|· Only 38% of adolescents always use condoms
· Approximately 30% of teenagers in South Africa fall pregnant in the 3 – 19 year age group
· South Africa’s Children’s Act 38 of 2005 (as amended by Act 41 of 007) gives adolescents 12 years and older the right to access reproductive health services
Read more from the following website: http://www.afroaidsinfo.org/
“UNSAFE SEX, CONDOMS AND ADOLESCENTS
This article deals with condoms, adolescents and unsafe sex. It is a controversial issue that has provoked intensive discussions amongst government departments, civil society, academics, the media, religious groups and children’s rights groups. A solution that speaks to young people has yet to be found.
Adolescents at HIV risk
Globally, sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest rates of HIV infections (UNAIDS, 201 Issues such as poverty, lack of education and resources, and gender inequalities exacerbate the challenges to implement successful behaviour change programmes. This is especially true in South Africa, where the most common mode of HIV transmission is heterosexually (Dorrington et al., 2006). Young people, especially females in the 15-24 year age group are at higher risk of HIV infection. The high rate of teenage pregnancies in South Africa, approximately 30% in the 13-19 years age group, is a visible indicator of the prevalence of unprotected sex(Wilan, 2013).
Learners, adolescent boys and girls, exchange unprotected sex for money and gifts from older men who, at times, have a history of multiple relationships. This practice of age-mixing or intergenerational sex has been identified as a major factor in the spread of HIV (Katz and Low-Beer, 2008).
Condom use is considered one of the most effective preventive measures against HIV and sexually transmitted infections, if used correctly and consistently (UNAIDS, 2012; Kabiru and Orpinas, 2009).
Various studies have been conducted to establish the extent of condom use in South Africa. Findings by Abdulraheem and Fawole (2009), reported that 38.1% of adolescents in their study always used condoms while the rest did not. Another study by Hartell (2005) found that more than 50% of the sexually active learners never used a condom. Condom use declined among all groups in South Africa, according to the latest household survey released by the Human Sciences Research Council (van der Linde, 2013). This same trend of decline in condom use has been reported by the UNAIDS (2012).
According to Silva (2007), one of the reasons for adolescent pregnancies, with regard to provision of services, includes lack of access to family planning services (including access to male and female condoms). Some adolescents are sexually active and indulge in unsafe sex, most of which have to do with individual attitudes and perceptions.
In addressing the problem of unsafe sex as the main mode of HIV-transmission, it becomes important to inculcate into the minds of adolescents the value of self, so as to discourage them from taking risks that will jeopardise their health and impact on their futures. Hopkins et al. (2007) suggested that prevention of high risk behaviour should include determining adolescents’ ability to understand who they are and what their purpose in society is, through self-appraisals.
The concept of valuing self means that adolescents should give first priority to issues concerning self above all else. This is important, as girls with high self-esteem demonstrated positive attitudes towards condom use and are less fearful to negotiate condom use. They also communicate more frequently with their sex partners and parents (Salazar et al., 2005).
Lyon and D’angelo (2008) found that adolescents, whose parents openly discussed sex, delayed their sexual debut. This strategy further empowered adolescents to withstand negative peer influences.
Empowering the youth and their parents with information, education and counselling can contribute to reduced unsafe sexual practices. It has been suggested that a comprehensive approach emphasizing both abstinence and safer sex practices should be adopted in sex education and that the programme should be adjusted according to the development stages of learners (Panday et al., 2009).
South Africa’s Children’s Act 38 of 2005 (as amended by Act 41 of 2007) gives adolescents 12 years and older the right to access reproductive health services. Section 134 of the Act states that no person may refuse to sell condoms to a child over the age of 12 years; or sell condoms that were provided free of harge (Government Gazette, 2006). A person who disregards these provisions is guilty of an offence and can be fined or imprisoned for 10 years, or be given both a fine and a term of imprisonment. A child who obtains condoms, contraceptives or contraceptive advice in terms of this Act is entitled to confidentiality. However, this is subject to section 110(1) of the Act, which obliges health professionals to report cases of physical or sexual abuse, or deliberate neglect of a child to the Department of Social Development, a designated child protection organisation or the police.
Bearing in mind the rights of the child as embedded in the South African Constitution, empowering the youth and their parents with information, education and counselling may be beneficial in discouraging the practice of unsafe sex.
It has been suggested that a comprehensive approach emphasising both abstinence and safer sex practices should be adopted in sex education and that the focus of the school’s sexuality education programme should be adjusted according to the stage of learners’ development (Panday et al.,2009). Controversial and difficult as it may be for parents, teachers, government, civil society, religious groups and child rights groups, there is a need to consider making condoms available to learners in secondary schools, accompanied by counselling and life skills to mitigate the problems of adolescent unsafe sex, pregnancy and school drop outs.
In an effort to enable adolescents to make informed and better decisions regarding their sexual health in the future, should condoms be handed out at schools? However, whose responsibility is it? The parents? The teachers? The health department? The education department? Community leaders?”
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