Hard News (Online) -It can happen to you

It can happen to you

There has been a rising trend for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Singapore since 2000. For youths aged 10-19 yeards old, there was an alarming 3-fold increase over the years; from 238 cases in 2002 to 787 cases in 2008.

(Source: Sex diseases up in Singapore Straits Times, 13 January 2010)

By: Saratini Binte Muhd Shahidi

Forty-six percent of 800 youths in a survey conducted by Singapore Polytechnic thought that it was okay to have sex before marriage.

Youths today are the AIDS generation. They leave in a world without knowing that AIDS existed. Millions have died not knowing they had these diseases or do not seek early treatments. Yet the HIV/AIDS epidemic among youths remains largely invisible to youths and young adults themselves.

Today the issue has become more complicated. One of the challenges that we are facing now is the low perceived risk of HIV/AIDS despite healthy knowledge levels. Youths are likely to perceive HIV/AIDS as something that will “not happen” to them. Thus they may not be bothered to protect themselves against risky sexual behaviours.

For youths who reported that they have had sex, their main reason was “it just happened”. They have been led to believe that condoms are the way to avoid unwanted pregnancies and preserve sexual health. Thus the challenge is for them to be aware of situations where they might be putting themselves at risk as well as learn skills to say no to premarital/unprotected sex.

Even if the condoms are used correctly, there are still instances when condoms can still fail. What’s more, they do not protect against HIV/AIDS that only require skin to skin contact for infection to occur.

Youths should be influenced to increase their risk perception of the possible impact of early onset of sexual activity on their lives like HIV/AIDS, STIs, teenage pregnancy.

Youths should also be educated that those who are infected may not display obvious symptoms and may easily spread the infection. These infections can cause serious health complications including infertility, pregnancy problems, and greater susceptibility to HIV/AIDS. Unwanted pregnancies lead to abortion or unplanned teenage motherhood. This means they have to go through the trauma of abortion or be forced to raise a child as a single mother or give it up for adoption.

Acting decisively to control HIV can ensure today’s youths will have their futures as adults.

Sources:

-        O&M Insights-Fournaise SNTL Survey 2010

-        Mindshare Exploratory Qualitative Research

-        Singapore Polytechnic survey of 800 youths, aged 15 to 29 years old conducted in 2007.