Sex education is important for school children so as to protect from them from contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STD’s), Prof. Rohana Laksman Piyadasa of the Mass Communication Department of the Kelaniya University said.
He said so addressing an event organised to unveil a study report on “Sex diseases and young sex patients” aiming to identify the importance of sex education in Sri Lanka,in Colombo yesterday.
The study has been conducted based on the Kurunegalla district with the participation of 140 students aged between 16 and 19 by the Mass Communication Department.
“According to the findings of the research, 17 per cent of students said that they were in doubt whether they had caught exposed to any Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). It is alarming to note that the figure indicates that these youths had been expose to any Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD),” Senior Lecturer Manoj Jinadasa said.
Dr.Gamini Wimalarathne of the Kurunegala hospital said young children should be well guided and educated to protect them from STD’s and teenage pregnancy.
He said that a significant number of young persons are calling over at STD clinics for treatment. “Herpes is the most common STD in the country,” he said.
According to Dr.Wimalarathne, 8 per cent of patients, who call over at STD clinics are young children.
Attention should also be drawn to teenage pregnancy as 4 per cent of teenage pregnancy cases are reported from the Kurunagala district now.
“Daughters, whose mothers are abroad, are more vulnerable to face sexual abuse than other young women,” he said.
He added that parents should pay special attention to their children especially when attending tuition classes.