African Woman and Child Feature Service

What are our children doing in maternity wards all over the country instead of being in class? Why are babies suckling babies when they should be in the Library preparing to sit their national exams? Why are our adolescents going through such intensive labour pains when their bodies are not ready you handle the process of child birth?

The Kenyan nation has gone berserk. It is sex everywhere in Kenya — left, right and centre. It is sex in the lake, beach, valley, mountains, schools and church. The new craze for our youth! Sadly, not a thought about the consequences until it is too late. In most cases, Kenyans remain mum on the subject of sex especially among teenagers until when the consequences are manifest in pregnancies.

Nine-year-old girls in Kibera, Kayole, Kawangware and Korogocho are already experts in soliciting for sex from men, old enough to be their grandparents.

Tales of street children who sleep with watchmen behind public toilets have become boring.

Young girls who have run to the police stations for shelter after being raped have found themselves double victims of the crime.

Little girls dress seductively in clothes of the trade and prey upon men to rescue them from poverty. Three months later, these children die as they procure unsafe abortion and suffer from the consequences.

However, despite the deaths, it is business as usual as sex, unsafe abortion or childbirth has become a normal way of life for Kenyan children.

The situation is grave. So grave that on June 30, Kenya hosted guests among them Mr Getachew Engida, Deputy Director General of Unesco, Her Excellency Joyce Hilda Banda, Vice President Malawi, His Excellency former Zambian president Dr Kenneth Kaunda as well as reproductive health expert Prof Fred Sai from Ghana to discuss sex and sexuality among the youth.

Not to be left behind were Prof Peter Anyang' Nyongo, Minister of Medical Services, Dr Jacqueline Sharpe President IPPF, Ambassadors from Japan, Finland, Rwanda as well as nominated MP Millie Odhiambo and Mama Chibeaskunda Kankasa, a former freedom fighter from Zambia.

The delegation sought to find ways of saving the youth from the sex epidemic that turned out to be not just a Kenyan problem but a time bomb that was about to explode in Africa.

Stories that came out of the dialogue were heart rending. A mother in Kibera was asked why she has chased her daughter away from the house in the middle of her homework and right into the arms of a man who is supposed to pay her KSh200 for sexual services. This is what she said: “I have already slept with all these men and they are fed up of giving me money. That is I why I give them my daughter. She is still young and beautiful and she will bring in more money so we can survive.”

The ‘young beautiful woman’ is a 10 year-old-child.

And where are the parents as their 11-year old children procure abortions and throw foetuses in the dustbins and toilets? Information emerging at the meeting indicated that Kenyan parents are busy making money from dawn to dusk as they sell their children sex predators.

However, the early sexual debut and irresponsible sexual behaviour is not limited to low income areas. Local universities have become a sex market as teenage boys and girls are left on their own to face a sexually reckless world. Some legislators, who are suppose to provide leadership to the youth have without embarrassment become part of the sexual explosion that has erupted in our society.

Said Nyong’o in his speech: “Unwanted pregnancies and HIV/Aids can mess the life of an individual. Adults must support young people to make choices. Youth are growing up without guidance on sexual matters. Parents and guardians are busy making a living as the youth pick advice from television and FM stations among other media.”

Nyong’o praised the FM stations for helping youth seek action. “FM stations have conquered serious sexual health taboos by giving the youth a weapon to face the future.”

He advised the youth to articulate challenges and ensure they are placed in the national agenda. “If the fight for independence was met with sacrifice, so must the fight for development,” he reiterated.

The minister believes that such candid conversations are very important. “The youthful group is a key resource for development and we can only ignore them at our own peril,” warned Nyong’o.

According to IPPF President Dr Jacqueline Sharp “it is the time for dialogue and time to engage the youth in the sex conversation”.

“Young people have great energy, intelligence, and strength, yet 70 per cent of young people are unemployed. They have a right to comprehensive sex education and the responsibility is ours as a society to give it to them,” observed Sharp.

She added: “Young people do not hold the answers but also need guidance. We hope that the dialogue can spread across the region.”

