No sex before marriage, group told

 By TED WIKA KALEO

A SCHOOL in the National Capital District was the first to run a workshop that emphasised the importance of abstinence from pre-marital sex.

Gordon International School ran a three-day workshop last week that focused on the theme “No apologies; The Truth about life, love and sex”.

The workshop targeted mostly young people. It featured drama presentations by students, illustrations, recital of short sayings and reading of short stories all related to the theme of the workshop.

Workshop organiser Annie Ilave said it provided an opportunity to educate young people, especially those between 12 and 16, to live long, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Ilave said HIV was spreading so fast in the country and young people were the most affected. 

“With the increase in HIV cases, we are trying to encourage our young people to abstain from sex before marriage,” she said.

Julian Kivori, the associate pastor from the Boroko Baptist Church, said pre-marital sex emotionally and psychologically affected a person.

“There is no such thing as safe sex. Instead, we cross out safe sex and replace it with save sex,” he said.

He read from Job 31 Verse 1: “I made a covenant not to look at the woman” – to complement the theme.

Grade Eight student Fay Waranaka said the workshop was beneficial and they could be role models in future.

“We will have good testimonies to tell,” she said.

Waranaka said the Papua New Guinean culture restricted the imparting of such knowledge to young people.

She said the workshop broke through that barrier and helped students to be in a better position to make healthy choices.

“We must be well-exposed to the realities of life through such workshops before we can move out into the real world,” she said.