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According to government statistics,
more than 50 percent of sexually active Guam youth have not used protection,
despite the fact that the law requires the Guam Department of Education to
teach students about HIV/AIDS and STD prevention. The Department of Public
Health and Human Services held a weeklong training workshop June 17–21 for
nurses and health educators, where they presented the 2011 Youth Risk Survey
results. According to the survey, approximately 68 percent of Guam’s sexually
active high school students did not use a condom during their last act of
sexual intercourse, which placed them at risk for STDs and early, unplanned
pregnancies. The Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) encourages
teachers to educate students about human sexuality from a public health
perspective.
STD/HIV Prevention Program Director
Bernie Schuman, however, explained that Guam’s teenagers have faced obstacles,
such as the lack of accessibility to transportation and condoms. Guam’s public
schools have provided STD prevention information per the law, but have not
provided condoms; rather, the Public Health Department has provided them, but
required teens under the age of 18 to receive counseling beforehand. Schuman
noted that in traveling anywhere in Guam, including to a public health center,
teens needed to ask their parents for a ride, but often these teens did not
want their parents to know that they were thinking of partaking in sexual
activity. Schuman declared, "The ones [teens] that come in are able to get
access to prevention counseling with an emphasis on abstinence."
Guam’s stores also have varying
policies about condom sales. Some stores have not sold condoms to anyone under
the age of 19, and other stores, not to anyone under 18. Certain stores have
sold them without any restrictions, while another has sold condoms kept behind
the customer service counter, requiring customers to seek a sales clerk’s
assistance. One Guam store has made it a policy not to sell condoms.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
