\/p>\n
She had no idea how to do it by herself, but then she asked
\nfor help from a dukun (midwife). She was scared as she had to
\nundergo a painful procedure. She was relieved finally but she
\nrealized that she could never forget that episode of her life.<\/p>\n
Maya was one of many teenagers with little awareness of sex
\nand reproductive health issues. The young generation, aged
\nbetween 10 and 24 years, make up around 30 percent of the total
\nIndonesian population.<\/p>\n
Previous research has disclosed a tendency for delayed
\nmarriages but it has also revealed a trend toward early sexual
\nactivity, to as young as 15-years of age.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI)'s figures
\nshow that there were around 5,900 cases of unsafe abortion
\nattempts last year.<\/p>\n
Some 70 percent of the women undergo abortion by consuming
\ntraditional herbal medications, vigorously massaging their
\nstomach, inserting a blunt object in their genital organs to kill
\nor pull out the fetus or seeking help from dukun.<\/p>\n
The figure is only the tip of the iceberg. Biran Affandi's
\nresearch in 2000 revealed an estimated 2.3 million abortion cases
\nannually.<\/p>\n
A doctor with the Family and Reproductive Health Clinic (KKRK)
\nRamona Sari said that the teenage girls did not realize that they
\nwere also putting themselves at lethal risk with their actions.<\/p>\n
"Some of them went to dukun and suffered terrible pain. They
\nrefused to seek professional help until they had serious internal
\nbleeding due to improper abortion procedures," she said during a
\nrecent seminar on reproductive health among teenagers.<\/p>\n
Unwanted pregnancies are just one of the consequences
\nresulting from the lack of awareness on the subject, which may
\nalso lead to (unsafe) abortion, early marriage, genital
\nmutilation practices, infertility, death in childbirth and the
\nspread of sexually transmitted diseases (like AIDS, gonorrhea and
\nsyphilis, among others).<\/p>\n
"Teenagers should be given proper sex and reproductive health
\neducation so they can adopt responsible sexual and social
\nbehavior and will understand the consequences of free and unsafe
\nsex," said PKBI director Zarfiel Tafal.<\/p>\n
The campaign to build this awareness, however, has yet to bear
\nfruit.<\/p>\n
PKBI and related government institutions still face a huge
\nchallenge because sex-related information is still considered
\ntaboo in the society and is not properly addressed by the family
\nand school, two institutions that play a central role in
\nteenagers' lives.<\/p>\n
"Many parents prefer to avoid the subject and assume that they
\ncan leave the task to teachers. Without parental guidance,
\nteenagers will try to understand it in an inappropriate way, like
\nwatching porn, which can be obtained easily and cheaply," Ramona
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"Let's not forget that teenagers may imitate what they see or
\nencounter," Ramona added.<\/p>\n
While delegating the role to school teachers, another PKBI
\nstaff member, Inne Silviane, said PKBI and related governmental
\ninstitutions were currently formulating a method for
\ncomprehensive sex education for teenagers.<\/p>\n
However, before communicating with teenagers on sex and
\nreproductive health issues, teachers must first undergo special
\ntraining.<\/p>\n
"Many teachers admit that they are not qualified to give
\nproper sex education to their students. This is why previous
\nefforts have not been effective," she said.<\/p>\n
She expressed her hope that the program would begin as soon as
\npossible.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/urgent-call-made-for-teen-sex-education-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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