Study shows startling sexual behaviour
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday December 14, 2016 13:46
A total of 7205 participated in the study in which 33% of them have admitted to having lost virginity before age 13. It was conducted from February to April 2015.
The study, undertaken every five years in partnership with the US government through the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief found out that 22.3% of students in this age bracket have had sexual intercourse.
Presenting the result of the survey carried out this year, BYRBBSS II technical working group team leader, Gape Machao told stakeholders in Gaborone yesterday, “69% used a condom the last time they had intercourse and 48.9% had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months.”
A 43.7% had sexual intercourse with two or more people in the past 12 months, of which 13.4% of girls reported having been pregnant and 13% of boys reported having impregnated someone.
Almost 14% of the learners reported ever exchanging sex for money, drugs or gifts.
As for tobacco, alcohol and drug use, 17.9% of students had ever smoked a cigarette, while among those who ever smoked, 39.7% of those who reported ever smoking a cigarette did so at least one day during the 30 days prior to the study.
“Thirty six (35.6%) of students at least had one drink of alcohol, eight percent of students reported having ever used marijuana, a percentage had ever used glue, 0.5 percent had used cocaine, another half had ever used ecstasy, 0.4 had ever used sextasy and 0.6 percent had ever used mandrax,” the survey says. Of these students, 24% reported having been bullied in the past 12 months, while 20% were threatened or injured with a weapon, and 15.3% were involved in a physical fight and had to be treated by a doctor or nurse during the 12 months prior to the survey. “A 22.2% of students reported being forced to have sexual intercourse the first time they had sexual intercourse, 18.8% of sexually experienced students were forced to have sexual intercourse during the 12 months prior to the survey,” the study further says.
Also 50% of the students were tested during the survey with 1.4 percent testing HIV positive, while 41.9% students had tested prior to the study with 9.6 reporting having tested HIV positive.
Concerning nutrition, 58.4% students went hungry because there was not enough food in their homes in the 30 days prior to the survey. A total of 137 secondary schools (junior and senior) participate in the study and HIV testing was offered to students according to the national HIV testing guidelines.