The Social Protection Ministry’s Department of Probation and Social Services has embarked on a sexual education campaign in secondary schools across Georgetown.
This initiative is aimed at raising awareness of issues surrounding teenagers being sexually active via the screening of relevant films, with special attention being placed on the possible effects such may have on their education.
The short film selected by the Ministry, “Hush” depicted the consequences of poor choices as well as the negative effects of school-age sexual encounters. It chronicled the life of a teenage girl from a single-parent household, who turned to the illusion of love and high life. She was later slapped with the harsh reality currently faced by many after she became pregnant at a crucial time in her academic pursuits.
Students of North Georgetown Primary during the screening of the short film “Hush”
The production served as the perfect conduit to relay the message of abstinence as well as advocate for safer sexual practices. More importantly, it worked as a warning for students who may already be sexually active. Other educational messages addressing morals and ethics were also highlighted.
Benefiting from the initiative thus far were students of the North Georgetown Secondary, who were receptive to the interactive sessions presented by the Ministry. When asked what they have learnt at the end of the session, one student responded: “Miss, I learnt that you shouldn’t have a boyfriend at an early age.” Another student added, “You should abstain from sex and never lie to your parents.”
Speaking at the session hosted at the North Georgetown Secondary was Senior Probation and Social Services Officer Debra Joseph,, who told the children, “We want to help you make better choices; there is a time and a place for everything.” She encouraged them to be patient, stating that “education helps to alleviate poverty; stay focused and when the right time comes, everything will fall into place”.
Headmistress Willa Batson thanked the Ministry for the efforts taken to address this issue, which posed a serious threat to the success of students throughout Guyana. Batson pointed out, “In dealing with the issue of school-aged children being involved in sexual activity, what you find is that even if you are able to control it in the school environment; it has evolved to social media such as WhatsApp and Facebook where the children are exchanging sexual content and making plans.”
She also addressed the issue of cyber bullying, “Their access to the Internet and the lack of supervision at home is another facet of the problem; it is a multi-faceted issue and we need the help of the parents in dealing with it.”
Moreover, the Headmistress stated that the school currently benefited from the services of the Welfare Department of the Education Ministry in dealing with issues affecting the students by offering a support system through counselling on a professional basis. Batson indicated it was her desire for there to be a more permanent social worker on school grounds to immediately deal with such matters.
The Department of Probation and Social Services said it intended to continue the airing of the short film and interactive sessions at secondary schools within the area to further raise awareness on the issue of school-aged sexual activity and teenage pregnancy in an effort to reduce these. This campaign is also in response to the series of pornographic videos featuring students that had surfaced on social media earlier in the year.
