Current Issues: September |
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| Just say no to sex, teenage boys to be told |  |
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Ministers are keen to help teenage boys to resist the pressure put on them to have sex by friends who make exaggerated claims about their own sexual prowess. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said that many teenage boys were not as sexually active as they claim to be. "Only a third of boys aged under 16 are sexually active. Many boys need to be given help turning down sex," she said. The campaign will remind those who really are sexually active that they could face hefty maintenance bills from the Child Support Agency as soon as they start work if they father a child and then do not stay around to support the mother. However, previous campaigns that have been aimed largely at teenage girls appear to have had little immediate success. According to a report from the Government's Social Exclusion Unit the UK has the highest rate of teenage births in Europe. The pregnancy rate among girls aged 15 to 19 is 6 per cent and is continuing to rise, albeit only slowly. The British rate of teenage pregnancy is twice that of Germany's, three times the rate in France and six times that in The Netherlands. Only Canada, New Zealand and the United States have higher rates. The new campaign is due to be launched in October. |
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