Poor sexual knowledge in plantation sector | Sunday Observer

Poor sexual knowledge in plantation sector

29 July, 2018

Knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, as well as its service provision among women and youth are low in the estate sector, a recent Policy Review on Status of Health in the Plantation Sector published by Human Development Organization( HDO) revealed.

“Estate women showed very poor knowledge on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Sexually Transmitted Infections ( STIs), when compared with their urban and rural counterparts.

In all the questions asked about STI/HIV, less than half of the women were aware of the topic,” states Public Health Specialist, Dr. Nithershini Periyasamy, who authored the publication.

As per Demographic and Health Survey ( 2006/7), only 47.7 % of married women aged 15 to 49 years have heard of HIV, compared to 93.9 % and 94.4 % of their rural and urban counterparts.

The Review notes that a cross sectional study conducted among 400 tea estate workers aged 18 to 24 years revealed five per cent had sexual exposure before the age of 10. 

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