experiences.
“Family planning clinics treat you like dirt,” said
Kim. Carla described her treatment as humiliating: “When I
was leaving, the doctor shouted, ‘I hope you will be here
in three months and don’t do stupid things like not turning
up’.”
The Sheffield Undercover group is investigating the treatment girls
receive when they visit local clinics. They are trained to work
‘undercover’ as ‘mystery shoppers’, attending
treatment clinics under assumed names to see what services, advice
and confidentiality support they get for dealing with unwanted pregnancy,
contraceptive choices, or STI check-ups. They won’t reveal
their findings till later this year, but several feel that the government’s
encouragement for regular sexual health check-ups for young people
won’t catch on for a while.
Undercover girl Rosie says: “I don’t think many young
people will go for sexual health check-ups at an earlier age until
there are more special efforts made to entice them into clinics.”
Steph pays regular visits to local clinics in Kent with friends
on pregnancy scares. “Sometimes my friends say ‘Oh the
condom split, that’s why I’m getting checked,’
and I don’t believe in some cases they even used them at all.
I’m actually surprised at how kind and patient the nurses
are.”
More healthy sexuality on TV
All the girls would like to see more coverage in the media about
sexual health, and particularly on TV. The Undercover group thinks
the government should show more programmes with real-life scenarios
between girlfriend and boyfriend which highlight issues such as
the peer pressure to have sex, and suggest ways to resist it.
They also want more famous people in adverts, like the recent police
recruitment TV ads that featured Bob Geldof and others.
Steph says: “Like most teenage girls, I love bright colours.
Why don’t they produce an animated ad or short film like some
of the stories and ads you get in teen magazines and run it on the
telly? You know, highlighting the basic questions, like “Virgin?”
“Slut?” “Dirty?” “Pregnant?” |
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