When you are abstaining from sex, you should avoid kissing and any kind of activity that could lead to sexual intercourse.

Behaviour Change Communications Specialist, Alexis Nurse, shared this advice with approximately 70 Third Form students of Queen???s College today, during a HIV 101 sensitisation session.

The event was organised by the HIV Education Committee of the Barbados Government Information Service and Pompasette Magazine???s Pomp Weekend 2014.

???Abstaining from sex is difficult, and it means different things to different people. So, to abstain, you have to be very clear on what you are trying to do.??You need to have a discussion with your friends about it because everyone needs to know you are abstaining. Otherwise, you might end up in situations where you end up having sex,??? Ms. Nurse told the children.

She added: ???Choose friends who will support your decision to abstain???, and warned them to avoid private settings which may place them in tempting situations.

She explained that while abstinence wasn???t easy, it was the safest way to protect oneself from contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

???Although we say abstinence like it is an easy thing, you need to be very, very conscious about your feelings, because those feelings can lead to sex. So kissing is not okay when you are abstaining because kissing can lead to sex,??? she pointed out.

In fact, the Behaviour Change Communications Specialist emphasised that they should stay away from all forms of sexual contact such as touching, rubbing and mutual masturbation because ???the feelings that are generated by stimulating someone, or having someone stimulate you, could simply lead to sex???.

She stressed that such stimulation could expose persons to body fluids such as semen or vaginal secretions, which may contain STIs or HIV.??The students were invited to design t-shirts and conceptualise slogans about HIV for the Wear the Issue competition.

Ten outstanding designs will be chosen and showcased during the Pomp Weekend fashion show on Saturday, December 13, at Pure Ocean Restaurant, St. Lawrence Gap, St. Michael, at 8:00 p.m.

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

Author: Shamkoe Pil??

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