THE Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) is deeply concerned over the startling number of school aged students being involved in sexual activities, especially those filmed and uploaded to social media, in school uniforms and on the schools’ premises. In particular, the Association’s Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM) would like to address these pressing issues facing youth and the whole society.A statement from the GRPA yesterday said,”We have seen over the years that an increasing number of these “incidents” have occurred and have been responded to with hastily called “press conferences” and promises of “immediate action”. More recently, two tapes were released on social media of students purportedly in 2nd and 4th forms involved in sexual activity at a Georgetown School. We welcome the announcement that the Ministry of Education is conducting a probe and ask whether this occurrence does not present yet another case of the need for a comprehensive sexuality education programme and universal access to sexual and reproductive health for young people, including in-school youths.

“It’s our opinion that due to the lack of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Education in the school system, instances of adolescent students getting involved in risky unplanned and unprotected sexual activities is constantly increasing. This lack of education results in many persons experimenting and doing so in dangerous ways. The GRPA calls for a shift from the abstinence only to a comprehensive approach to sex education taking into the reality that youths are becoming sexually active at a very tender age, both forced and voluntarily.

A comprehensive approach is age appropriate and responds to the sexual diversity and rights of young people and equips them to make informed decisions about sex. Sexual and reproductive health refers to the total health and wellness of young people and should be viewed as much more than lessons on safe sex. Low self esteem, sexual confusion, poor negotiation skills and access to information and services are all factors addressed by a comprehensive approach. It is also necessary to address policies, laws and structural and cultural barriers to young people’s control of their sexual lives and health. Parents, teachers, health workers and other service providers need to be involved together with young people themselves in addressing this issue as “all are involved, all are consumed.

“GRPA urges that every effort be made to introduce a comprehensive sexuality education programme in schools. The Association is committed to strengthening its relationship with the Ministry of Education to advance such a programme. For far too long the Ministry has been too slow in taking key steps to implement the commitments of the Ministerial Declaration on Comprehensive Sex Education signed by Guyana in Mexico in 2008 and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) signed in 1994 in Egypt. These commitments recognised the need for universal access to information and services. Although a Health and Family Life Education programme is being implemented there is agreement in CARICOM on the need to review and bring this in line with a Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum.

“The Education system is very lacking in its contribution to young people’s awareness of sexuality, rights and sexual health. Tell us why is it that the only thing we’re being taught at school as young people is the names and parts of the sex organs and their functions? Is that all we need to know?

“As a result of not addressing this issue, we see that Guyana is second to Jamaica in this part of the world for having the highest rate of teen pregnancies. This clearly indicates that the approach leaves a lot to be desired and that’s the reason why we have so many instances of school aged children having sexual intercourse or performing sexual activities.

“Equally alarming is the risk of sexually transmitted infections. We need to teach our children all they need to know about sex, their bodies, self awareness, self respect, condom use and responsible behaviour, and ensure that they have access to family planning education, counselling and services. While adolescents and teenagers should be guided by a healthy approach to their wellbeing and encouraged to delay their sexual debut until the time and circumstances are right, it is evident that the abstinence only approach has failed our young people in and outside of schools.

“GRPA as a Youth Friendly Space provides family planning counselling and services. We encourage young persons, including students, to visit our clinic where we offer medical services at special prices for young people. We encourage our peers to visit our Quamina Street office, call our telephone numbers or reach out to us on social media to access information and services.

We invite the public to join us in our campaign to engage in a shift towards healthy lifestyles. Today, we start a petition calling on the Ministry of Education to honour the commitments made to young people and implement a comprehensive sexuality education programme in schools.