Sex education to children does not make them promiscuous

Kumasi, Feb 26, GNA- Dr Robert Mensah, the African Youth Alliance (AYA) Ghana Country Co-ordinator has stated that it is never true that giving children the requisite sex education could make them promiscuous. He said on the contrary, research has shown that giving them sex education at a tender age rather helps to delay their desire to engage in sexual activities.

Dr Mensah was speaking at the opening of a two-day bi-annual review meeting of the core staff of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) and the AYA in Kumasi on Thursday.

The two organisations in collaboration with the Pathfinder International (PI), Boston, USA, are implementing a three-year project in Ghana known as the Window of Hope, which is designed to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health of the youth. The meeting which is being attended by 40 participants from the AYA and CHAG in the country, is aimed at assessing activities under the project for the past two years, identify pitfalls and strategies for the future.

Dr Mensah was of the strong conviction that denying children knowledge about sex and their sexuality could rather jeopardise or compound efforts at making them abstain from it. Miss Susan Collins, Senior Programme Manager of the PI said studies now show that the sexual and reproductive health situation of adolescents in most African countries including Ghana, depict inadequate knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and high level of unsafe sex.

She said this, therefore underscores why comprehensive and efficient adolescent reproductive health programmes should be pursued at all levels to help avert the risks and problems that might confront adolescents because of inadequate knowledge about reproductive health issues. 26 Feb 04