Call for adults, youth to be sensitised on reproductive health

ACTING executive director of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation, Dr Zoe Simpson wants adults and young people to be sensitised on reproductive health, which she believes would see a further decline in the occurrences of teenage pregnancy in the island.

According to Dr Simpson, the occurrence of teenage pregnancy in Jamaica has dropped from 31 per cent in 1978 to 18 per cent in the last study conducted in 2008.

She appealed to young people to know their worth, to guard themselves against early pregnancy.

“You’re not just penis and vagina, there’s so much more to you. Focus on education and developing yourself as the first step,” she said in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer.

In keeping with the theme ‘Time to Talk’, Dr Simpson said among the contributing factors to teenage pregnancies are the breakdown in family relations and younger parents who do not understand their roles and do not have the requisite knowledge to pass on to their children.

Dr Simpson said that one of the first move is for parents to understand the role they need to play in the development of their child.

“Parents need to realise that if they do not uphold their parental responsibility somebody else will do it, and the person who will do it is not ideal. Work with your daughters and sons. It is not just girls, boys are part of process too,” Dr Simpson said.

Dr Simpson explained that, with women now opting to be single parents, the lack of a father figure in the home also contributes to early pregnancies.

“A girl needs to hear from a male figure ‘yes I’m acceptable, yes I’m a beautiful female’. Naturally, you want to hear that and if it’s missing in her psyche and development, somebody else is going to capitalise on that issue, talk to her and she’s going to be listening and responding,” she said.

“There are times when a negotiation happens, where someone can afford the lunch money for the girl, she wants the lunch money and the favour has to be returned, so there’s a transaction going on,” Dr Simpson added:

In the same breadth, the acting executive director encouraged young males to understand self control, appropriate behaviour and how to respond to advances that may come from females.

She also appealed to adults to help younger people find ways to tap into their “creative niche” in order to divert their thoughts from sex.

“Can we, as an older generation and nation, find and create the expression point so that these things which are appropriate and self-nurturing are developed? We’re not providing for our youngsters sufficient and appropriate expressions of themselves for them to tap into their creative side,” Dr Simpson said.

She emphasised that young people are innovative and, if provided with spaces in which they can “explore” their minds, express themselves and get involved in youth activities, then they can make a contribution to nation building.

— Kimberley Hibbert