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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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More effective Sex Education needed says Assembly Member
August 14, 2006 11:16 PM
A BBC Radio One survey that revealed that nearly a third of 16 to 24-year-olds lost their virginity below the age of consent, often not using a condom, has underlined the need for more effective sex education in schools, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, Peter Black, has said.
Some 38% of the young people surveyed do not always use a condom with a new partner, with being too drunk cited as one of the most common reasons. One in 10 claimed to have had no sex education at school, whilst three quarters said they only learned the basics. Many showed a lack of awareness about contraception failure, with 43% not knowing it was possible to get pregnant if a condom is not used correctly and 35% unaware that the contraceptive pill can also fail. Respondents in Wales and south west England tended to lose their virginity earlier, whilst the UK has one of the highest underage pregnancy rates in Western Europe.
"Young people are always going to experiment and it is inevitable that in some cases this will lead to them having sex very early on," said Mr. Black. "However, it is important that they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and that they take the appropriate precautions to avoid unplanned and underage pregnancies and so as not to catch sexually transmitted infections."
"What youngsters are taught at school is crucial in helping them to take decisions about sex and in ensuring that they are able to take the necessary precautions and yet all the evidence is that these lessons are ineffective at present. Sex education needs to focus less on the biological and more on the practical. There needs to be more time devoted to these lessons in the curriculum so that key messages are driven home. Finally, there must be full access to testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections in the confidential setting of a Genito Urinary Medicine clinic, as well as timely advice about contraception from professionals who can reach out to young people in a non-judgmental way."
"If we do not get to grips with this issue then Wales and the rest of the UK will continue to have an unacceptable number of underage pregnancies, whilst the rate of sexually transmitted infections will grow."
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