Adolescence Sex in Malaysia
Sex was a taboo subject in Malaysian family. The ideal culture of Malaysian especially the Malays is to have their young girls to practice abstinence and to abstain themselves from sex until marriage. Promiscuity and prostitution is often described as mores to the culture. However, globalization has made the society exposed to the outside world and the world is facing the unavoidable global increment in adolescence sex. The subject ‘sex’ itself has become an anomie amongst the youngsters.
The highly sexualized world and the physical and psychological changes the adolescents are going through make up the push and pull factors luring the adolescents into sex. The rate at which teenagers are engaging themselves in sexual relationships is increasing at an alarming rate. Whether as an act of rebellion against social and religious norms or even their parents; discovery and exploring of one’s body and sexuality; seeking pleasure for comfort; sexual crimes; sexual activity among young men and women in Malaysia is a fact and part of today’s real culture.
The Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health 2003 reported by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) indicate that 27 percent of adolescents (boys and girl) engaging with the premarital sex. Young men have been found to actively looking for sex workers for their first sex experience and individual as early as nine years old. Most promiscuity and prostitution involved adolescence from 15 to 17 years of age. Nevertheless, adolescents aged 12 to 14 years old also involved in the same activity with the portion of 13. percent (Harlina Halizah Siraj & Noralina Omar, 2007).
The most current study, called the National Survey on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights of Women in Malaysia held in 2006, had polled more than 2,000 female youths aged 15 to 24 years across nine states. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, and carried out by researchers in Universiti Malaya. “Out of the 2,005 girls surveyed, slightly more than 100 admitted to being sexually active.
Of that number, one-fifth said they had sex more than five times a week, and 57 per cent had sex two to four times a week. ”(New Straits Times, 2009) The Consequences Sexual relationship to some adolescent is highly “commoditized” and has no emotional intimacy. Adolescents also involve in homo-sexual and bi-sexual relationships. What is more damaging is that adolescence sex is very often found associated with drugs and alcohol. Sexual crimes and abuses involving adolescent are also reported at very high rate. 63 percent of rape victim and 9. percent of the assailant are adolescents. The rise in adolescence sex also contributed too many unwanted pregnancies, babies dumping and abortions. Reported by one of the shelter homes in Klang Valley, 61. 3 percent of the adolescence sex case resulted in unwanted pregnancies (Harlina Halizah Siraj & Noralina Omar, 2007). These will lead to other crimes such as theft, robbery or even murder due to pressures in live due to poverty and life survival. Moreover, the rate of STDs and STIs (Sexual Transmitted Diseases/Infections) among adolescent are surprisingly increasing.
Apart from that, we have also heard about adolescent committing suicide resulting from pregnancies which are not accepted by the family and as a solution to avoid negative social perspective. Despite of all that, there are also good news about precautious knowledge of the mechanics of sex. There are grown in numbers of adolescents who know how to protect themselves, at least physically, from sexual criminals and rapist. The level of awareness is also increasing in terms of protecting themselves from STDs and unwanted pregnancies.
Even if they have had sex, many adolescents are learning to put off having more till later; they are also making condom use during intercourse nonnegotiable. The rate of incest also decline also due to this awareness and the ability to protect themselves. Who to blame? When adolescences are exposed to the western culture where pre-marital sex is a norm via the media, it is easy enough to blame everything on media; television and entertainment, even the news. Adolescent heard about the politician sex-scandals on the news and argues about the example that the eaders have shown. For better or for worse, sex-filled television helps shape young opinion. Kids are picking up the first details of sex even in Saturday-morning cartoons. Not to mention the content of the TV through advertisements like Durex and perfumes displaying erotic positions and pictures, and also TV series, such as Gossip Girl, 90201 Beverly Hills, and The O. C. which have large amount of sexual approach and sadly these series targeted-audiences are the adolescents.
To add insult to the injury, adolescents lip-synched often enough to big hit songs which have the sex nestled in the lyric. The cyber-world not only provides an easy source of sexually explicit materials but also allows curious adolescence minds to interact and exchange ideas. The internet made it so easy that the adolescents just have to Google ‘sex’ or ‘free porn’, and they can find tons of information to sex. The print-media is not excluded in being blamed for putting contents in their magazine with headlines like “How to Satisfy Your Man in Bed” or “Condom or no Condom”.
In May 2004 the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development jointly formed a committee as a springboard for the long-awaited implementation of sex education in schools. And finally in May 2005, a press release stated that the sex education module was almost ready and due to be discussed in Cabinet. But until today, we have not heard back from the government or Cabinet regarding the discussion. Government should see this as a big social issue which involves morality development of the citizen.
