A survey conducted by Perspective Strategies Sdn Bhd on 1,071 respondents between the ages of 18 and 29, from different races and throughout the country, noted that a greater number of female respondents lacked sufficient knowledge of their bodily functions to make responsible choices.
Thus, it is not shocking that a respondent said some of her friends were not aware that they could get pregnant by having sex and 71 per cent of the female respondents had no knowledge that they could get pregnant during their periods.
The study also revealed that 10 per cent of the respondents would rather not get tested and treated on the possibility of being exposed to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), for the fear of being ostracised believing it was “shameful”.
The survey supported by Durex Malaysia, a leading brand name in condoms produced by Reckitt Benckiser’s, provided valuable data to facilitate greater discussions among stakeholders to develop and improve intervention programmes.
Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Chew Mei Fun, who was present at the unveiling of the outcome of the study, said the issue of SRH could no longer be cast aside and should be widely discussed as it was affecting adolescents in the country.
Ignoramus Malaysians
“Many young people are oblivious to SRH-related issues based on the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN)’s own study, for instance only 39.5 per cent has knowledge on how a baby is born and 45.5 per cent know what is a womb,” she said.
“LPPKN’s findings revealed that 4.8 per cent of Malaysians between the ages of 13 and 24 had sexual intercourse while more than one third (35.3 per cent) are exposed to pornography mainly through the internet (60.8 per cent),” she said.
While the subject of sexual and reproductive health is still taboo, there is no denying that adolescents, sometimes even as young as 10, are having sex and thus parents have to play a vital role in educating their children on sexual health.
With this being a priority, Chew, during her speech, said that LPPKN introduced a programme called Parenting@Work that would look into parenting as the core, with greater focus on supporting families as a whole rather than focusing primarily on adolescents.
“Parents play an important role, therefore, through this programme, we are educating parents on ways to talk to their children about their sexuality,” added Chew.
Malaysians and their sexual myths
Meanwhile, the survey by Perspective Strategies also showed that another 35 per cent did not believe that a woman would get pregnant during her first engagement in sex and one out of 10 said that washing a female’s vagina after sex could help prevent pregnancy.
The survey also revealed that 11 per cent of sexually active young Malaysians have had an STI in their lifetime. It was learnt that almost a quarter of them (24 per cent) did not seek treatment.
It was also noted that 19 per cent of young Malaysians thought using two condoms at the same time offers better protection.
Speaking at the launch, Perspective Strategies managing director Andy See said, in actual fact, using two condoms during sexual activity can cause the condom to break due to friction that could lead to greater risk of STIs and unplanned pregnancies.
“Another 25 per cent opined that protection is not required when there is mutual trust between partners. However, there is a need to educate people that in any sexual activity, it is not an issue of trust, but about being safe,” he said.
– BERNAMA