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With a constantly increasing access to the Internet worldwide, there is a large amount of sex related information that is received through watching ****** and explicit content. One major *********** website reported 42 billion visits to their site in 2019, with over 115,000,000 visits per day. Wow. Young people aged 18 to 24 years. Where the second highest consumers. Hi beautiful Souls. Welcome to 2024 and to the very first episode of Real Talk with at this one this year. I'm your host at this one. I certified health advocate and I'm beyond excited to embark on this incredible journey with you. Now you might be wondering, what's the real talk all about? Well, this is simply a safe space. Where we unpack all the mysteries of our sexual health. We could giggle about the awkward parts, but most importantly, we're here to empower ourselves with knowledge that can help us make healthier choices. In today's episode, we'll be diving head first into the world of sexual reproductive health, Or, as I fondly call it in the development space. SRHRSRH means sexual reproductive health. Why STR means sexual and reproductive health and rights. But wait. Don't let all these many things I'm saying. Skill your please. I'm not a newscaster. I'm not broadcaster. I am a podcaster. I'm here to simply break it down in a way that's relatable fun. And of course, Real. So I want you to stick with me because I'll be sharing personal experiences and we'll have guests who also share their experiences and just enlighten one another. I think that's the goal. So even as we are here and we're listening, we can also take out the message to our communities and I think that's really important. So please stick with me and I will be right back. So what exactly is SRH? Sexual reproductive health? It's all about understanding our bodies, our relationships and our overall well-being. From understanding bodily autonomy to puberty, how to form healthy relationships, family planning, sexually transmitted infections, gender based violence, comprehensive sexuality education, all of these things. Are what? SRH encompasses. And it's really critical that as young people, we have an idea. What is about and were able to learn and pass on correct information to our peers. And most importantly, to ensure that the younger generation have access to quality information about their sexual reproductive health, because it goes a long way. In. Forming, you know. Adults who understand themselves. Adults who are making healthier choices. You know, healthier lifestyle choices. I think that's critical. But the the major thing that I want to emphasize is that. Young people have questions. From childhood, they have questions. When they transition into their adolescent phase, the questions multiply because there is changes happening with them and they need to find the answers. Growth is happening, development is happening, so they have question and that is a fact. But the real question here is. Where do they get the information? Where do they get the answers to their questions? In Africa, we are having a lot of issues with comprehensive sexuality education as of now. And in a recent survey by UNESCO. They asked some young people they had like a survey and asked which source. They had received the most information. About their body, sex and relationships from. And 29 of the respondents ranked digital spaces at the top source. Our friends and peers ranked 31%. And school based education ranked 25%. And this was like a global survey. So just imagine in a country like Nigeria where CS is not taught in schools. Who is answering the questions that have been asked? So on this survey, just cancel out the 25% which is supposed to be school based education. It means that a very high percent. Of children, adolescents and youths are getting information about their sexuality online and from friends. Does that even. It's it's really exhausting to to to to to witness. This kind of. News. But that's the fact. Digital spaces are the most used sites. Where on filtered on, tailored forms of sexuality education are being taught. And this generation? Has evolved into a time where technology. Is, you know, free to use. There is no regulation per say when it comes to these issues. So there is a lot of unfiltered information out there and people are making wrong choices and making wrong moves because of that. With increasing access to the Internet worldwide, there's a large amount of sex related information. Or education that is received, received through watching ****** and explicit content. And I am very, very sure that everyone of us listening somehow have had contact with ****** and explicit content, even if we don't want to. It just pops up on our phones. We go there. Sometimes we overlook. But there's a lot of unfiltered information online. And like I read earlier. About the *********** website 42 billion visits. In the year every single day, 150 million people are visiting pornographic websites and many of them are adolescent and children. There were no data on people that were younger than 18, but it was found that between 18 to 24 years old, they were the second highest consumers. Some of the most popular searches that we found. On those websites where ************. How to kiss a girl? What if I get pregnant HIV? Family planning, Contraception, condoms. And so many, in fact, like it was so scary to see what was being searched. Like the most popular searches virginity. STI's makeup. How to grow a mustache. How to be the perfect partner. How to get a big penis pimples sexual pleasure. Pregnancy. The role of husband and wife had to propose menstruation. All of these questions are critical, and they were. Being axed. And this was what was found from the survey. In all of these things, one of the major challenge. That's young people are facing that is making them go online. Because I think that when it comes to friends as well, some people might not be bold enough to even reach out to their peers. So when you go online, nobody knows what's happening, nobody knows what you're doing, and you're just there getting all the information that you want. One of the major challenges that I realize is that. Family. Educate people that are educators. The older generation, they are not paying attention to these things. They are scared to educate the younger generation because they feel like if they start. Teaching them about their sexuality and their sexual health, they begin to explore. They begin to have sexual encounters. I've had meetings with people from Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health in my country and one of the things that they are afraid of is language. They don't want the children to learn about sex, anything that is sex, sexuality, they don't want it to be in the curriculum. They're talking about use of language, they're talking about age based information. And to be honest. Those things. Are very trivial. We need to confront this situation because it's not just about sexual intercourse, it's about you as a person. You have a reproductive system. And if you don't, learn. I bought the reproductive system. Until you begin to probably, you know, until it begins to function, it doesn't make sense. Because as a child. You already experiencing changes in that part of your health, so why not learn about it? Because to me, reproductive system. Ohh yeah, Productive health isn't about. Sexual intercourse, Pregnancy, childbearing. It's a lot more. It defines who you are, It's expresses who you are. There a lot of changes from your brain, your hormones, your body function, your your thought pattern, your mood. Everything is important. Everything is critical. And so people are prioritizing the wrong things and that's why they don't want to share information about it. So I think that needs to be challenged. I think that we need all the help we can get to ensure that young people have access to the right information about their sexual reproductive health. And I want you to stick with me, because when we return, I'll talk more about why sexual and reproductive health matter, especially now. Now, why does sexual and reproductive health matter, especially for young folks like us? Well, you can think of it as the ultimate toolkit for navigating life. To me, it's the most important part of our development, but many people don't understand a lot about it. Can you recall how ignorance changed the trajectory of the life of somebody that you knew like that don't want? Their pregnancy that caused the child to drop out of school and become a mother? That abortion that led to her death, That marriage that you weren't ready for but had no choice of declining? That violent move that you always saw as a child, that I become a part of you. See from childhood there are lot of things that. Importance in our development as children. They need to learn bodily autonomy, understanding that their body belongs to them, and they can say no to intruders, perpetrators and those people who like to take advantage of their innocence. As adolescents, we need to be able to build confidence, understanding that yes, we are transitioning into adulthood, but all of these changes can be handled in a way that will not be beyond our control, that were able to understand ourselves, understand our bodies, and understand exactly what is happening with us. When we are armed with correct knowledge about our bodies and relationships, we're able to be equipped to make informed choices and live our best lives. We're able to form healthier relationships and learn how to love and respect one another. So buckle up squad. This episode is the beginning of something incredible. We're not just going to be talking about SRH, we are going to be embarking on a journey of self discovery, empowerment, and tons of memorable experiences. So thank you so much for tuning in. Please send in your questions. Join the conversation. Let's dive into the world of Real talk. Always remember to stay curious and keep it real until next time. I'm Adesua. And bye for now.