The IPAS Indonesia Foundation participated in the Community Development activities organized by CIMSA (Center for Indonesian Medical Students’ Activities). This event, held on November 19, 2022, took place at Wijaya Kusuma Pratama Junior High School in Tangerang.
More than 80 junior high school students and CIMSA members from Pelita Harapan University learned together about the importance of comprehensive sexual education. The Director of the IPAS Indonesia Foundation, Dr. Marcia Soumokil, MPH, interactively provided education on sexual and reproductive health rights for adolescents.
The increasing trend of out-of-wedlock pregnancies among adolescents encourages CIMSA to continue promoting these educational activities. According to data collected by CIMSA, approximately 276 cases of out-of-wedlock pregnancies were recorded by the end of 2021. One of the contributing factors is the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented most students from attending school and led them to engage in free sex practices (Sindonews, 2022).
Furthermore, approximately 33.3% of female adolescents and 34.5% of male adolescents aged 15-19 began dating before they reached the age of 15. At that age, it is concerning that they may not possess adequate life skills, putting them at risk of unhealthy dating behaviors, including premarital sex (pusdatin.kemkes.go.id).
The IPAS Indonesia Foundation supports sexual and reproductive health empowerment activities for adolescents. This aligns with IPAS’s vision regarding the importance of bodily autonomy rights. Every adolescent must recognize their own bodily rights. In this regard, it is crucial for adolescents to understand their boundaries when dating and to be brave enough to say no; no means no.
As a result, the talk show session was very lively. Participants were very enthusiastic in asking questions and responding to every challenge presented. We also distributed various merchandise as a token of appreciation. (*)