Condoms aren't aphrodisiacs

THE IGNORANT banter relating to making condoms accessible in schools to adolescents who are sexually active is exhausting!

Too many of us are misinformed about the purpose of condoms and what influences people, including adolescents, to engage in sexual activity, and are too excited to discharge ignorance. We accept adolescents are sexually active, but resent them being able to have greater access to condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy.

Condoms are not aphrodisiacs; they DO NOT encourage sexual activity among anyone. If so, we all need to be careful at the pharmacy with the wide assortment of condoms decorating the cashiers' workstation, lest our hormones get the better of us. Condom manufacturers and distributors, as well as my colleagues from the Ministry of Health and civil society who do HIV prevention, would all need high-tech chastity belts. Can we be any more ludicrous?

UNPROTECTED ADOLESCENTS

Are you really comfortable that an adolescent you know might be sexually active and lack access to condoms and trained personnel who could provide counselling and support - to delay further sexual activity or protect him/herself?

Condoms are important for everyone who is or may become sexually active. Their distribution/availability/accessibility have no bearing on our hormones, irrespective of age. Availability of condoms support messages about safe/safer sexual practices towards preventing early and unplanned pregnancy and STIs such as HIV. Last year, there were nearly 400,000 potential cases of HIV infection among people 15-24 years. Adolescent girls aged 10-19 are three to four times more likely to become infected with HIV than boys of the same age (Ministry of Health AIDS Report, 2011). Eighteen per cent of live births in Jamaica are to teenage mothers (Reproductive Health Survey 2008). I imagine greater access to condoms would help to mitigate this.

A study on the effectiveness of sex education and HIV education interventions in schools in developing countries informs us that "sex education and HIV education interventions do not increase sexual behaviour" and that "a substantial percentage of interventions significantly decrease one or more types of sexual activity", such as sexual initiation, frequency of engaging in sex, and the number of sexual partners. Studies conducted in Seattle, Massachusetts and Philadelphia have found that the availability of condoms in schools does have an impact on sexual behaviour to the extent of increasing condom use and reducing unprotected sex. The level of impact is, however, dependent on the methodology used, how the condoms are dispensed, whether counselling is available, and so on. (See The Impact of Condom Distribution in Seattle Schools on Sexual Behaviour and Condom Use, Does Condom Availability Make a Difference? An Evaluation of Philadelphia's Health Resource Centres and Condom Availability Programs in Massachusetts High Schools: Relationships With Condom Use and Sexual Behaviour).

We must develop a multifaceted strategy to encourage the delay of sexual activity, and proper use of condoms. That is by no means endorsing early sexual activity! It is recognising that if adolescents won't abstain, we must encourage them to be responsible. By the way, over 170,000 sexually active youth are in multiple sex partnerships (Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices & Behaviour Survey 2012). I will refrain from scaring you about the prevalence of casual sex. Imagine if the Government were to provide free anti-retroviral drugs for all 170,000 adolescents and youths at a cost of US$400 for the year.

IT MAY BE TOO LATE

The minister of education said schools aren't 'romping shops', so adolescents should access condoms at health and community centres, but by the time many are done with extra lessons and co-curricular activity and travel long distances to get home, these places are already closed. I am curious to know if it automatically rains when the minister of education decides to walk with an umbrella on a given day.

And, yes, Sean Major-Campbell, condoms are also available at pharmacies, but does it provide the same kind of environment where we can have a conversation with adolescents who are sexually active? No. Pharmacies aren't even adolescent-friendly. It's so frightening going to a pharmacy to buy a condom when you have to ask the cashier for the relevant brand, flavour and size to suit your fancy. The benefit of a guidance counsellor or any trained person doing this is to make space for conversation that could reveal issues of forced sex, multiple sex partners, transactional sex, and to EVEN PREVENT FURTHER SEXUAL ACTIVITY.

I should advise George Davis and many others that no one wants condoms to be distributed to students in schools - just to make them available/accessible. Distribution and accessibility/availability are two different things. Check the dictionary in case you are all obfuscated by these two concepts.

Jaevion Nelson is a youth development, HIV and human rights advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jaevion@gmail.com.