29 Jan 2007

Singapore youth scorn abstinence

This topic seems to have reared its head again and I refer to a previous article posted on 31st July 2006...

Surely a better policy would be to promote 'abstinence' with younger children but with teenagers who may already be sexually active promote safe-sex. To assume that teenagers and young people are a single group that can be approached with one singular campaign denies the activities and attitudes of different cohorts in the target community.[...]



Singapore youth scorn abstinence
Singapore (dpa) - Youths in Singapore are fed up with campaigns promoting sexual abstinence, a published survey said Monday.

Among 16 sexuality topics, two-thirds of 1,383 secondary school students ranked "building healthy relationships with the opposite sex" as the top priority.

Commitment to abstinence from premarital sex ranked 12th, according to the findings in The Straits Times.

The survey showed that 81.9 per cent of students had not spoken to any adult about intimate issues, and 17.8 per cent said they perceive adults to be awkward in dealing with the subject of sex.

"The abstinence message could be harmful despite its good intentions because it doesn't reflect reality," Bernise Ang, founder of the Singapore International Youth Council, was quoted as saying.

A 15-year-old student said, "You hear it once, then when the next person tells you not to have premarital sex, you can practically repeat everything."

With the message clearly needing updating, the Health Promotion Board is using peer influence to promote a healthy lifestyle, including refraining from promiscuous sex.



7 comments:

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

I actually CHEER when a govt initiative eventually fails. And ALL state-created initiatives aimed at PROHIBITING certain behaviours fail.

Why?

Because free markets are spontaneous orders, and are demand driven. Free markets also have an "energy" about them that struggles to be "free" from any attempts to "control or regulate the market".

Don't believe me? I'll prove it:

The Govt has prohibited murder, theft, fraud and rape. Agree? Good.

But these crimes still occur. How's that?

Simple, because in the "market" (in any market) for murder, theft, fraud and rape, individuals act because the choose to — in what they ALONE believe to be their own self-interest.

Does that mean we should not have security like police and the criminal justice system? Of course not. But take note: "justice" is done AFTER the crime has occurred. Justice itself cannot prevent crime from ever occurring.

However the fact remains — prohibition is a sure-fail way to solve any problem — LONG TERM.

Unfortunately, even though govt initiatives eventually fail — and I for one CHEER VERY LOUDLY when that happens — when the initiatives are put into effect, the FREEDOM and LIBERTY of the Individual is chipped away, a little more.

Many of us, now full grown adults were fucking when we we in high school. And now we are parents and responsible, productive and peaceful citizens.

I'm not saying that having sex AS a minor is a "good" or "bad" thing. I'll leave that to the Absolute Moralists of the church and of the state. Maybe they can be buddies, yet again, and come fuck with our freedom, yet again, and try, try, try again to manipulate the country and the world by GUILT.

As long as parents don't give a shit about their kids, and wholeheartedly allow the state to fuck with their children's minds, instead of being TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE for the upbringing of their kids, then the society is going to have more and more government interference in the lives of individuals and their families

Examples of FAILED ATTEMPTS at Prohibition and Regulation of "Victimless Crimes" and "Anti Social" Behaviour (feel free to add to the list):

• Campaign against abortion
• Campaign in the 70's "Stop At Two"
• Campaign to stop people littering and spitting, and pissing in lifts.
• Campaign to wipe out drug abuse and trafficking
• Campaign against males with long hair in the 60's and 70's
• The dismal failure at attempting to control expression of opinion and freedom of speech... in the age of the internet.
• Dumb busy-body/cry-baby moralising FemiNazis trying to outlaw prostitution.
• Attempt by the MOE to ensure that kid receives an "education"

....and so on

Anonymous said...

Responsibility to teach about unprotected sex lies with parents or the authority figures within the young person's family unit (be it an uncle, a priest, an imam etc).

well, what u expect anyway - the budget allocated to a particular youth organisation that could help in educating the young - went stright into the executive's pay and bonus package! ;-)

The govt should possibly rethink (i love that word...rethink. it has come up again and again in govt speeches and releases lately)about the difference between public education versus a coerced habit-changing "campaign".

Point to note - during SARS. getting every commercial building in Singapore to check temperatures of people coming in and out will NOT stop the spread of the disease. But educating people correctly, to visit the clinic when they're sick and not come to work, is more appropriate.

Are singaporeans in general really that uncivic, irresponsible, uneducated that we NEED coercion, fines and campaigns to change our behaviour?

The best case study, i think, is the Courtesy Campaign. i would to see an academic study of this campaign - the budget spent on, did we achieve set benchmarks, are Singaporeans now generally courteous. But please, i hope we dont do a "compare and contrast" with other cities in the world.

Aygee

Anonymous said...

Part of the reason why youth get into sex is there is nothing else to channel their energy (and future) into. The Singapore government has sold their livelihoods and their future for cheaper labour.

Anonymous said...

the singaporean has nothing in this world to look to. He is a dying race of weak people, brain washed, medically sick, unemployable outside his own country, and a joke to the poutside world because he cannot master even his own chinese dialect.

His judicial system is bent. last week three nivgferfian's were hanged for drug offences, but this week, a singaporean who murdered two mpeople by hitting them on a pedestrian crossing was found a paltry sum, and banned for a length of paltry months because he was myptic.

As an African if I spot any singapore tourists in my country, they will be dispatched to the good god above.

I believe in an eye for an eye.

where is thge logic.oknocking them

Anonymous said...

hey mr. african, let me a little more specific here.... how about just limiting it to singaporean government officials, judges or lawyers.

Take as many as you want....

Anonymous said...

how about grumpy bus drivers and those guys in civilian clothing who check on people smoking duty-free cigarettes?

Anonymous African - you're harsh, mate. Keeping that all that anger is unhealthy, u know...

Anonymous said...

I sympathise with Mr. African.
He,like any of us has to vent his frustrations. It is human.

But do not go after Singaporeans -- most of whom are innocent just like most Africans, who are not drug peddlars.

Today YOUR country and CONTINENT must be careful of other countries who try to buy your souls by dangling 'carrots'....'like China and other powers who have their own hidden agenda. Read the papers of how other countries try to enter Africa to exploit for their own selfish reasons.

You mean such countries love Africans, if not for their oil and minerals ? Where were they before ?
IF the price of oil had not skyrocketed in recent years, do you think China will come licking Africa ???

In the scheme of things, we Singaporeans are not so bad , after all,....at least I hope.