Parents need to educate kids about sex

KUALA LUMPUR: The failure of parents to clearly communicate with children about sex have been among the reasons that teenagers engage in free sex.
The Senior Lecturer of Educational and Counseling at Universiti Malaya Dr Norsafatul Aznin A.Razak said parents needed to be positive and open when discussing sexual issues with their adolescent children.
"The focus of the discussion is to equip them with information on underage sex, in addition to safeguarding their physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
"Parents need to talk about boundaries when it comes to relationships with family members and friends, as a way to curb unrestricted mingling which could lead to premarital sex," she told Bernama.
She was commenting on the issue of a Form 2 student in Malacca who confessed to having sex with multiple partners in and outside of school.
Ease of access
Norsafatul said that the influence of social media and ease of accessibility to information today have made teenagers more prone to going to the wrong source for information.
She said that the usage of gadgets among children needed to be monitored as if they were left without supervision, it could poison their minds. This is especially the case when it comes to children aged between 5-12 years old.
"The issue can be avoided through open communication between parents and children. However, there is this stigma attached to sex education in that it is accused of promoting sex among teens. We need to change that perception and look at it from a positive side, where it could be used to educate teens against it," she said.
In addition to that, she said, past experiences could also lead a teenager to become involved or addicted to premarital sexual activities.
"Those who have been raped or committed sexual acts in the past might also be more open towards sexual activities.
"Becoming a victim of rape is a painful experience but in some cases, it may become a precursor to sex addiction," she said.
Norsafatul also suggested for parents to meet up with counseling experts to discuss the best methodologies in educating their children about sex.
This was because the openness of parents in discussing this issue was still low, she said.
Revamp the system
Meanwhile, the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the education system in this country needed to be reviewed, following the report on the frequency of cases involving sexual activities among students at school.
"This is because though students can gain in-depth knowledge on the repercussions of immoral activities through the Pendidikan Islam and Moral Studies subjects, such activities are still going on. Why is this so?" she questioned.
She found it worrying that students were becoming bolder by engaging in sexual acts at school, which was supposed to be a hub of education, not of immoral activities.
Noor Azimah said that in addition to stern action from the school, counseling teachers also had a role to play in guiding troubled students to the right path.
"Teachers need to identify the troubled students and guide them. Parents also need to be more aware of their children's activities and act quickly if their children are involved in such activities," she said.
Mohd Noor Salleh, a 38-year-old father of two, believed that many teenagers today have been bombarded with a variety of information, some of which might arouse their curiousity enough to emulate.
"Parents should not give their children free reign. We need to monitor their online activities. If they are visiting websites with obscene content, we need to promptly take action to prevent things from escalating," he said. — Bernama