Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Teens engage in sex due to porn

By HARIATI AZIZAN
sunday@thestar.com.my


PETALING JAYA: Parents, be careful. It may not be Justin Bieber’s latest music video that your children are watching on the Internet.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has received 202 complaints for obscene content on Malaysian websites and personal blogs as of June 16 this year.

The obscene content comprised pornographic video clips or images, including nude personal photos – usually doctored or distributed without authorisation – MCMC told Sunday Star.

That made up 55.1% of complaints on improper content on the Internet received by MCMC in the first six months.

Access to pornographic material became a concern following reports of teens confessing that they became addicted to sex after watching porn.

“Let’s be realistic, the sex industry is one of the oldest in the world, and the Internet has only made it more accessible,” said Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre addiction therapist Chris Sekar.

Combined with the changing values of youth towards sex, it has become vital to teach sex education as early as possible, he said

Unfortunately, in Malaysia, he added, everything gets politicised, referring to resistance from some factions towards the implementation of the sex education module called Reproductive and Social Health Education (PKRS).

Malaysian children definitely need PKRS, said Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim, former regional director of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) for East and South-East Asia and Oceania Region.

“The situation is alarming and dangerous as the age of initiation for sex in the country is getting younger with children as young as 12 already experimenting with sex.

“At 12, whatever their physical or mental maturity, they have not reached the level of sexual maturity that allows them to have sexual intercourse. They are definitely not only ready for PKRS but also need it,” she said.

“All children are vulnerable to abuse, rape and incest but many still don’t even know what is happening to them when they are in that dangerous situation, much less what to do. This is where they need help.”

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