Career blunders linked to lost virginity

Career blunders linked to lost virginity

JAKARTA (JP): Losing your virginity during your teens may
damage your future career, a health expert said yesterday.

Handrawan Nadesul, a health columnist and counselor to many
teenagers, told a discussion on sex education held by Atmajaya
University that lost virginity was one of many factors which
could affect careers.

He said that lost virginity could leave serious psychological
scars which could cause people to fail their studies and,
therefore, reduce their career prospects.

"It is ironic that many of our teenagers fail in their studies
or to maintain their chance for future success because of
ignorance," he said.

"They don't know that the mistakes they commit in their
relations with other people may cost them their virginity, force
them to marry young, inflict disease...," he said.

Handrawan, whose articles have appeared in many national
publications, said today's teenagers faced greater challenges
than their parents.

"There are many unhealthy relationships... between children
and their parents, between people of all ages. These are
challenges that continually force people to adjust to pressure,
conflicts, crisis..." he said.

Other speakers in the seminar were psychologist Eric Santosa
and sociologist Johan Suban Tukan, who revealed that a teenage
relative of his had become pregnant but said that she did not
know why.

Johan cited a 1994 study by Atmajaya and the Police Academy
which found that almost 10 percent of the 558 students junior
high school and senior high school surveyed had had sex.

A study conducted in 1992 by Bandung's Padjadjaran
University's School of Psychology revealed that 21.5 percent of
youths in the city had had extra-marital sexual relationships.
The figure for this was 31.6 percent in Cirebon, 30.85 percent in
Bogor and 26.47 percent in Sukabumi.

"Sex education is very important for helping teenagers manage
their sexual instincts, and I suggest parents start early,"
Hendrawan said, adding that sex education should emphasize moral
and religious values.

Hendrawan told hundreds of youths at the discussion that young
people did not have sufficient knowledge to face today's great
challenges.

"The threat of disease that comes from sexual contact has
become horrifying, while techniques to prevent them have not been
taught properly," he said.

He said many Indonesian youths failed to get responsible sex
education from competent people. "Information that comes from
incompetent people can mislead, and even create misperceptions
that could be fatal for youths' future," he said.

But he conceded that parents and the general public had yet to
agree on whether youths needed to be informed on sex. (39)