Let’s talk sex
'We must not pretend that by keeping quiet, children will not have sex'
PARENTS, guardians and teachers at schools throughout the province must speak frankly and honestly with children about the risks of unprotected sex.
KZN MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, said this comes as South Africa joined the world in commemorating World Contraception Day on Wednesday.
‘Sex should be spoken about openly, instead of being treated as a taboo subject, because when practiced without adherence to safety, it can have life-altering and deadly consequences.’
He said that out of the one million babies born countrywide each year, 80 000 are delivered by teen mothers who, by sheer virtue of their age, are neither physiologically nor psychologically ready to bear children, which often leads to health complications resulting in the death of the mother, her baby, or both.
‘This is something that all of us as society, including community leaders and educators in the classroom, need to begin to talk to our children about.
We must not pretend that by keeping quiet, children will not have sex – or that if they do, they know the do’s and don’ts.’
He said youngsters should be encouraged to abstain, and the alternatives that are available to them if they cannot abstain.
‘We must encourage those who can’t abstain to apply dual protection by using male or female condoms during every episode of sex, while combining this with contraceptives, as well as medical male circumcision.’
Healthy advice
The KZN Department of Health (DoH) offers nine different contraceptive methods, which are available for free at public health clinics.
These are:
• Sub-dermal contraceptive implant. (Implanon) effective for 3 years
• Copper IUD. – Loop (non -hormonal effective for 10 years)
• Hormonal injection. (2 or 3 monthly)
• Oral contraception pills (daily)
• Emergency contraception. In case of condom burst or after unprotected sex
• Male and female condoms
• Vasectomy for men who have reached their desired family size
• Voluntary female sterilisation.
The MEC urged healthcare workers to ensure that young people feel welcome to seek assistance from public healthcare facilities.
‘If they don’t feel welcome, they then rely on uninformed advice or the help of their peers – usually with disastrous consequences. We do not want that,’ he concluded.
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