Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - December 1, 2006
Letting go of your innocence is a new birth into a new life, so why would you announce and honour your birthday and when it comes to this great day, you refer us to the classified files?
Do not worry; I am trying to be naughty. I too don't celebrate the day because I have forgotten the date.
What I know is that it was NOT in the bush by the roadside or somewhere behind a toilet. I don't want to imagine it could be worse for you.
Apart from the unfortunate ones who are forced out of their purity, I wish those who remember can say it was on some altar dignified enough to receive your purity and hand you the key to adult life and responsibility.
Like the marital bed. That deserves fireworks. If you told Pastor Sempa, you would get champagne free of charge.
Psychologists believe that most sane people will remember the day they lost their virginity. Men may remember the experience and the person, but females may even know the date and hour because that day, or night etches itself on their hearts in blood.
To my beloved adolescent friends, you should be lucky you are living today.
Virginity has shed off most of its stigma that we faced when growing up.
Many of us developed our journalism by narrating heroic stories of sexual adventure in the efforts to hide our virginity from the rest of the world.
Today, virginity is so glorified that I myself feel tempted (often by the way) to declare myself one.
And from the national survey of adolescent sexual and reproductive health, headed by Dr Stella Neema of Makerere Institute of Social research, it was discovered that many adolescents believe they should remain virgins till they marry.
The research findings, released by Panos Eastern Africa last Tuesday, found out however that while many teenagers pray that the cup passes by, some actually go ahead and drink from it.
From a sample size of 6,659 adolescents from all over the country, 28% females and 32% males had already tested the wine. And the reason most of these gave (51% females and 78% males) was because 'they felt like it'.
Other reasons given include partner insisted (9% girls, 4% boys), influence from friends (6% girls, 9% boys), gifts or money (11% girls, 0.4% boys) and force (8% girls, 0.4% boys).
48% of girls and 39% of boys said they did not plan to let their goats out; it just happened.
As the researchers rightly noted, the first sexual intercourse is a beginning of and indicates the duration of exposure to risk for both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS.
If this is not scaring enough, nothing else is. For that youthful life you have has greater prospects awaiting it.
You don't want to open up political space when all constituents are still unsentitised about multiparty democracy.
You also need time for the biological support systems to develop and be able to sustain the demands of bilateral federation.
When the time comes, it should be so worthy that you can call us to a birthday celebration and give a speech without having to cover up anything. Remember it is those who resist the wind that are powerful.
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