MPs told of importance in promoting responsible sex

The promotion of responsibility, fidelity and education is the best strategy to combat sexually transmitted diseases, the House Committee on Social Affairs agreed yesterday.

The committee met a number of professionals involved in the field to discuss a report presented to it by the Genitourinary Clinic.

Philip Carabot, a consultant at the clinic, told the committee that the number of patients has been gradually on the rise over the years.

Insisting on the need for a national strategy to promote responsible sex, he said 10 per cent of the 2,221 patients that visited the clinic were under 18.

Moreover, 43 per cent of patients admit to having casual sex while 70 per cent do not use protection.

To add insult to injury, the majority of those infected can't remember the person they had sex with, usually because they would have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

He also expressed concern that the number of people infected is actually higher than the number that make use of the clinic. This might be attributed to the fact that some diseases aren't painful while other patients visit their family doctor for treatment. Quoting World Health Organisation estimates, Dr Carabot said about 13,000 people in Malta are infected each year.

The director of health promotion and prevention, Charmaine Gauci told the committee that a group of professionals have come together to discuss a national strategy on sexual health. Such a strategy would focus on public awareness, responsibility, education for parents and their children, surveillance, treatment and research.

She said the strategy aims to educate society on contraceptives and motivate it towards a more positive attitude to sex based on responsibility and fidelity between couples.

Anna Maria Vella explained how youths are encouraged to have sex at an early age because they are influenced by friends, the media and easy access to pornographic material.

These factors are moreover leading to more adventurous sex that can result in disease and psychological trauma, continued Dr Vella.

She emphasised the importance of parental supervision and sex education in schools.

Parents are responsible for finding out what their children are watching on the internet and the friends they hang out with, said Dr Vella. Moreover, sex education should be aimed at promoting more mature sex.

Research shows that those girls that have sex from a young age suffer from disappointment and regret at a later stage.

Nationalist MP Michael Gonzi proposed a national conference with the participation of the social partners to discuss the issue in more detail, a suggestion that was welcomed by the committee.

Also present for the meeting were MPs Edwin Vassallo, Frederick Azzopardi, Joseph Falzon, Michael Farrugia and Anthony Zammit.

Another meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.