The Sunday News
By Tinomuda Chakanyuka
28 July 2012
CHIEF Gambiza from Chiwundura communal lands has urged Government to come up with a policy that will allow for the distribution of condoms among youth that are sexually active in schools. The traditional leader said this in an interview with Sunday News at the sidelines of a Padare/Enkundleni men’s forum programme on sexual reproductive health in Chiwundura on Wednessday last week.
His remarks come hard on the heels of Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Senator David Coltart’s refusal to allow the distribution of condoms in schools.“There is no way we can allow distribution of condoms in schools. Parents want their children to abstain from sex at school age. Schoolchildren should focus on their studies; we can’t have condoms in school toilets, classrooms and libraries,†Minister Coltart was quoted as saying in a local weekly.
Chief Gambiza, however, differed with Minister Coltart, urging Government to wake up to the reality that schoolchildren are becoming sexually active at early ages. “Things have changed now, children are now indulging in sex earlier than before and Government needs to realise that and use such realities to craft their policies.
“There is need for Government to come up with a policy that will allow for the distribution of condoms among schoolchildren as a way of preventing the spread of HIV among school going youth,†said Chief Gambiza. He, however, acknowldged that distribution of condoms to schoolchildren might be problematic. “Distributing condoms to schoolchildren might, however, create the impression that there is blantant effort to promote sexual intercourse in schools. The situation, however, may call for drastic shifts in policy because the reality of the matter is that our children are having sex and if we do not help them they will perish,†he said.
Chief Gambiza added that adopting such a policy of distributing condoms among school children would call for the formulation of methods of distributing the condoms. “Obviously there is need to come up with ways of distributing the condoms ensuring that there is a balance between promoting morality in schools and helping those who are sexually active protect themselves,†Chief Gambiza said.
The traditional leader also called upon parents to increase dialogue between them and their children on sexual reproductive health issues as a way of ensuring that youth are aware of the dangers that lie in their way.He said society should revert to traditional methods of passing advice to youth where men and boys would gather around a fire at night while women and girls would hold similar fora in the kitchen huts. “Parents no longer have time to talk to their children. Traditionally we used to have madare/enkudleni, where we would get advice from elderly people on a lot of matters. I am sure if today’s parents go back to such practices it might yield positive results in as far as sexual reproductive health issues are concerned,†Chief Gambiza said.