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Thursday, 24 May, 2001, 09:29 GMT 10:29 UK
Sex on children's school trips
Many teenagers say sex and school trips go together
Teenagers have said they had sexual experiences on school trips when they were as young as
11, according to a survey. The study - by the health charity Marie Stopes
International - said one in five of those questioned said they had full sex while they
were away from home when they were 16 or under.
A quarter said they used no contraception. One in three of those
questioned said they had some kind of sexual experience on a trip, some when they were as
young as 11 or 12. This does not mean that school trips should be stopped.
Researchers spoke to 900 people aged between 17 and 19 who had been on a school trip
involving at least one overnight stay. The charity said being away from their
parents gave teenagers an opportunity to have sex that they would not have at home.
A spokesman for the organisation, Tony Kerridge, said it was not calling for an end to
such trips: "This does not mean that school trips should be stopped, but that young
people should be given more education about sex and the risks involved."
Dr Marianne Parry, the medical director of Marie Stopes International said:
"What is really worrying is that a quarter of respondents didn't use any
contraception at all and put themselves at risk of contracting sexually transmitted
infections and experiencing crisis pregnancies.
"If these findings are reflected nationally, a quarter of young people on school
trips having unprotected sex is a real cause for concern." Advice for pupils Marie
Stopes International has produced a schools edition of a booklet called "Your
Passport to Sexual Health". It gives pupils advice on how to resist peer pressure to
have sex and information about contraception and the dangers of sexually transmitted
infections.
Dr Parry said young people should think "long and hard" before they embarked
on sexual activity while away from home. Mr Kerridge said: "Britain has the
highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe. "All the evidence from
the Continent suggests that the best way to discourage early sexual activity is to give
young people all the facts."
Source: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_1348000/1348695.stm)