A NATIONAL survey among teenagers coordinated by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has found that up to 88% of children between 13 to 18 years old were sexually active.
The findings also showed the highest teen pregnancies purportedly occur in Kelantan, Sarawak and Penang.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said she was appalled by the results, which also showed many teens were unaware about contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases and physical and mental health risks due to teen pregnancy.
Speaking during a gathering with women and family groups in Sibu last night, Nancy said parents and society should be concerned by the poll.
“The finding that 88% of teens aged between 13 to 18 are engaged in sexual activities shows the incidence of adolescent pregnancies is high.
“Kelantan has the highest number of teenage pregnancies, Sarawak has the second highest and Penang has the third highest,” she said.
“Kelantan has a 9.5% ratio of adolescent pregnancies (among those surveyed), Sarawak has 9.1% and Penang has 8.9% based on the findings.”
She expressed concern about the rise in sexual activity among teenagers lead to heightened problems such as baby dumping.
Nancy emphasised that sex with minors is a crime. Police have noted an increase in rapes and sexual assault cases involving teenagers.
She said the community and schools must respond with more awareness campaigns to inform teenagers about the risks of being sexually active.
She called on women’s groups and religious bodies to work with her ministry to reach out to adolescents.
In May this year, the Health Ministry reported that 33% of teenagers engage in sexual activity before reaching the age of 14.
The findings were obtained from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022. It had surveyed secondary school students aged 13 to 17.
The survey, conducted from June 12 to July 8 last year, showed 154,646 adolescents in Malaysia were sexually active, raising significant concerns about youth wellbeing.
Of that figure, 33% or one-third of teens – a startling 51,036 – fell into the category of engaging in sexual activities at an exceptionally young age.
It was also reported that 75% of sexually active teens reported recent sexual encounters. – The Vibes, December 8, 2023.
