Facebook
(The following is part of the weeklong Jamaican Safer Sex Week Blogathon)
Jamaica, like many other developing countries are constantly revolving. One such area is sexual and reproductive health. The sector can no longer be overlooked as it affects the entire nation. In June of 2001, Jamaica was one of 189 countries that signed the Declaration of commitment which seeks to curb the spread of the AIDS epidemic through international, regional and country level partnership with support from civil society.
Against this back ground we have a high risk of HIV infections and unwanted pregnancies. This is as a result of young people lacking essential information, education, and services to protect themselves. Hence we have the high adolescent fertility rate in the English speaking Caribbean, with 112 births per 1000 women between the ages of 15 to 19.In addition AIDS was the second leading cause of death for youths in 2004.
It is a well known fact that a lot of times when teenagers engage in sexual activities they are not planned, thus they are unprepared, and often times have to pay harsh penalties. One may ask as a nation,”what can we do to curb the problem?" The answers are right before our eyes.
My first suggestion would be abstinence. This way there is no chance of you getting pregnant or contracting any infections or virus. This medium is a 100% safe. Such practice should not only be endorsed by faith based organizations, but by Non-Governmental Organizations and the Government.
However, while speaking to a sixteen year old girl at a sex education session recently, she made it clear that she enjoys having sex. This teenager should be in fourth form preparing for external examinations the following year. With this in mind, we are fully aware that there is a faction of young people who are not waiting to have sex but they want sex and they want it now. We as a country have to provide information and contraceptives so as to have them protect themselves. It them so how did not have primary contraceptives which includes condoms and femidom. Then secondary contraceptives such as birth controls, should be ready available without discrimination. It should be made clear to the youth that the secondary contraceptives are to prevent pregnancies and not HIV and other infections.
If these measures are applied then we can see a decline in all the cases that are linked to unprotected sex. Therefore we will have healthier and stronger Jamaicans working in the labour market. They will be able to serve longer and foster economical growth for the nation. With is done we can safely say we have a strong nation and growing nation.
No Comments.
[Add New Comment]