Porn, child abuse on agenda

2004-02-26 13:17

Johannesburg - The first African conference on sexual health opened in Johannesburg Thursday with 130 delegates due to discuss topics ranging from pornography to child abuse.

"We are looking at the sexual health of our continent," chairperson Cheryl Carolus, the head of South African Tourism, told AFP.

"We understand that sexual health can only be built in an atmosphere of democracy, good governance and equality."

Carolus, a former ambassador to Britain, noted that after 10 years of democracy, South Africa was evaluating past mistakes and looking to future challenges.

"This conference will also try to do the same thing," she said.

She told delegates in her opening address that youngsters who were optimistic about their future were less likely to engage in risky behaviour like early sex.

"The challenge facing us today is how to reach young people in high-risk groups and how to change their high-risk behaviour," she said.

"We need to stand firm and speak out on a number of thorny issues."

Carolus said the status of women in Africa needed to be improved: "We must be relentless in fighting for full equality."

More focus should also be placed on the family and the eradication of poverty, she said, adding that poverty led to gender-based violence.

Other topics to be discussed include abortion laws, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights.

The conference, the First Congress for the Advancement of Sexual Health and Rights in Africa, will continue until Saturday.

- AFP