Pubdate: Tue, 06 Feb 2007 Source: Bahama Journal, The (Bahamas) Copyright: 2007sJones Communications Ltd. Contact: http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=136 Website: http://www.jonesbahamas.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4387 Author: Tameka Lundy Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) YOUTH REPORT "TROUBLING" Details of a crucial report on the socioeconomic situation of youth in The Bahamas emerged yesterday with Youth Minister Neville Wisdom drawing attention to certain troubling revelations contained in the document compiled by the Inter American Development. For instance, the January 2005 report - called The Situation of Youth in The Bahamas - which was tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday, showed that almost half of all male secondary school students and 20 percent of all female students are sexually active by the time they are 15. Seventy percent of male students and 41 percent of female students 16 and older are sexually active, according to the report, which added that at the same time over half of all sexually active adolescents report that they never use birth control. "Initiation of sexual activity begins early and a pattern of young people engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners is evident," stated the report. The average age for first intercourse was 12 years for boys and 14 years for females, the report said. Additionally, approximately 45 percent of sexually active adolescent girls reported that their first sexual encounter was pressured or forced. It was also reported that boys are also at risk as one out of every four sexually active boys reported the same thing. Serious concerns about reproductive health and even substance abuse were not the only areas of concern to which researcher Dr. Lorraine Blank referred. "There are a number of interrelated factors that interfere with optimal youth development including poverty; low levels of academic achievement; poor labour market outcomes; unhealthy lifestyles; unstable home environments; delinquency, crime and violence," the report said. When he tabled the report, Minister Wisdom drew attention to certain troubling references and called for revised and innovative approaches to dealing with youth oriented challenges. The IDB report said teenage pregnancy continues to be a matter of concern in The Bahamas. Six percent of adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 reported being pregnant at least once. "Teenage pregnancy can have serious consequences for the long term economic prospects of both mother and child. Teenage pregnancy decreases the likelihood that the mother will complete her education," stated the report. "As a result labour market prospects for teen mothers are poor and their risk of poverty high. The limited education of mothers also has implications for their ability to parent effectively and consequently for the development of their child." The analysts also conceded that a troubling number of secondary students show evidence of serious substance abuse although the report said that the vast majority of secondary students abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs. The research found that male students drink significantly more than females. Seven percent of males in contrast to three percent of females reported that they consumed four or more drinks per occasion. The usual number of drinks per occasion increases with age. The report also found that among the students who drink, only two percent in the 10 to 12 year-old range in contrast to almost 11 percent of those 16 years and older report that they usually consume four or more drinks. The bigger concern here is that there is a correlation between alcohol use and becoming violent. Students who consume four to five drinks per occasion are five times more likely to carry a gun than students who never drink, according to experts. Equally as significant identified in the report was that 17 percent of the students reported that one or both parents had a drinking problem, five percent said that one or both parents had a drug problem and 13 percent had parents who experienced problems due to violent behaviour. Minister Wisdom said the alarming statistics cannot be ignored. "We can't deny the role that the family plays in the positive development of youth and we cannot entirely blame and government, the church the police or any other external group for some of the prices that we are now paying In our society as they relate to youth behaviour," said Minister Neville Wisdom. "Some of the blame must rest at the door of the home. It is understandable that it is not easy to raise this modern child of today. But parents must also be willing to change those older methods of child rearing that are obviously not working with today's youth. Parents must also abandon the negative behaviours that they are displaying for their children to see." He said his ministry intends to develop a national youth development strategy in collaborated wit the IDB to address the concerns and the capacity nationally to address them. The IDB team is already meeting with technical youth officers, with the focus being on institutional strengthening; exploring the establishment of a youth development fund; increasing focus on research and establishing a proper monitoring and evaluation system. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek