“Inadequate Sex Education, Results To Sexual Libertinism”

How can the trivialisation of sex in today's society, implicate the spread of STDs and HIV?
The trivialisation of sexuality is part of a process of deinstitutionalisation of sexual norms, characteristic of modernity. This trend, greatly accelerated by the New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs), tends to redefine sexuality as a space for individual expression, freed from traditional social frameworks. The liberalisation dynamic, in the absence of adequate sex education, has contributed to the emergence of a "sexual libertinism" among young people, as well as risk-taking behaviours such as multiple partners and unprotected sex. These practices are set against a backdrop where sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly HIV, are no longer perceived as a fatality, owing to medical advances in their treatment.

What factors do you believe contribute to the increasing normalisation of explicit content and how might this trend affect public health, particularly in the context of STDs and HIV transmission?
Consumer society tends to transform sexuality into a visual commodity. Bodies are staged as objects of desire within a system of signs, where image prevails over reality. The overrepresentation of sex in media and social networks creates a visual familiarity that trivialises risky sexual behaviours, particularly among young people. Moreover, the anomie surrounding contemporary sexuality, combined with the decline of traditional religious and moral influence; a process that can be described as the "secularisation of sexual life," contributes to the erosion of normative benchmarks and can have negative repercussions on public health.

What role can education play in promoting responsible attitudes towards sex and relationships mostly among young people?
Sex education plays a fundamental role in the socialisation of young people and the construction of responsible behaviours. However, in the African context, this formal education, often inspired by Western models, tends to arouse learners' curiosity without providing a solid moral and cultural framework. Thus encourages experimentation rather than accountab...