Indonesia, yet again, banned the selling of condoms in their market, but it's all for a good reason.
The government of Indonesia became alarmed when convenience stores gave away condoms for those who purchased chocolates last Valentine's Day, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The Indonesian Child Protection Commission says that teenagers should not be allowed to buy condoms. According to Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, the deputy chairman of the Commission, easy access to condoms is the reason behind the dangerous behavior on their country's youth. He also said that teenagers who are married are the only ones who are exempted from this rule.
The Asian Correspondent reported that the ban came from lawmakers of the Bengkulu province on the southwest coast of Sumatra. The lawmakers are currently drafting a bill that would limit or prevent the sale of contraceptives in pharmacies and other stores licensed to sell medicines, especially to teenagers.
According to Arist Merdeka Sirait, Chairman of the National Commission on Children, “Condoms are important because of increasing sexual activity among teenagers. Depriving them of access to condoms will only increase the risks of them contracting HIV/AIDS. Condom use among unmarried youngsters may be controversial but we can’t hide from the fact that many teenagers are sexually active.”
Amin Kurnia, head of the provincial health agency, said he agreed with the proposal. "We highly appreciate the Bengkulu DPRD for drafting a bill to prevent HIV and AIDS. This proves that the council members are very concerned about HIV and AIDS," said Kurnia, as reported by the Jakarta Globe.
Amin added that he hoped the bill would be quickly passed into a law, so that his agency could start educating people in Bengkulu about why contraceptives should not be readily available at convenience stores and other such places.
The spread of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia has been a serious problem througout the years. According to the United Nations, Indonesia is among the countries in Asia which have the fastest growing HIV-affected areas. In 2010, A.U.N. reported that there were around 333,200 people with HIV in Indonesia.
