Around 63 percent of young men and women in Asia aged 16-18 have had unsafe sex, said a survey released Friday on the occasion of World Contraception Day.
The survey called the "Youth Love Check" reveals that 63.3 percent of respondents have had sex with a new partner without using contraception. In addition, 37.2 percent of survey respondents - young men and women in Asia - had an unplanned pregnancy in the last few years.
The data was collected between Nov 2009 and June 2014 and a total of 13,986 people participated in the study from 35 countries. Among which 81.1 percent were female and 18.9 percent male, and aged 10-30 years, most respondents between 16-18 years of age.
The survey has been released by World Contraception Day (WCD) coalition of eleven organisations dedicated to increase access to family planning services and education, and underline the importance of empowering young people to learn about contraception from reliable sources.
The survey also revealed variations in the sources of information most trusted by young people seeking knowledge about contraception. While some rely on their doctors, others put most trust in information they obtain from their friends or the internet.
"Being able to make self-determined decisions is an integral part of every person's freedom - but this freedom is dependent on the availability of information and choices. We have a responsibility to make our contribution to comprehensive sex education for young people worldwide," said Scott Sherriff, head of women's healthcare at Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, who is a part of WCD coalition.
With lack of proper knowledge on contraceptives among the youth, WCD coalition has published the "Framework for Action" which looks at the key areas in terms of enabling young people everywhere to benefit from access to high quality sexual and reproductive health advice and services.
The framework will also address myths and misconceptions about sex and contraception to empower young people to talk to their healthcare providers and partners about sex and to use contraception without fear of prejudice or disrespect.
