PETALING JAYA: Emotional development in young people is being neglected in today’s fast-paced Malaysian society, say experts.
The emotional needs of the young are often overlooked as both parents work to fulfil their children’s material and educational needs, says Inte-grated Psychology Network Sdn Bhd’s consultant psychologist Valerie Jaques.
“As such, more young people are starving for attention and end up confusing sex with love,” she said.
Jaques said that youths, especially girls, were not taught to speak up.
“Many girls are not taught to be assertive and say no or to complain about those who have taken advantage of them,” she said.
Among the ways to deal with this, she said, was for parents to attend parenting courses and learn how to communicate with a child.
Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Ivy Josiah said the authorities and parents needed to acknowledge that young people were getting more curious about sex at an earlier age now.
“More young people are exploring and experimenting,” she said.
Josiah said there was an urgent need for formal sex education in schools as it was the only way to ensure that teenagers treated sex responsibly and knew the consequences of their actions.
These young people, she said, should have the chance to express themselves and speak to someone other than their parents about concepts they were unfamiliar with like sex and relationships.
“They are coping with raging hormones, they have the need to be loved and to learn what having a relationship means,” she said.
She also warned that it was too simplistic to think that children whose parents were both working would be more inclined to be involved in underage sex.
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said there were many reasons why young girls got involved in underage sex.
“Each individual has her own unique story, background and experience,” she said.
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