Jamaican senator calls for safe-sex campaign to educate youth

Government Senator Kerensia Morrison says there is need for an aggressive campaign to educate the nation’s youth about unsafe sex and the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

“With a young generation, many of whose behaviour is of grave concern. we need to address this issue, so that we do not have an epidemic on our hands,” she said.

Morrison was opening the State of the Nation debate in the Senate last week.

She stressed that parents and caregivers need to talk to their children about sex, advising that if they are unable to do it themselves “then (they) should find a counsellor who can”.

Morrison said it was important to have this conversation with the youth as many may be having unprotected sex and appear to be more concerned about not getting pregnant than they are concerned about contracting STIs.

“Let us talk to our children about HIV and other STIs. We should encourage them to (do the research). Emergency contraceptives does not guard against STIs,” she noted.

Turning to another matter, Morrison said that steps must be taken to penalise service providers who facilitate “slackness” in the public transportation sector.

“It is time that they are reported and action be taken,” she said.

“We have been struggling with this type of behaviour on our buses for a very long time,” Morrison added.

She commended bus and taxi operators, who do not tolerate bad behaviour in their vehicles. “Please keep it up,” she said.