Lack of proper education and easy access to pornographic websites has led to an alarming rise in sexual activity among teenagers in Surabaya, according to the former head of the diocese’s Commission for Family.

“The failure of schools and parents to educate teenagers on sex and the ease by which they can get to see pornographic images and movies are the major cause of this rise,” Divine Word Father Thoby Muda Kraeng said today.

He was responding to a recent survey on sexual attitudes of teenagers in Indonesia’s second largest city carried out by Hotline Surabaya, a foundation which deals with health care and human rights issues.

The survey revealed that 45 percent of 700 junior high school students surveyed thought that having sex was allowed while dating, while 15 percent admitted having had sex with their partners.

Fr Kraeng said the diocese has been offering sex education in schools run by Catholic foundations through workshops and dialogues, but the survey results seem to suggest this is not working.

He vowed the diocese will try and improve education to ensure that the message gets across.

“This will be done through the family, at community level, and through mission stations and parishes,” Fr Kraeng said.

Anna Maria Yosephine Titaley, who has taught for 33 years, said parents need to instill more discipline in their children and monitor their use of the internet.

“By being disciplined, children will be able to face and cope with responsibilities better,” she said.

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