A RECENT survey carried out in secondary schools in Sarawak revealed a worrying number of students, aged 14 and below, that are active in sex, some with multiple partners.
The survey, conducted by the state health authorities and the Sarawak Ministry for Women, Family and Community Wellbeing covered more than 2,000 students in 16 secondary schools, said its minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
She said the survey revealed cases of adolescents engaging in risky sexual activities, without contraceptives, even before the age of 14.
“The survey covered both male and female students.
“The issue of sexual activity among young teens must be dealt with comprehensively.
“The Sarawak Health Department had recorded 940 cases of teen pregnancies from January to June this year already,” she said.
She revealed the worrying details during a briefing at her ministry in Kuching with “One Stop Crisis Centre” officials.
Fatimah said her ministry and the relevant health authorities are carrying out a series of sexual education awareness and prevention of sexual crimes programmes targeted at the young.
These programmes are being organised with the help of community organisations, she said.
The youth outreach programmes are not just in cities and big towns but also in rural districts such as Kapit, deep in central Sarawak, she said, adding that rural longhouses were also being covered.
“Incidents of teen pregnancies are also prevalent in longhouses and kampungs,” Fatimah said.
A study by University Malaysia Sarawak among youths in January found that easy access to porn and video series featuring sex scenes among prominent actresses and actors are fuelling the sexual behaviour of the young in Sarawak. – July 13, 2024.
