The discussion about the Age of Civil Responsibility (ACR) Bill has raised awareness about the plight of adolescents’ sexual health.
We have learned that only about 1 in 20 parents speak with their children about puberty and responsible sexuality.
We have learned that some parents do not cooperate with the prosecutors in cases against sexual predators, and some parents even pimp their children.
We have learned that the Caribbean has the second-highest adolescent fertility rate in the world; the second-earliest sexual debut in the world; and that 3 of our countries are among the top 10 regarding the horror of gender-based violence.
The ACR Bill alone cannot change this situation; but it can create space for other actions, for example, encouraging abstinence, helping parents to overcome their reluctance to discuss sex with their children, strengthening sexuality education in our schools and churches, encouraging use of contraceptives, and improving access to contraceptives and counselling for all who are sexually active, regardless of age.
Our studies have shown that almost every woman who visits public health clinics knows at least one method of contraception (99%). Yet 80% report that their last or current pregnancy was unplanned. While almost all of them had used some method of contraception at some time, their leading reasons for current non-use were fear of methods (55%), partner objection (22%), and cost (8%).
Clearly, we have a long way to go in dispelling the myths about the harm of modern contraceptives, addressing the patriarchal attitudes in our culture, and establishing policies that remove the legal and economic barriers to contraceptive access.
World Contraception Day is a solemn reminder of those challenges.
Sincerely
Tonia Frame, President, Grenada Planned Parenthood Association (GPPA)
Fred Nunes, Consultant, Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity (ASPIRE)
