Submitted by admin on Tue, 2006-02-28 09:00. ::
Shen Chaobin is a psychiatrist and former head of the sex consulting clinic. He says the clinic opened in 2000 to address pressing problems they found in a survey conducted on local teenagers.
"In a survey conducted seven years ago, we found that teenagers had a much more open attitude towards sex than we expected. We realized we should act immediately to teach them more about sexual issues. It seemed most teenagers were not satisfied with relevant courses they had in school."
A local hospital sent doctors to schools in order to educate teenagers amid calls for more professional instructors in the area. The clinic opened soon after, providing consulting services to teenagers, increasing their awareness about their physical growth, teaching them about their reproductive systems, and even providing advice about love issues.
Although many teenagers are interested in the subject, few have actually visited the consulting clinic. It has only had about 500 clients during its four years in business.
"I think there are two major reasons for the failure. First of all, all people, more or less, have some difficulty when going to the see a doctor on a psychological level. Secondly, it is more difficult for a teenager to face a doctor regarding such topics. They often feel embarrassed."
Dr. Shen says peer education programs, telephone hotlines and online consultations seem to be much more popular and effective ways of informing teenagers about sexual issues.
A website sponsored by a Shanghai district government offering online consultation on sexual issues has been well-received since launching last year.
The consulting clinic has now closed. The doctor hopes it can be reopened with support from local authorities. He believes this kind of service can also help in anti-HIV/AIDS efforts.
"All HIV carriers are in an age group between 20 to 40 years old. The most important job for a country in preventing and controlling the deadly disease is to educate its youth. If our clinic can continue, I think it will help promote HIV/AIDS awareness among the younger generations."
Meanwhile, tacking the issue of secondary school love affairs, the doctor disagrees with some parents and teachers who advocate firm prohibition. He says the attraction between the opposite sexes is natural and it is better to let teenagers understand love and sex, thus they can be protected rather than hurt in the future.
This is cache, read story here
