UNICEF Ireland today launches the final two reports in the ’Changing the Future: Experiencing Adolescence in Contemporary Ireland’ series. The reports address the themes of Drugs and Alcohol and Sexual Health and Behaviour respectively, and are based upon the findings of a survey carried out by UNICEF Ireland in late 2010. The two reports complete the Changing the Future series published by UNICEF Ireland in 2011, which presents a holistic snapshot of the lives of young people living in Ireland from their own perspective, and in their own words.
Changing the Future: Experiencing Adolescence in Contemporary Ireland: Drugs and Alcohol – Report 3
‘More of the respondents reported that they took drugs than reported that they smoked cigarettes’ finds the first report which addresses the issues of drugs and alcohol. Key findings in the report included:
- While 77% of the total respondents report that they drink alcohol, 15% reported that they got drunk for the first time before they were fourteen years old;
- The great majority (89%) of respondents report that their parents are aware of their drinking;
- 1 in 5 sixteen year old respondents report that they purchase the alcohol they consume themselves;
- More than one third of respondents reported that they had taken drugs;
- The reported prevalence of mental health difficulties such as depression, self-harm, eating disorders or feeling suicidal was noticeably higher amongst those respondents who also reported the use of drugs
The UNICEF Ireland report concludes that ‘What is absolutely clear from the responses to this survey is that drugs and alcohol are both widely available and widely used amongst many young people living in Ireland. It is imperative that we address this prevalence openly and bring it into the crucial discussions that will shape the future experiences of young people in Ireland.’
UNICEF_Change_the_Future_A5_Report-Alcohol__Drugs_Report-Web.pdf
Changing the Future: Experiencing Adolescence in Contemporary Ireland: Sexual Health and Behaviour – Report 4
‘If we create the space in which children and young people can talk openly and in their own language even upon challenging subjects such as sex, then we are likely to learn more from what they tell us’ proposes the final UNICEF Ireland report which examines adolescent perspectives on sexual health and behaviour. Key findings in the report included:
- 63%, and 1 in 5 sixteen year old respondents, reported that they have had sex;
- 1 in 5 sexually active respondents reported that they did not use a condom the first time that they had sex;
- 2 in 5 girls who were sexually active reported that they had consumed alcohol before their first sexual experience, compared to 3 in 10 boys;
- The majority of respondents (54%) reported that they had watched pornography on the internet, and more than one third of the respondents who had watched pornography on the internet believed that it was accurate or educational;
- Only 1 in 5 respondents reported that they ever speak to their parents about sex.
Noting ‘the broad spectrum from which young people living in Ireland draw down information about sex’ the UNICEF Ireland report concludes that ‘we must be sure that when a young person is making decisions about their sexual health and behaviour, every opportunity is afforded them in terms of open discussion, understanding, support, information and advice’
Commenting on the Report, Amel Yucef a Youth Health Coordinator at the Base Youth Centre, Ballyfermot said “As the participants in UNICEF Ireland’s survey have shown, many young people do not feel equipped with the information and support they need to make informed choices about their sexual health. Providing those supports is a priority for us at the Base.” The Youth Health Programme, that Amel co-ordinates is a HSE funded initiative which was created to respond to the health needs of young people, as identified by the young people of the Dublin 10 area themselves. The Programme delivers community-based and youth-friendly health responses, based upon a harm-reduction model. The Youth Health Programme works towards building the capacity of young people to access health services, while also encouraging those services to deliver in an accessible and youth-friendly way.
UNICEF_Change_the_Future_A5_Report-Sexual_Health__Behaviour-Web.pdf