Saturday, July 18, 2009
A response to the high school and college condoms’ distribution in Dominica
By Julius Lewis
Editor’s note: In 2007, a West Indian Medical Journal article reported on a study to determine factors associated with sexual activity and inconsistent condom use among high-school girls in Dominica.The study was conducted at five high-schools in Dominica in 2000 to assess behaviour that may put high-school girls at risk for HIV.
Of the 204 girls questioned, it was determined that 204 girls (median age 16 years), forty-one per cent (41%) reported at least one episode of sexual activity. Among sexually active girls, 59% were inconsistent condom users.The study concluded that sexual activity and inconsistent condom use occur frequently among high-school girls in Dominica. (West Indian Medical Journal [online]. 2007, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 434-438. ISSN 0043-3144).
There are increasing calls within Dominica to give condoms to high school and college students to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and so I would like to add a few lines to that controversy and make a few suggestions to the government. The desire for sex, rest, food, water, sleep among others are strong forces of nature.
Of course we have our ideals for our kids, and the church has one and the societies have one and so forth. Here is what we know, education in all its forms; the church, the family, the friends, the media among others will only go so far with so many. And we see that.
We don’t know how far and we don’t know how many until it is too late or much later in life. Not only are we dealing with natural forces of nature we are also dealing with the human body, which has knowledge of its own coupled with the social dating / mating experience, along with, the orgasmic bliss which is one of the greatest pleasures known to man.
Let the church deal with the spiritual teachings, let the families deal with the moral and ethical teachings and let the government protect all, sinner and saint. If they say that the distribution of condoms in high schools and colleges will encourage the kids to get sexually active, first this is an assumption.
So their case is built on an assumption. Ok, let’s work with that. Isn’t it better to encourage one than to have a thousand unprotected? That is to say, if in the process of trying to protect all both sinner and saint we lost two saints isn’t it better than hoping all will be on the straight and narrow?
People, listen up, sometimes, hope is hopeless. The world over, to hope the kids will not have sex while in high school and or college has proven that sometimes hope is as hopeless as having no condoms.
One would still hope, however, that the sexually active are smart enough to use the condoms at all times. In other words if they chose to take such risk, they should minimize their risk by using a condom.
So there you have it – at the end of the day someone might still not use a condom. But it is the best we can do. And we leave the rest to nature. It has been said that success has a thousand fathers while failure is an orphan.
We have to use all the “fathers” that we have to create a climate that will minimize the amount who will learn through the bitter school of experience. Too often we hear many a father of fathers fail. While many a mother of mothers wail.
Left to me condoms would be mandatory in all churches – and I mean all churches!!! (It is not a fight I am just going with what I see.) And my message from the pulpit would be simple. “Generally speaking fellow congregation with the sex act comes multidimensional and multilayered risk; abstinence if full proof, bla bla bla, if you are taking such a risk minimize your risk by using a condom – I need you here next Sunday.”
You have this one right sir, children live what they learn, and they see that many a father of fathers fail in falling prey to the sex desire and or by not using a condom.
At that age the kids know that only the absence of sex is full proof. I believe those of us who want the condoms available to the students have a much better view of the entire situation – we have what I will call a “collective consciousness” on the issue. Why don’t all the parents who are positive their children will not have that social experience, sex, while in high school and or college form an ethics committee?
We as Dominicans, an independent country I am told, in this day and age cannot complain about sex education in high schools and beyond when we have the brain power, the paper, the printing facilities, the artist, the stories, among others to produce our own textbook on the subject and make it mandatory to all the high schools – the new student companion on sex education.
Any child 13 years and older should be given as part of his / her homework assignment a sex conversation with the parent / parents. And have the parent sign it. I would separate the sexes – in the interest of the child.
Let the girls ask their mothers and the boys ask the fathers what they can tell them on the subject of sex. (One might even want to know what myths / facts the parent learn and from who). People we have to flip the culture and the sooner the better.
It is not too far off subject to say the following, if I were involved in the student’s education process in Dominica or anywhere in the world for that matter, I would post the following big and bold on every high school; “THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF EDUCATION IS TO LEARN TO TEACH YOUR SELF TO LEARN” – With this awareness in mind we create the awareness for the student to empower themselves to be free thinkers, to be more creative, to invent, to have more scientific inquires and the like.
During the course of history men have died to fit in and men have died to be free thinkers. The days of trying and dying to fit in are long over – we have to empower our kids and empower them now!!! But first we have to help them with the proper education and make available condoms to protect themselves.
This is a position the government should take and as soon as possible – hopefully the parents will understand us in time. In fact, the government should stamp their authority on this the condoms issue. Just sometimes unless hope is given a condom hope will remain hopeless.
