By Zoë Mahopo | Jul 23, 2013
A RECENT survey has revealed that teenagers enjoy unprotected sex and are not willing to use condoms.
Titled Factors Associated with Teenage Pregnancy in Gauteng Province, the study was conducted with 508 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 years.
The study included focus group discussions with learners, parents and healthcare workers, and one of the issues that came out was that most teenagers preferred unprotected sex.
MEC for social development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said this was worrying as it means that the youth were being exposed to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday, Mayathula-Khoza said teenagers fell pregnant partly because of lack of resources and dire social conditions. She said although statistics showed a decline in teenage pregnancy, there was still cause for concern.
Mayathula-Khoza said statistics from the Gauteng department of education showed a 20% reduction of pregnancies among children of school-going age. The rate dropped from 4874 in 2008 to 4271 in 2011.
"We must all stand up and work with our children. Engaging in sex should be the last thing, their education must come first," Mayathula- Khoza said.
In the same breath, Mayathula-Khoza also announced the launch of of a campaign against abuse, named Adopt a Centre for Abused Women and Children: From Victimhood to Survival.
"While we have made significant progress, there is still a lot of work to be done before we can say we have truly achieved equality and have dealt with the issue of abuse in our province," Mayathula-Khoza said.
She said the campaign was aimed at bringing awareness and helping the victims of abuse. - mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/07/23/youth-confess-they-don-t-condomise?filter=all_comments
A RECENT survey has revealed that teenagers enjoy unprotected sex and are not willing to use condoms.
Titled Factors Associated with Teenage Pregnancy in Gauteng Province, the study was conducted with 508 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 years.
The study included focus group discussions with learners, parents and healthcare workers, and one of the issues that came out was that most teenagers preferred unprotected sex.
MEC for social development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said this was worrying as it means that the youth were being exposed to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday, Mayathula-Khoza said teenagers fell pregnant partly because of lack of resources and dire social conditions. She said although statistics showed a decline in teenage pregnancy, there was still cause for concern.
Mayathula-Khoza said statistics from the Gauteng department of education showed a 20% reduction of pregnancies among children of school-going age. The rate dropped from 4874 in 2008 to 4271 in 2011.
"We must all stand up and work with our children. Engaging in sex should be the last thing, their education must come first," Mayathula- Khoza said.
In the same breath, Mayathula-Khoza also announced the launch of of a campaign against abuse, named Adopt a Centre for Abused Women and Children: From Victimhood to Survival.
"While we have made significant progress, there is still a lot of work to be done before we can say we have truly achieved equality and have dealt with the issue of abuse in our province," Mayathula-Khoza said.
She said the campaign was aimed at bringing awareness and helping the victims of abuse. - mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/07/23/youth-confess-they-don-t-condomise?filter=all_comments
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