Picture this. It is 2020, and you are lecturing university students about how to have safe sex. You ask a question to start the lecture, which is "how many of you practice safe sex?” To your utter shock, you find out that 75% of the audience are either bowing their heads in shame, or boldly state that they do not. At the end of the class, a young man calls you aside and asks you for help managing gonorrhoea. You may think this is a funny illustration, but it happens a lot more than you think.
Sexually transmitted Infections are Infections that are not paid attention to, and my case in point for this article are federal universities. As legendary as these schools' teachings are, they fail in some aspects, of which sexual reproductive health is one of them.
There are many sexual reproductive health problems exhibited by students of this prestigious university, but the most common and deadly are sexually transmitted Infections. But what happened exactly? Why are students so ignorant, and what are the consequences to ignorance? What are some tangible solutions to this problem? In this article, I would explain all these and proffer some solutions to this ongoing problem.
Why the Students Don’t Observe Sexual Health Practices
There are two significant reasons why students ignore sexual health, and each is very detrimental and consequential. They are:
Ignorance: So many things are to blame for this, and if they did better, it might not have been as serious as this. Firstly, the schools are to blame. I vividly remember that the most my secondary school ever came close to teaching me about sexual health was in Basic science. It was just a few days, was not hammered on enough, and the topic itself was treated as taboo amongst both the teachers, and the students.
Federal universities do not see any reason to teach sexual health. Imagine the topic of discussion in a chemical engineering class is sexual health. Funny right? Now, imagine how absurd it seems to the officials of the schools doing that.
Next, we have our parents. It is a well-known fact that the number of Nigerian parents that teach sexual health is staggeringly low. Fathers generally try to avoid speaking about it, and mothers and aunts pull their daughters and nieces aside when the young child sees her first period.
All they ever say is "don't talk to boys. They'll get you pregnant and give you HIV/AIDS". Sometimes, I wonder if they know what they are saying. I say this because that statement has never helped the girl child in the long run. In fact, it may even spark some bouts of rebellion in the children.
Lastly, they have themselves and their friends to blame also. Most people choose not to observe safe sex because "it is not sweet enough". They believe so many misconceptions about using protection, and adopt it as their own beliefs. This is one of the most dangerous elements that lead to the transfer of sexually transmitted Infections. The concept of practicing safe sex is repugnant to them, and their friends also don’t help matters. Safe sex is one of those things that peers frown upon secretly, ridiculing the person as “scared and ignorant” which is very ironic.
Lack of funds: Most students, although they want to practice safe sex, find it hard to do that because of how expensive contraceptives are. To get around this, they choose to opt for less costly contraceptives. These contraceptives lead to many complications, such as tearing of condoms, exposing themselves to harmful chemicals.
What Happens When Students Don’t Practice Safe Sex
There are many obvious downsides to not practicing safe sex, and it strongly outweighs the delusional feeling of pleasure when you don't practice safe sex. The most obvious consequence is the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. We all know how dangerous these infections can be, and some of them, such as HIV/AIDS do not have a cure. Thus, it is in a person's best interest that they stay safe as much as possible.
When someone gets one of these infections, it opens them up to contract other diseases, because it lowers their immune system. As students, this worsens their health and makes them miss classes and other activities that go on in school.
Presently, it is estimated that globally, 50% of the sexually active population have had or will have one of these infections before they turn 25. Sad statistic, isn't it? According to calculations, it could mean that as much as half of federal university students would have faced such issues before they graduate, and even after. That number will continue to rise if people continue to be nonchalant and ignorant about Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Over time, it could lead to fatal consequences for students. It could force them to drop out, become stigmatized, and even cause life-threatening effects such as nerve damage, paralysis, and even death.
What Can Be Done?
There are a lot of things that can be done to battle this serious issue, some of which are:
Abstinence: if you want to start practicing safe sex, there are various things you have to consider, some of which are checking the quality of contraceptives, and going for regular check-ups. Abstinence is an excellent way to go if you are not mentally prepared to handle how to practice safe sex. Also, you are strongly advised to strongly consider having one partner. Having multiple makes it harder to keep track of your sexual health, and exposes you to more risks.
Orientation: The truth is that the concept of sexual health has to be retaught to all Federal University Students. Seminars and other programs need to be set up, and the school itself may need to find a way to introduce extracurricular programs on this matter. When they are retaught on all the dangers of getting STI's, more and more people would be enlightened on the issue, and would begin to do it.
Subsidized Contraceptive Rates: This duty could fall on the school or a third party organization. There should be a system where students that want to practice safe sex can purchase quality products at lower rates. This would take the lack of fund issue out of the picture.
What I Think
Sexually Transmitted Infections are nasty things to contract. They are inconvenient, hamper school activities, and sometimes even cause fatal issues. There are a lot of reasons to practice safe sex. So far, it has saved millions of students and adolescents’ lives a year, and it would continue to do so for a long time to come.
Nice write up❤️