When I was a boy growing up in the hills of St James in the early 1950s, one of the favourite pastimes among adolescents was playing dolly house. This game, which in many instances was played unbeknownst to parents and guardians, involved youngsters pretending to be adult individuals, and one of the most exciting scenarios would see the children playing doctor and nurse dealing with patients. This exercise would, of course, lead to certain risqué activities of a sexual nature. Needless to say, I always looked forward to and most times insisted that I must be the doctor to examine the female patients.

Suffice it to say, however, that our various experiments rarely went beyond cursory foreplay as there was always that one child who would panic and threaten to tell on us. And so the age of innocence was very rarely violated in any “out of order” way. I have no doubt that many of my readers, in my age group (baby boomers), would have had similar experiences, especially those who lived in relatively poor socio-economic circumstances which would have provided them with fewer, more meaningful, or exciting recreational pursuits.

Notwithstanding a recent revelation by renowned University of the West Indies social anthropologist Dr Herbert Gayle that studies suggest there is decreased sexual activity among the young, based on anecdotal evidence it is safe to assume that there is a high level of sexual promiscuity among adolescents in Jamaica. Indeed, there is every reason to suspect that many of our youngsters have evolved from just playing dolly house to gallivanting in the ‘romping shop’ a la Vybz Kartel and Spice.

In today’s Jamaica, several surveys, both formal and informal, have revealed that a large number of boys and girls get their so-called sexual education and initiation from their peers, pornography, social media, corrupting adults, and what can be referred to as “talk pon di corners”. Much of this information is oftentimes misleading and full of myths. For example, many youngsters believe that a girl cannot get pregnant by having sex in a standing position and having sex with a virgin will cure a venereal disease.

There is also the economic factor, wherein many youngsters are going to bed hungry or cannot find lunch money or bus fare, so both boys and girls turn to some form of hustling. Unfortunately, given their vulnerable state, these youngsters are seduced by lecherous adults or, in some instances, their better-off peers, as can be seen in various videos that have gone viral showing schoolgirls in uniform having sex in the bushes or in a classroom for which they are allegedly financially rewarded. Then, of course, there are the rapacious taxi and minibus drivers.

Against this background, the recent contentious debate regarding the decriminalisation of consensual sexual activity between minors (under age 16) has intensified. According to a news report, this discussion has been sparked by a push to reform the Sexual Offences Act to introduce “close-in-age” exemptions, aiming to stop the criminal prosecution of teenagers involved in consensual peer-to-peer relationships.

In this context, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has pointed to the fact that 62 per cent of the 1,517 cases referred to the Child Diversion Programme between March 2020 and June 2024 involved sexual offences, many of which were consensual peer-to-peer interactions, and it is to be noted that any sexual activity with a person under 16 is a criminal offence, thus making these teens offenders. As a result, JFJ is proposing amendments to the Sexual Offences Act to include a close-in-age defence as well as a tiered approach that would exonerate, for example, a 16 year-old and a 19 year-old, providing the sexual act was consensual between them. In the meantime, advocates argue that the system traumatises children and is very unfair to boys, who are the ones that are usually charged even when both parties had agreed to have sex.

Those who object, including Hear the Children’s Cry, are insisting that any decriminalisation would endanger children, weaken protections against grooming, and also create greater opportunities for predators. What intrigues this writer is the belief among some objectors that children lack the capacity to fully understand consent and that such a change could see an increase in exploitation. When all is said and done, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has his work cut out for him even as he has indicated that the Government will review the Sexual Offences Act via a joint select committee to consider the proposed amendments seeking to distinguish between predatory behaviour and consensual peer activity. This, of course, will definitely be a tightrope act!

In the meantime, what is staring all of the parties in this fractious matter in the face is the need for an intensified effort in providing our youngsters with a sustained dose of sex education. This is what should be uppermost in the minds of all well-thinking Jamaicans as there are lasting benefits to be gained from such a programme, whether this is formally or informally done. To begin with, parents, guardians, mentors, as well as community and social media influencers should be persuaded to participate in such a national programme, which, of necessity, would encourage, as far as possible, the responsible use of the social media platform.

Some of the benefits emanating from this approach could see a reduction in the risky behaviour associated with unprotected and promiscuous sex, ensuring that our youngsters are prone to make informed decisions about their personal sexual activities. It may also encourage, as strange as it may seem, control over their bodies, including abstinence, which comes with many benefits, such as positive self-actualisation and the maintaining of a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically.

Without a doubt, the case for formal sex education is impatient of debate. In a study entitled ‘Sex Education and the Timing of Sexual Initiation among Jamaican Young Women’, the following observations and findings were made: “The sexual and reproductive health of youth has been identified as one of the most important health and development problems facing developing countries. Receiving information from parents was not significantly associated with a delay in sex. Non-regular religious service attendance and non-religious service attendance was associated with sex at earlier ages, while females in middle and high wealth categories were significantly less likely to have early sex.” It was concluded, therefore, that school-based sex education for girls is an important tool in the delay of sex.

In the very final analysis, irresponsible sexual behaviour fuelled by ignorance can be very deleterious to national development, hence the need for sex education to be taken seriously by the State as well as every well-thinking citizen if the Jamaican youth is not to be perpetually lured, whether willingly or unwillingly, into the clutches of the Romping Shop!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 50 years. He has also served as a People’s National Party Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.

Delroy Chuck (Photo: JIS)

There is need for an intensified effort in providing our youngsters with sex education.