Lack of knowledge on sex, drugs puts adolescents at risk
Lack of knowledge on sex, drugs puts adolescents at risk
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Lack of knowledge about sex, reproductive health and illegal
drugs has put Indonesian adolescents at risk, while data made
available by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) shows
that 23.5 percent of the country's adolescents have no idea what
HIV/AIDS is.
Adolescents and youths, or people aged 10 to 24, in Indonesia
account for 30 percent or around 62 million of the country's
total population of 210 million.
Only 26 percent of the young people were able to discuss sex
and reproductive health with their parents, according to UNFPA
data, distributed during a launch of its annual report State of
World Population 2003: Investing in Adolescents' Health and
Rights on Wednesday in Jakarta.
A majority, 86 percent, get information on sex and HIV/AIDS
from inadequate sources like friends and entertainment media, the
data shows.
Meanwhile, the report states that information and education on
sexual and reproductive health is critical to adolescent
development and well-being. Promoting behavioral change is
essential in reducing adolescent pregnancy and stemming the
HIV/AIDS pandemic.
For example, a campaign to increase condom usage among
Indonesian commercial sex workers, combining print media, events
at bars and universities, counseling on condom utilization and
education of brothel owners, has increased condom use among the
workers from 36 percent to 48 percent, it says.
Besides HIV/AIDS, young people are also vulnerable to sexually
transmitted diseases, death risk in improper abortions, unwanted
pregnancy, and drug abuse.
A 2001 survey in 5 cities conducted jointly by Indonesian
Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI), UNFPA, and the National
Family Planning Board (BKKBN) revealed that 14.73 percent of
adolescents had had premarital sex but did not possess adequate
information about sex or reproductive health.
"Sex and reproductive health is a quite sensitive issue,
meaning we cannot talk openly about the matter with youths in one
way communication method," said PKBI acting executive director
Inne Silviane in the launch. "However, teachers in Indonesia even
lack the knowledge and correct methods to talk about it with
their students."
Separately, Dewi Ariani, a staff member of University Atma
Jaya's Kiosk of Health Information, told The Jakarta Post that
many schools did not allow sex and drug education in their
schools.
"Some of them refuse, claiming they do not have students who
use drugs," she said.
Whereas, the report reveals that half of new HIV infections in
the world are among young people aged 15 to 24, and surveys in 40
countries indicated more than a half the people with HIV/AIDS
have misconceptions about HIV/AIDS transmission.
"HIV/AIDS has become a disease of the young," said UNFPA
Jakarta representative Bernard Coquelin said.
Indeed, the report says 6,000 youths in the world are
estimated to be infected with HIV/AIDS everyday, meaning one
youth is infected every 14 seconds.
The report stresses that the deadly diseases, along with early
marriage and unwanted pregnancy among the world's adolescents are
a threat to development and must be combated as part of the war
on poverty.
Through the report, UNFPA reminded the world that investing in
adolescents' health and rights was important because a fifth of
the world's population -- 1.2 billion people -- is aged between
10 and 19, more than ever before.
Helping adolescents with sex and reproductive health issues
has become an urgent priority, the report says, calling for more
investment in youth-friendly services, family planning and
education programs.
It adds that half of the young people here are poor and a
quarter live in extreme poverty on less than a dollar a day.