We want full Comprehensive Sexuality Education - Sova

“I was scared to approach my mother when I first developed feelings for a person from the opposite sex.”

These are the words of 17-year-old Meraia Sova who was part of the group of students who received Comprehensive Sexuality Education by the Reproductive and Family Health Association of Fiji.

The 17-year-old girl who is a student at Adi Cakobau School was part of the group of young people who are calling for Comprehensive Sexuality Education to be introduced in schools.

The group believes that the introduction of this subject will help young men and women who make up 40% of the population of this country make informed decisions and hence prevent teenage pregnancies and the contraction of Sexually Transmitted Infections such as HIV and AIDS.

According to the Health Ministry statistics for 2015 to 2016 released in the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council Report, there were 5,293 teenage pregnancies.

These are the reported cases.

From the year 2015 to 2016, 38 girls under the age of 15 years got pregnant while 5,255 girls between the age of 15 to 19 years got pregnant.

Sova says she has witnessed girls not knowing the difference between male and female condoms and not being aware of the consequences of having unsafe sex.

The 17-year-old also spoke about some information being offered in schools about their reproductive health however this is not enough.

After developing feelings for the opposite sex, the Year 13 student started asking herself whether she was normal or not, however being part of this organization and receiving the knowledge about her sexual health made her one of the privileged students.

Also at the event were opposition members Mere Samisoni and Aseri Radrodro with the Leader of Opposition, Ro Teimumu Kepa who also shared their views on introducing Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools.

Ro Teimumu believes that this issue is really about the youth and how they are able to handle life in the world today.

She believes that ideally it should be addressed first in the homes.

Ro Teimumu says this is a very uncomfortable subject to be addressed in schools unless in a biology class, but not all students take biology.

The Leader of Opposition says this needs to be addressed in the teachers training colleges, and then the teachers will feel a bit more comfortable about it being addressed in schools.

There was also a suggestion given by Ro Teimumu that young people should be made aware of these things at their usual hangouts such as basketball courts and volleyball courts.