Two representatives from the Teen Forum read out their petition at the end of the national meeting
The Fourth National Meeting on HIV/AIDS wound up yesterday with teenagers calling for proper sex education to help prevent the spread of the killer disease. Their call came in a statement read out by two representatives of the Teen Forum group at the end of the October 3-6 meeting, jointly organized by the National AIDS Eradication Commission and several international organizations including UNICEF and the UN Program on HIV/AIDS. “[We] urge the government and relevant groups to offer comprehensive or integrated sex education and a friendly health care program to Indonesian teenagers,” they said before more than 2,000 participants. A curriculum must be drafted so that it is sensitive to the country’s different cultures, they added. For the health care program, the statement said it should stress issues regarding reproductive health. The Teen Forum is a group comprising junior and senior high school students who have been educated about HIV/AIDS. In her closing speech, KPA Secretary Nafsiah Mboy voiced support for the teenagers’ demands, adding that healthcare programs should be open to all. As of June this year there were 29,012 people living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, according to Ministry of Health statistics. The ministry also revealed that 55% percent of all new HIV infections came through heterosexual sex. Related Reports: Church alarmed at toddlers’ HIV/AIDSSummit’s initiatives on HIV win support