(The following is from Kikelomo, one of our youth activists in Nigeria)

Some days ago, I spoke to a teenage girl in one of the communities on the outskirts of town who already has a 7 months old baby. I asked her about how she got pregnant and she told me that her boyfriend usually would use of a condom when they had sex, but that very day he wanted to get down “natural”, so he called it. That was his reason for not using a condom. She said, “I asked him if he would take responsibility for any complications like pregnancy?”, and he answered ‘yes.’

 

Well, luckily and unluckily for her, not too long after, she got pregnant and when she told him, he didn’t refuse the pregnancy. I would consider her very lucky because not every young man will stand up to that kind of responsibility.

 

This young lady isn’t in school anymore and she has to cater for her growing daughter. Her husband also isn’t educated but somehow he’s keeping busy with a little trade, and helping the family.

 

I am not exactly surprised because I know a lot of young people, including myself, know the right thing to do, but yet we want to know what it feels like. ‘Curiosity’ is the name they call it! Now, not many of us want to end up like this young lady, but then we are not willing to make the right choices, and definitely not ready to live with the consequences of bad decisions. For this young girl, she is faced with the responsibility of bringing up a child when she herself still needs to be raised.

 

There are no grey areas when it comes to sex; it’s either black or white. Abstinence has been preached to be the safest way to avoid being a victim of any sexual/reproductive health issue, and if you can’t hold your body, they say it is best to hold a condom.

 

The A, B, C’s are clearly stated here. A- Abstinence, B- Be Careful, C- Use a Condom. We have a choice and the right to choose, the onus is now on us to make the right choice and not allow these choices to make us victims.

 

We are Responsible for our lives; we should Respect ourselves and hold on to our Rights. It’s your call. 3R’s