Youth
Sexual Health
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Decisions which
young people make during the difficult period of adolescence
should be based on facts and knowledge of the consequences,
not on hearsay, peer group pressure, and misinformation. Yet
in response to the many questions, many parents provide the
standard answer of ‘Just wait until you are married’,
when many married people will readily admit that’s when
you are faced with even more problems about sex and relationships.
Abused children
quickly develop a sense of guilt and loss of self esteem when
they are told not to talk about it, even when they are being
forced by older, “respectable friends and relatives”
into unwanted sexual activities. And yet this is a common
response from adults when a child first tries to raise this
delicate issue. We desperately need to dispel the myths surrounding
sex, which have been perpetuated because we do not talk more
openly to each other.
We need to teach
young before they become sexually active, that amongst other
things, physical copulation is not the only way of expressing
one’s sexuality and feeling towards someone you love.
Sex means so much more than just intercourse.
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Young people
need to be brought up believing that other safer sexual activities
are just as valid, more caring, natural, enjoyable and important
in expressing one’s feelings towards someone you love
instead of believing that you have to “go all the way”
to prove that you love somebody else.
Studies about
sexual behaviour of adolescents have revealed that young people
with facts about sex before they become sexually active, actually
delays sexual activity because they are more aware of the
consequences of their behaviour. Not only does it delay sexual
activities but also young people are more likely to adopt
safer sexual practices. Doesn’t it make sense that young
people (even many older ones) have a much better chance of
making informed decisions about their (sex) lives if they
are armed with knowledge about what is sex, what is not safe
and the likely consequences of their actions, unless of course
they are drunk, stoned and effected by other mind altering
drugs.
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1999
National Health Conference, Ministry of Health, Fiji
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Health Risks of Young
People in Fiji
More
than one of every four persons in Fiji is between 10 and 24.
During these years, young people are learning, exploring
and making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.
In regards to their reproductive health, young adults need
information and services that can help them make responsible decisions
about their health and their sexual behaviour.
Without the information
and services they need, young adults are more likely to engage
in high-risk behaviours.
This can have adverse consequences, not only on their own
health but also on the health of their relatives and on the society.
The
situation is today alarming in Fiji
Adolescent
pregnancies are today on the
rise. Most of these
teenage pregnancies are unwanted and many adolescents will seek
abortion. Many are
either compelled to leave school or drop out.
This may decrease a woman’s ability to find paid employment
and may spoil her entire life.
Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STIs) are also on the rise among adolescents,
girls and boys. This
is worrying as, like in other countries, many people with AIDS
can be infected in their teens.
While young men and women are both at risk, the health
impact of STIs is greater in young women. Common STIs can cause infertility, pregnancy complications
and cervical cancer.
Too
many young people are vulnerable and not prepared
The
society is today observing marginalized groups of young people
who dropped from schools and are unwilling to stay in village
subsistence living and are unable to get a job in the urban areas.
Alienation resulting from limited opportunities may lead
to depression, loss of self-confidence and, possibly, to alcoholism,
substance abuse, risky sexual behaviour, anti-social and criminal
activities.
Information
on Health Trends in Young People (10 –29 years)
| |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
|
| Teenage
births (single) |
561 |
589 |
na |
na |
ì |
| STIs
cases in 10-24 Years (Syphilis and Gonorrhoea) |
1191 |
1314 |
979 |
1253 |
ì |
| HIV
cases in 15-29 Years |
14 |
16 |
18 |
22 |
ì |
| Abortions
(hospital data) |
1506 |
1556 |
1557 |
na |
ì |
These
rising rates of unintended and premature pregnancies, STIs/HIV
and, possibly, abortion emphasise the need to truly open health
services and care to the reproductive health of young adults.
However, alone,
the Ministry of Health staff and services will not be able to
change the current situation and trends.
Needed improvements do require the effective and coordinated
inputs of several sectors, particularly the social, education
and health sectors. Community
participation and the non-government sector have also a major
role to play.
The Ministry
of Health will ensure in the future that adolescent health personnel,
care and services are effective and responsive to the needs of
adolescents.
Health staff
must be technically prepared to better work in this area.
Health personnel should be sensitised about the specificity
of adolescents’ health needs and should be taught appropriate
techniques to deal with them according to the cultural context.
Emphasis should be placed on interpersonal skills.
ALL
TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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