The future of the young people in this country is apparently at risk. This is all thanks to the prevalence of irresponsible sexual behavior that is leading to a high rate of HIV infections and teen pregnancies among the youth.
Health stakeholders in the country have raised an alarm over the bleak future of the youth amidst the rising number of new HIV infections, teen pregnancies, and school dropouts, all linked to pervasive unprotected sexual behavior among the young people.
Recent statistics in Kenya reveal that at least six adolescents aged between 10 and 19 contract HIV every day, with over 600 cases of teen pregnancies reported daily. This points to the sad reality of the young people being introduced to unprotected sexual behavior at a tender age. It is crystal clear that we are staring at a huge crisis that calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to fight it, failure to which we risk losing a whole generation.
Urgent and deliberate efforts need to be made to inculcate responsible sexual behavior and delay sexual debut among the young people. Towards this end, we must address the factors that are driving this debilitating sexual behavior among the youth.
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First, it is evident that the young people are hooked on digital devices and the internet that expose them to harmful sexual content. For instance, a significant number of young people are exposed to social media platforms like TikTok, which often has sexually explicit content that influences them into experimenting. Others access porn sites using their gadgets. Unfortunately, parental control when it comes to children using the internet is minimal, as parents and guardians are busy with their day-to-day activities.
As learners continue to enjoy their break, it is apparent that students are spending a lot of time indoors, glued to their gadgets without supervision. This is one of the biggest contributors to early sexual behavior, as the young people tend to believe what they watch is ‘cool.’ The young people tend to follow and emulate the so-called socialites and social media influencers who have embraced sexually explicit content and a carefree lifestyle in a bid to achieve instant fame.
Rampant exposure to the current popular genre of music in Kenya, which is laced with dirty lyrics glorifying sex and raunchy videos that end up normalizing nudity and obscenity, is largely to blame.
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Besides, cosset parenting is largely to blame for this youth crisis. Scores of parents have absconded their responsibility of disciplining their children. More often they have relegated this daunting task to teachers in schools. Consequently, the young people grow up without firm moral principles, hence easily falling prey to habits such as sexual recklessness. Moreover, scores of these young people lack proper knowledge about their sexuality as parents are reluctant to introduce such topics to their children. As a result, they are left to learn for themselves, and more often than not, they end up picking the wrong sexual habits.
What’s more, the yawning lack of role models in the society is also to blame for the youth crisis. We live in a society where adults engage in reckless behavior in the presence of the minors, who end up imitating what they see. Hedonistic lifestyles have taken root in the country, with scores of adults openly engaging in wanton debauchery and indecent acts even at home in the name of parties and having fun. They do all these oblivious of the impact they have on the young ones.
Places of worship, on the other hand, have failed in their role in inculcating moral values among the youth. Prosperity gospel has taken root in the country to the extent that the members of the clergy have forgotten to guide their flock. How many clerics use the pulpit to talk about runaway immorality and teen pregnancies among the youth? Dishearteningly, scores of young people attend services at places of worship merely to escape from the confines of their home and to socialize.
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It is unfortunate that the provision of antiretroviral drugs coupled with the effective campaigns against stigmatization of HIV patients over the years seems to have inadvertently normalized HIV/AIDS. The young people have been born when the scourge is not as demonized as it used to be in the 80s and early 90s. The youth, therefore, seem not to understand the severity of suffering from the scourge. This is why when they are told about the dangers of contracting HIV and the importance of abstaining from sex, they often do not see the gravity of it all. Maybe it is time we stepped up campaigns on the severity of the scourge to scare the youth into taking precautions.
We must all come together and save the youth, who hold the key to the future of this nation. All the stakeholders must stand up and be counted. It is pointless for the nation to invest heavily in educating our young people whose future is at risk due to HIV and teen pregnancies.
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Parents should take up their responsibility seriously. They need to closely monitor the behavior of their children and, most importantly, what they are exposed to on the internet. Indeed, there is a need to restrict the regular use of smartphones by their children.
The ministry of education should adopt a collaborative approach in handling sexual education in schools, where teachers, religious leaders, and parents should be involved. Intentional efforts should be geared towards delaying sexual activity in adolescents through creating sexual awareness and encouraging behavior change. The church and other places of worship must also be proactive in fighting this menace.
By VIVERE NANDIEMO
The writer is a seasoned teacher of English & literature based in Kabete Sub County. vnandiemo@gmail.com
