LETS TALK ABOUT SEX!!!

Although young people need the urgency for Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, we do not open up to health workers simply because we feel misjudged or stigmatized by the attitude of these workers. For this reason, our needs are not met and that also accounts for least progressive health related goals among the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other global goals. 

However, does it only take the health worker to make that change? That is Dr. Allotey from the right at the top, followed by Dr. Grace Gyimah-Boateng. Two amazing doctors working to meet young people's SRH needs and they have come across challenges in one way or the other providing services to young people. To make this easier, someone has to step up to create that change, find out the problems and provide solutions for better access to information and services. This is where I come in the picture and once again; welcome to my blog.

I have been off radio to continue my nationwide tour in senior high schools and communities across Ghana, my sincere apologies for the short break on this blog, I know listeners have also missed my inputs on air, nonetheless following up and on issues in the communities and sharing them here on my blog is equally important and you can’t miss out on any of my discoveries on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

In Ghana, many young people are sharing explicit content on social media, and are facing serious sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns including unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Imagine a country where it is inappropriate for a young person to openly discuss the mere changes in his/her body with adults, to be seen watching sexually explicit scenes and just be seen flirting with the opposite sex. As far as our society is concerned,

 these denote immorality. On the contrary, it does not prevent young people from engaging in these activities above.

What does this mean to you? Young people are sexually active and we have many ways to access information when denied. When was the last time you openly discussed the physical changes in the adolescent with your son, cousin, niece, nephew or that young teenage friend? Do you remember what happened? Tell me more while I grab that popcorn.

We feel the urgency to openly discuss issues we don’t understand about our body, what friends tell us at school, what we read on the internet and the different state of psychological changes we go through the adolescent stage BUT since we fear you might judge us unfairly, tag us bad or spoilt children or shut us down like most people do, we will rather follow friends blindly and develop a separate identity for parents/family and another one for friends. To our parents/family “WE” are the good children with the right moral upbringing but to our friends, the least said the better.

Openly discussing sex, abstinence, sexuality, pregnancy, STI prevention and treatment, contraception, empowerment, gender roles and stereotypes and other related issues, many young people come out of their shell to speak about their challenges. They complain there is too little of the right information and that the right information is hidden from them  and even though following friends isn’t the ideal way; they are left with no choice. Where there is information, it is delivered in an authoritarian manner not friendly or adapted to their way of understanding and they feel neglected; their privacy isn’t much of an issue since they are young, nothing is kept confidential and this makes them follow trusted friends despite the fact that they may not provide the right information, they hold all issues in trust of a great friendship as most things are kept in privacy and confidentiality.

Do you now understand why young people follow friends and mostly end up getting the wrong information? Research has shown that comprehensive sexuality education when delivered in a manner to meet the young person’s needs help protect his visions and aspirations and not the other way round which contributes to the deficit we encounter among health-related goals in the MDGs as well as other global goals.

In view of this, my contribution towards achieving global goals through saving more young people’s lives by providing comprehensive sexuality education and some vital issues in communities and schools throughout the regions across Ghana has been very revealing.

In an entertaining way, we all come together, sing and battle ourselves out with strong dance moves, and then in a hilarious and non-judgmental way openly discuss our (SRH) needs specifically on sex, STI prevention and treatment, changes in the adolescent, pregnancy and related issues by empowering them with accurate information; dispelling all myths, misconceptions and fallacies by friends with anatomy and physiology so they can make informed decisions and choices. This is when many of my young peers speak out their frustrations and throw questions which they need answers to.

I could take an hour or two in counseling or educating one teenager on his/her SRH needs alone, and when there are others in a queue waiting for their turns, I have to give out my contact for follow up or refer them to youth-friendly centres for information and services.  I may not be able to go into details for privacy reasons but through my activities, I have also met young heroes and I will share their stories soon. 

Young people are not different from other humans on the planet; we just have a different way of understanding. It could be your son, daughter, cousin, niece or nephew, brother or sister, colleague or just a friend. Even if you are shy to speak to them about the issues never forget to always direct them to the right place before they get misled by a friend. I am Oko Armah and I will be around any time you need me. Start a discussion over the table at dinner or breakfast and gradually the young person will open up but be sure to hold all your judgments, values, and personal opinions to yourself and for once open up to them and you will save a generation. Ghana needs young people for its future, Africa and the world thrives on them. Feel free to send me a mail and let’s get talking. okofrancis@gmail.com