HIV and teenage pregnancies on the up

JAKARTA (JP): What comes to your mind about sex?

Teenagers from 10 high schools who had gathered at a discussion about HIV/AIDS at Bulungan Youth Stadium, South Jakarta, on Thursday had similar answers: sex is "physical contact between man and woman".

A teenage boy from an Islamic high school even emphasized that it is "contact between husband and wife. And done after marriage."

Are those answers a relief? For psychologist Ninuk Widyantoro, they were not.

"The students' answers show that their knowledge about sex is still poor. Their perception about sex is still very narrow, while sex has a very broad definition," she told reporters on the sidelines of the discussion.

It is such poor knowledge, she said, that leads to teen pregnancies, abortion, sexual transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS.

"Imagine, those students are from here, Kebayoran Baru, in the middle of the capital city. What about those living in far flung villages?" Ninuk asserted.

She cited that the exact number of the cases mentioned and their correlation with teenagers was not available.

"However, from the rapid increase in the number of HIV and AIDS sufferers in this country, we can see that there's something to be worried about," said Ninuk, who also works at the Youth Directorate at the National Family Planning Board (BKKBN).

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recorded the number of new cases of HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in the first five months of 2001 as more than half of last year's numbers.

The ministry revealed that there were 332 new cases of HIV and AIDS up to the end of May.

The total number of those infected last year was 581. The statistics bring the total number of people with HIV and AIDS in the country to 1,956.

Out of those numbers, based on age category, most of the patients (768) were between 15 years-old to 29 years-old.

"That's why we really have to focus on these teenagers. It is particularly important because 60 percent of this country's population is around that age, or productive age," Ninuk said.

The cheapest way to conduct the campaign, she added, is through the education.

"The problem is, there is too much hypocrisy in this country. Like abortion for example. It's illegal, but as a result, illegal abortions are rampant and we can't even trace the number," she said. (hdn)