Underage sex –a problem in our community?

Underage sex is a topic that is very little spoken about and often regarded as taboo. Well believe it or not, it is happening right under our very noses and it could involve your own children without your knowledge.
In an exclusive interview with the Herald recently, a concerned parent whose identity has been withheld, decided to speak out anonymously after finding out that friends of her daughter, (all believed to be 12 – 13 years of age) were engaging in sexual activities at a local sports and recreation venue in the evenings. What was even more concerning was that the young kids involved were doing it quite openly and sending text messages to friends boasting about their activities.
“This is very disturbing and something ought to be done about it as it is likely to influence other kids,” said the concerned parent, “How can this be happening in our community today and where are the parents of these kids if they are able to go out at nights and engage in these types of activities? My daughter has been banned from going out with these friends of hers and I will tell them the same should they come to my home.”
In order to verify if this is a “one off” situation, the Herald contacted several people in the same area as quoted by the parent. They confirmed they were aware this type of activity did go on because of the lack of parental control at some of the children’s homes and that they had heard their children speak about it. Asked why they did not report it to the authorities, the persons concerned were afraid of the abuse and potential ridicule they and their children would receive if they were to go public on this issue.
If in fact these allegations are true, then something is drastically wrong when children themselves start engaging in sexual activities at such an early age. Last year, there was the incidence of teenage pregnancy at Tereora College where 9 students were reported to be pregnant (some have now had babies) and that figure is believed to be only the tip of the iceberg.
If this is happening within our primary schools as the age range suggests, then there is a moral obligation on the part of the authorities to investigate how widespread this concern may be. Equally fitting, is the obligation on parents, our education and health systems to step up their education awareness programs to identify the extent of which age groups are involved, in which areas and to what extent the problem might be.
It is not unusual that this issue may soon become a major problem if one considers the economic situation many families are faced with today. Social and economic impacts have resulted in parents having to work 2 or more incomes in order to survive therefore leaving young children at home under the supervision of slightly older ones while they go out to work.
In other cases, parents are involved in other activities such as sports, recreation, religious and community leaving their own children either at home unsupervised or left to their own devices to roam the streets. In such cases, these are the children most vulnerable and likely to be at risk.
From a commercial perspective, social impacts such as TV, DVDs, texting and use of a mobile phone have all added to the “perceived independence” of a lot of young people who are either bored, have nothing to do or in some extreme cases, copy the behaviour of adults who themselves may have a nocturnal and perhaps as was suggested by one parent, lead a promiscuous lifestyle which is now rubbing off on their children.
How does one even consider preventing such activities especially since 3 major sporting events held over the last 3 months have promoted AIDS awareness and the Safe Sex campaign. While this may have been a positive education awareness program directed at adults, it may well have been seen as a challenge by the younger generation who are often left out, have little facilities provided to cater for their needs other than the ones at school and are left virtually “holding the baby at home” while mum and dad go out.
Not surprising that underage sex may be widespread if you consider the number of youth meeting in groups around certain spots in town or in the villages. Innocent assembly one might say but certainly a catalyst for alcohol, drugs, crime and potentially sexual engagement which cannot be ignored. This type of activity must be stopped or at the very least investigated because of the potential to impact on our tourism industry, but unless parents take responsibility for their own children’s behaviour, we are probably going to see more and more under aged children having children themselves.

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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