Editor’s note: In 2007, a West Indian Medical Journal article reported on a study to determine factors associated with sexual activity and inconsistent condom use among high-school girls in Dominica.The study was conducted at five high-schools in Dominica in 2000 to assess behaviour that may put high-school girls at risk for HIV.
Of the 204 girls questioned, it was determined that 204 girls (median age 16 years), forty-one per cent (41%) reported at least one episode of sexual activity. Among sexually active girls, 59% were inconsistent condom users.The study concluded that sexual activity and inconsistent condom use occur frequently among high-school girls in Dominica. (West Indian Medical Journal [online]. 2007, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 434-438. ISSN 0043-3144).
There are increasing calls within Dominica to give condoms to high school and college students to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and so I would like to add a few lines to that controversy and make a few suggestions to the government. The desire for sex, rest, food, water, sleep among others are strong forces of nature.
Of course we have our ideals for our kids, and the church has one and the societies have one and so forth. Here is what we know, education in all its forms; the church, the family, the friends, the media among others will only go so far with so many. And we see that.
We don’t know how far and we don’t know how many until it is too late or much later in life. Not only are we dealing with natural forces of nature we are also dealing with the human body, which has knowledge of its own coupled with the social dating / mating experience, along with, the orgasmic bliss which is one of the greatest pleasures known to man.
Let the church deal with the spiritual teachings, let the families deal with the moral and ethical teachings and let the government protect all, sinner and saint. If they say that the distribution of condoms in high schools and colleges will encourage the kids to get sexually active, first this is an assumption.
So their case is built on an assumption. Ok, let’s work with that. Isn’t it better to encourage one than to have a thousand unprotected? That is to say, if in the process of trying to protect all both sinner and saint we lost two saints isn’t it better than hoping all will be on the straight and narrow?
People, listen up, sometimes, hope is hopeless. The world over, to hope the kids will not have sex while in high school and or college has proven that sometimes hope is as hopeless as having no condoms.
One would still hope, however, that the sexually active are smart enough to use the condoms at all times. In other words if they chose to take such risk, they should minimize their risk by using a condom.
So there you have it – at the end of the day someone might still not use a condom. But it is the best we can do. And we leave the rest to nature. It has been said that success has a thousand fathers while failure is an orphan.
We have to use all the “fathers” that we have to create a climate that will minimize the amount who will learn through the bitter school of experience. Too often we hear many a father of fathers fail. While many a mother of mothers wail.
Left to me condoms would be mandatory in all churches – and I mean all churches!!! (It is not a fight I am just going with what I see.) And my message from the pulpit would be simple. “Generally speaking fellow congregation with the sex act comes multidimensional and multilayered risk; abstinence if full proof, bla bla bla, if you are taking such a risk minimize your risk by using a condom – I need you here next Sunday.”
You have this one right sir, children live what they learn, and they see that many a father of fathers fail in falling prey to the sex desire and or by not using a condom.
At that age the kids know that only the absence of sex is full proof. I believe those of us who want the condoms available to the students have a much better view of the entire situation – we have what I will call a “collective consciousness” on the issue. Why don’t all the parents who are positive their children will not have that social experience, sex, while in high school and or college form an ethics committee?
We as Dominicans, an independent country I am told, in this day and age cannot complain about sex education in high schools and beyond when we have the brain power, the paper, the printing facilities, the artist, the stories, among others to produce our own textbook on the subject and make it mandatory to all the high schools – the new student companion on sex education.
Any child 13 years and older should be given as part of his / her homework assignment a sex conversation with the parent / parents. And have the parent sign it. I would separate the sexes – in the interest of the child.
Let the girls ask their mothers and the boys ask the fathers what they can tell them on the subject of sex. (One might even want to know what myths / facts the parent learn and from who). People we have to flip the culture and the sooner the better.
It is not too far off subject to say the following, if I were involved in the student’s education process in Dominica or anywhere in the world for that matter, I would post the following big and bold on every high school; “THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF EDUCATION IS TO LEARN TO TEACH YOUR SELF TO LEARN” – With this awareness in mind we create the awareness for the student to empower themselves to be free thinkers, to be more creative, to invent, to have more scientific inquires and the like.
During the course of history men have died to fit in and men have died to be free thinkers. The days of trying and dying to fit in are long over – we have to empower our kids and empower them now!!! But first we have to help them with the proper education and make available condoms to protect themselves.
This is a position the government should take and as soon as possible – hopefully the parents will understand us in time. In fact, the government should stamp their authority on this the condoms issue. Just sometimes unless hope is given a condom hope will remain hopeless.
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// posted by TheDominican.net @ 6:22 PM
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