According to Deputy Director General of UNESCO, Getachew Engida the stakes are very high for sexuality education in Africa. “Humanity is on the move. Knowledge level of our sexuality is very low. In South Africa, only 10 per cent of the youth have knowledge about sex,” he observed.

Engida reiterated that sexuality education is a good foundation for development and growth of the youth and that dialogue between generations — the young and the elderly is useful.

As per the May 20, 2011 UNESCO Report, Governments must design and deploy sexual education which is gender equality issue and culturally sensitive.

He said sex education must start at local and national level and needs the understanding and support of everyone.

“Sex education must move with schools. It needs the support of everyone and must run with the UNESCO-UN vision of 2102 to 2015,” observed Engida.

His sentiments are echoed by Joyce Banda, Vice-President of Malawi. “Youth matters are dear to my heart. For a lot of people to be where we are today, some people made sacrifices. What generation will you be when you reach our age?” she posed to the youth, adding, “It is time for the African youth to determine what they want”.

Banda observed: “By telling them that they are leaders of tomorrow, we are postponing their participation. We need to create room for them now."

To illustrate this, the vice-president explained that in Malawi the youngest minister is only 20 years old. With this she challenged the youth to face leadership courageously arguing that there are social and democratic challenges that undermine sexual and reproductive rights of adolescent.

“That is why you find adolescent boys unprepared for fatherhood. Adolescent mothers end up in maternity wards when they should be in school,” she observed.

Banda reiterated that young people are leaders of today and not tomorrow and leaders must create employment for the youth as well as provide them with life skills to deal with demands and challenges of life. She stressed that leaders must find innovative ways to reach out to the youth.

Former Zambian President who is also the goodwill Ambassador for IPPF Dr Kenneth Kaunda said the extent of the arguments differ from one country to another but humanity has long recognised the need for reproductive rights.

Kaunda recalled with nostalgia his youth when settings took account of gender and the young had to be prepared for the future.

“Boys and girls were set apart and given strict advice on appropriate topics that would prepare them as part of their sexual education,” explained Kaunda.

He reiterated: “In our modern society, this kind of education may be lost to Western culture which our younger people copy with abandon. We should consider sexual rights as human rights. If we don’t history will judge us very harshly.”

Kaunda called on the continent to accept people’s rights without reservation irrespective of base or religion. “Let us listen to the youth. We need to know what they think about our culture. This world has become a global village. We need to adhere strictly to our customs,” said the former president.

He reiterated that the “time is now when the younger and older generation must come together and talk”.

The atmosphere at the meeting was open and free and there were hundreds of youth from almost every country in Africa.

Mama Chibesakunda said she had the experience of a mother who gave birth to ten children and educated all of them. Today they are all successful professionals in different fields. She had words of wisdom: “From time immemorial, young people have been involved in matters of sexual and reproductive rights either actively or passively. We adults have not always been successful in dealing with the situation because we look at the issue from our situation. Culture, religion and politics are a hindrance.”

Chibeaskunda lamented that culture and religion do not allow young people to question or address their sexuality.

“We must vigorously pursue programmes that involve parents. We need dialogue. Young and elderly people must stop viewing each other suspiciously,” she advised.

The dialogue was the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. However, as curtains were closed the question being asked was if the Government, churches and community will yield to sexual education for the youth? Will the sex bomb be stopped? The UN Report showed that 80 per cent of the youth are involved in sex before they reach 20.

The meeting called for political goodwill if sexual education is to succeed.

Prof Fred Sai, former IPPF President summarised the dialogue. “As a doctor, father, leader and teacher, I have come to realise that young people think the way to the top is linear. Sometimes, the door opens, sometimes the door closes. Today we have youth with PhDs driving taxis. The leadership should start now. Let the politicians give the youth a chance.”

Sai reiterated: “Many of us old people are hypocrites. There are women we went to college with who did abortions to get very senior jobs. There is no scientific evidence that if we teach our children sex education they will be more promiscuous. I challenge the youth to know the Constitution so they can be involved in these matters from a position of strength.”