A health NGO will release a new video for adolescents on the importance of reproductive health next month.
The video’s release will spearhead an effort to bring the sensitive issue of sex into the nation’s classrooms. A 30-minute production which also targets working adolescents, the video will be released by the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia.
The video includes a question-and-answer segment, three case studies showing the problems of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, and possible solutions to allay student’s concerns about sexual problems.
RHAC representatives say the video’s expected popularity will stem from the fact that it is based on the non-scripted experiences of other adolescents, from students to farm workers.
“This is not acting, but real life” said Dr Ouk Vong Vathiny, executive director of RHAC. “We asked adolescents what they liked, and they said they liked to hear about real experiences.”
The video is part of a larger adolescent reproductive health project, which includes training peer group educators, setting up youth centers with counseling groups and clinical services, and educating teachers and parents. RHAC projects are already under way in Battambang and Kompong Cham provinces, as well as Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
