Underage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are set to sweep across Europe after sex education was cut in the mistaken belief it encouraged romps, health chiefs warned.
A World Health Organisation report found an alarming decline in teen condom and high rates of unprotected sex. The new data was compiled from a survey of 242,000 15-year-olds across 42 countries over eight years. The report said the shock data follows a reduction in age-appropriate sex education.
Since 2014 there has been a significant decline in the number of adolescents using condoms during their sexual encounters. The report highlights an urgent need for a campaign to promote safer sexual practices. Dr Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation’s regional director for Europe, said: “While the report’s findings are dismaying they are not surprising.
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“Age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education remains neglected in many countries and where it is available it has increasingly come under attack in recent years on the false premise that it encourages sexual behaviour when the truth is that equipping young persons with the right knowledge at the right time leads to optimal health outcomes linked to responsible behaviour and choices.
“We are reaping the bitter fruit of these reactionary efforts with worse to come unless governments, health authorities, the education sector and other essential stakeholders truly recognise the root causes of the current situation and take steps to rectify it. Ultimately what we are seeking to achieve for young persons is a solid foundation for life and love.
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“Sexual and reproductive health and rights, informed by the right knowledge at the right time along with the right health and well-being services at the right time, is critical. By empowering adolescents to make informed decisions about their sexual health we ultimately safeguard and improve their overall well-being. This is what all parents and families should want for their children everywhere.’’
The report found the proportion of adolescents who used a condom when they last had sex fell from 70% to 61% among boys and 63% to 57% among girls between 2014 and 2022. Almost a third reported using neither a condom nor the contraceptive pill during their last romp.
Teens from poorer families were more likely not to use contraceptives.
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