WHO report reveals an alarming increase in teenagers avoiding contraception
28 August 2024 17:27
The World Health Organization has published a report on the sexual lives of teenagers. The analysis revealed that young people are increasingly having unprotected intercourse. Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, warns that we are already reaping the bitter fruits of neglecting sexual education.
Intimate relations among teenagers no longer surprise anyone. According to European statistics, the majority of 17-year-old males and 19-year-old females have already experienced their first sexual initiation. This is a completely normal need that occurs in every adult or maturing person.
The World Health Organization highlights a worrying fact that may affect the fate of young people. Increasingly, teenagers are having unprotected intercourse. This poses a risk of unwanted pregnancies and many sexually transmitted infections.
Teenagers are not using contraception
The World Health Organization's office in Europe has published a report on the sexual lives of teenagers. A total of 242,000 15-year-olds in 42 different countries and regions participated in this study. It was conducted from 2014 to 2022.
The analysis showed that more and more young people are having unprotected intimacy. One-third of respondents reported not using a condom or other contraceptive methods during their last intercourse. As many as 33% of them came from low social status families.
Although the report's results are depressing, they are not surprising
The previous report was published in 2014. Compared to the latest research, the percentage of young men using protection dropped from 70% to 61%, and for girls from 63% to 57%.
Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, assessed that although the report results are disheartening, they are unsurprising. According to the specialist, the lack of protection while being intimate results from insufficient sexual education.
He points out that age-appropriate, comprehensive sexual education is often overlooked in many countries. Where it does exist, it faces growing criticism due to the mistaken belief that it promotes sexual activity. He also urged authorities to provide further focus on this aspect of teenagers' education.
He adds that society is already reaping the bitter fruits of neglecting sexual education, and the worst is yet to come if governments, health authorities, and the education sector do not recognize the true causes of the current situation and take steps to fix it.
