AIDS is a national problem in China. There are currently 3,500 AIDS orphans in Henan Province alone. (Photo : Reuters)
Chinese experts are calling for more sexual health education for the country's youth.
The China Youth AIDS Prevention and Control Education Forum took place on Feb. 8 in Beijing where one of the tackled topics was the inadequate sexual health education given to young people. Young people in China are increasingly susceptible to AIDS.
Participants in the forum called for measures that would lower the risk of contracting AIDS among Chinese youth. Apart from these preventive and control measures, experts want the proper information on AIDS disseminated to the youth.
Educational efforts should be conducted through the joint projects of people working in the government, social organizations, charities and other sectors, experts said.
Among the 300 million students in China, there are 20 million who hit puberty annually. The worrying part is that most of these young people are sexually active. But because sexual health education in China is not yet upgraded to face this new reality, young people are increasingly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases. Most of the young people inflicted with AIDS were not properly educated on the disease.
Famous educator Gu Mingyuan, who co-established the China Youth AIDS Prevention and Control Education Project in 2006 with other people of the same interest, called for added social attention to this problem.
Wang Zuoshu, vice chairperson of the Central Executive Committee of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), committed its continuous support for programs that would provide young people with proper sexual health education.
At the same time, Wang Guoqiang, the vice minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), said that the commission would also cooperate with institutions in spreading the correct information on AIDS.
