Namibians persisting with 'risky' sexual behaviour:Unam study

Articles: Namibians persisting with 'risky' sexual behaviour:Unam study

Posted by admin on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 - 03:21 AM

CROSS-GENERATIONAL relationships, prostitution and multiple sex partners remain rife in Namibia as the country grapples with rising incidencts of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), particularly the deadly HIV-AIDS pandemic.
Studies by the University of Namibia to assess sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and young people in the Oshana, Ohangwena and Karas regions reveal that while there is generally a fair knowledge of STDs among Namibians, their risky sexual behaviour persists. The research findings, which were released at the Unam campus in Windhoek yesterday, indicate that young people, especially girls, opt for commercial sex or relationships with older married men for material gain. These sexual encounters are mostly unprotected. "The girls look for the '4 Cs', which stand for cash, cellphone, car and clothes, which most married men have," said Martha Gebhardt, when she presented the findings from the Karas Region. The three research teams cited poverty as the main driving force behind the rise of the sugar-daddy/sugar-mummy phenomenon, with some parents said to be encouraging their daughters to have sex with rich men for money. "Older men resist the use of condoms because they believe it interferes with sexual pleasure. Due to the unequal nature of these sexual relationships, girls find it difficult to insist on the use of condoms with these men," stated Thomas Shapumba of the Oshana Region research group. The researchers called for urgent studies to determine the extent of cross-generational sexual relations among Namibians communities in order to propose appropriate intervention. The studies also found that sex education, both at home and schools, remained almost taboo in Namibian society. In Karas, most parents indicated that someone other than themselves should provide sex education to their children. Others felt that there was no need for such education as "knowing so much would only lead to their children to be promiscuous". "Some school principals are hostile to outsiders bringing sex education information into the school grounds. [While] health care providers are embarrassed to mention sex organs in their local languages," according to the research group from the Ohangwena Region. Lack of openness on issues related to sex education has led young people to mostly rely on inaccurate information on sexuality from peer groups. The studies also identified a number of socio-cultural and economic factors which contribute to sexual and reproductive health problems among the youth, such as myths surrounding condoms, traditional doctors and the negative attitude of some health workers. The studies recommend the strengthening and expansion of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programmes to many young people countrywide, training of parents, traditional healers and teachers on SRH issues and expansion of adolescent-friendly health services to all health facilities in the country.

· 128 Reads ·