Understanding the Factors that Make Adolescents More Vulnerable to STIs
Globally, the number of sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) among young people is rising. A third of the 340
million new venereal diseases each year occur in people under 25 years of age.
Each year, more than 1 in 20 young people become ill with a treatable venereal
disease. More than half of all new HIV infections are among 15-24 year olds.
The sexual health needs of adolescent girls are often neglected, and stigma and
vulnerability affect certain groups of men and women. Although men generally
have more knowledge about sexual issues than women and have more
decision-making power about sexual behavior, access to information and other
treatments for STIs/HIV, including sexually transmitted infections. limited by
weak public health services, negative attitudes of health workers and high
medical costs.
If young people are aware and
thoughtful about their sexual and reproductive health, they can make decisions
about it independently. Physiological, behavioral and social factors make young
people more susceptible to STDs than adults. It has been found that girls with
a large mucosal surface and who have not yet developed a mature mucosal defense
system are more susceptible to infections. The cells surrounding the opening of
the cervix are particularly susceptible to chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV.
Social powerlessness, poverty and
economic dependence increase the vulnerability of adolescent girls. STDs can
spread quickly because of gender inequality. Unequal power relations, sexual
coercion and violence are widespread phenomena faced by women of all ages and
have a wide range of negative effects on women's sexual, physical and mental
health. The study of infectious diseases reveals the devastating effects of
discrimination against women on their health and the socio-economic structure
of society.
Girls generally do not have the
same educational and work opportunities as boys and are pressured by family and
society to marry and have children early. Early marriage and early childbirth
are the norm in Bangladesh. However, the age of marriage is now rising.
Finally, there is evidence that an increasing proportion of single young people
are sexually active.
Nowadays, as the age of marriage
increases in some countries, it creates its own problems and concerns.
Sometimes late marriage increases premarital sex. Sex outside marriage is
usually considered immoral in some societies and young people, especially girls,
who engage in it are strongly condemned. In many societies, people in groups
with high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including drug users, men who
have sex with men, and commercial sex workers, face a culture of fear and
punishment when their STDs status is suspected.
Source
and References:
UNCDF-UN Capital Development Fund
UNDP-United Nations Development Programme
WHO- World Health Organization
CDC-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
USAID- United
States Agency for International Development
Abbreviation:
STDs-sexually transmitted diseases
STI- sexually transmitted infection
HIV- Human immunodeficiency virus
AIDS- acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
CSWs- Commercial Sex Workers
RSWs- Residential Sex Workers
SSWs-Street Sex Worker
HSWs-Hotel Sex Workers
MSWs-Mobile Sex Workers
IDUs-injecting drug users
FSWs-female sex workers
MSM-Men Who Have Sex with Men
