Acceptance of young people's sexuality
Despite evidence that young people worldwide are sexually active, many societies prefer to deny this fact. The results are devastating - young people have no access to the information and to services that they desperately need in order to have safe sexual lives. In addition to this are very real problems such as young unmarried women who get pregnant being thrown out of school and out of their homes, being forced to result to unsafe backstreet abortion resulting in even worse problems such as Fistula, and even sometimes being killed by their male relatives.
Young people who have uninformed and unsafe sex also face the danger of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). HIV/AIDS is one of these STDs. This is further complicated by the lack of proper medical attention which can mean more problems such as infertility and/or Fistula.
All these problems while the situation would be completely different were societies to accept the reality that young people are sexually active. Correct and complete information would be made available to young people, and they would have access to contraceptives, advice, proper medical care and consequently to healthy and happy sexual lives.
It is important that those responsible for designing policies and programmes on young people's sexuality, but also parents, religious leaders, health care workers, teachers and all those in positions of influence for young people accept that young people are sexual beings and approach this fact positively. Young people, when provided with the complete and correct information and services will make the right choices and protect themselves.
That is so because just like you and me, no young person wants to suffer the terrible consequences that usually follow as a result of unprotected and uninformed sexual activity.