Government participation in overcoming this issue will somehow will decrease the rate of sexual crimes. Three powerful sources have shaped today’s child prodigies: a prosperous information age that increasingly promotes products and entertains audiences by titillation; aggressive public-policy initiatives that loudly preach sexual responsibility, further desensitizing kids to the subject; and the decline of two-parent households, which leave the adolescents with little supervision.
With little guidance from grownups, adolescents have had to discover for themselves that the ubiquitous sexual messages must be tempered with caution and responsibility. Traditionally, it’s been the role of parents to convey the messages about love and intimacy that kids seem to be missing in their education about sex. For years, psychologists and sociologists have warned about a new generation gap, one created not so much by different morals and social outlook as by career-driven parents, the economic necessity of two incomes leaving parent little time for talks with their children.
These adolescents think that their parents are the most accurate source of information and would like to talk to them more about sex and sexual ethics but can’t get their attention long enough. Plus with the rate of divorce that is increasing day by day, adolescent’s thinks of that it is such a hassle getting married, alternatively practice sex before marriage. Of all the mixed messages that teenagers absorb, the most confused have to do with gender roles. The stereotypes of male and female behavior have crumbled so quickly over the past generation that parents are at a loss. According to the TIME/CNN poll, 60% of parents tell their daughters to remain chaste until marriage, but less than half tell their sons the same thing. Kids reflect the double standard: more than two-thirds agree that a boy who has sex sees his reputation enhanced, while a girl who has sex watches hers suffer. ” (TIME Magazine, 1993). Adolescents usually have sex out of curiosity of peer pressure – and the internet makes it easy to do so.
By the time many kids hit adolescence, they have already reached a point where they are not particularly obsessed with sex but have grown to accept the notion that solid courtships, or at least strong physical attraction – potentially lead to sexual intercourse. While exploration and experimentation are a natural part of the development, someone usually older, will somehow unintentionally or intentionally encouraging adolescent to become interested in sex.
As an example to that, adolescent learn from the media which exposed ‘sex-stimulants’ contents such as promiscuous celebrities, suggestive television programs and sex advertisements, and it seems to be coming down to younger and younger girls who feel that if they don’t pair up with up with the culture, they will have no position in their lives. And that will pressure them into sexual activity. They will also physically trying to imitate the look of celebrities and adults in choosing what to wear and live their life styles.
Nowadays, it is increasingly common for sexuality precocious youngsters to come from very loving and stable family. The concept of ideal family is being able to accommodate all the wants and needs that the adolescent need. These reflect the id and ego in the adolescent personality. When id and ego has been fulfilled, then the super-ego in young minds will drive them into the culture of free life style which would lead to sex. In conclusion, all these agents of socializations involved in contributing the rise in number of our young people to involve in adolescence sex.
The power of overcoming this problem also lies within their hands. Sex Education In facing the fact that our young people are having their first sexual experience at very young age and have a shallow understanding of STDs and contraceptives, we have to consider applying sex education into part of educating adolescent. Sex education is not only about the mechanics of sex but also learning how to respect our bodies and one another. It need not encourage promiscuity, but properly taught can encourage abstinence till marriage.
Age-appropriate science based education should be taught to young kids. If sex education is going to be effective it needs to include opportunities for young people to develop skills, as it can be hard for them to act the basis of only having information. Starting from the primary group, adolescents can easily have one-to-one discussions with their parents or careers which focus on specific issues, questions or concerns at home. Sex education at home also tends to take place over a long time, and involve lots of short interactions between parents and children.
In school, the interaction between the teacher and students takes a different form and it is often provided in organized blocks of lessons. School programs which involve parents, notifying them what is being taught and when, can support the initiation of dialog at home. Sex education also can be incorporated into other subjects taught to the students such as moral studies, Islamic Studies, Health Studies, Science and Biology. The involvement of adolescents themselves in developing and providing sex education has increased as a means of ensuring the relevance and accessibility of provision.
For example, Raymas Quah led 250 students from five secondary schools, during the Youth Abstinence Walk at Millennium Park in SS2 in 2007. The students first attended a four-hour abstinence workshop in their schools, developed by Focus on the Family Malaysia (FOFM). The non-governmental organization was originally set up in the United States in 1977 to restore values to the family unit. (The New Straits Times Press, 2007) Consultation with adolescents at the point when programs are designed, helps to ensure that they model attitudes and behaviors to their peers.
