Sexual purity is one of the notable virtues that has received little attention in today’s society. The attention paid to this virtue is sometimes no longer recognized. Sexual immorality has become the mainstay of youth behavior.
The question of whether it is necessary to remain sexually pure has remained under numerous controversies. Most young people do not see the need to stay pure in terms of sex, this is due to the speed at which free sex is increasing. Young people see no need for their sexual emotions not to be put to the test. Many young men and women have come to embrace the modern principles of life, compromising their sexual purity without consideration. It is very surprising that even the older generation hardly talks about sexual purity.
Christians and their Muslim counterparts, as well as traditional people, are torn between contemporary principles and their sacred or valuable principles; Curbing sexual immorality among the youth has become a major challenge for these religious adherents.
Society in general is to be blamed as it has completely failed to address the problem of immorality among the young. Thus he has suffered continuous sexual misconduct and abuse in every nook and corner. The sexual mandates established by societies have been constantly challenged. This phenomenon of rebellion in recent years has been expressed in the permissiveness of rank in European and American societies. Today, in Ghanaian societies as well, the age-old reticence about sex is being exploited and permissiveness and promiscuous indulgence between the young and the old are becoming a national moral concern. The severity of this among young Ghanaians is particularly alarming.
There is poor sexual behavior in the mist of Ghanaian youth today. This immorality is the result of numerous factors that contribute to a very hideous sexual attitude.
First of all, young people freely indulge in uncontrolled boy-girl relationships. Curiosity is the brain behind most of these relationships. In such relationships, a man or a woman tries to experience their sexual emotions and satisfies them. Gone are the days when they dared to venture into such an arena.
In addition, there is also the idea of dating a boy or a woman for a reason that only the two involved can explain. This idea is growing very fast among educated youth. Most of these ‘dates’ lack proper monitoring and advice from responsible adults and both involve freely following their emotional instincts to do as they please. The type of dating that people engage in in Ghana, especially in schools and universities, can only be described as “sex dating”.
Uncontrollable dating that lacks maturity and proper follow-through always leads to sexual activities and thus immorality.
Furthermore, the viewing of sexy movies or pornographic videos is also on the rise. Pornographic films and images circulate freely in our markets without control, portrayed directly by print and electronic media, especially the Internet and television stations. Our contemporary music contains shudders of sexual lyrics and quantum sexual exposure. Young people have taken advantage of the current situation in society to resort to viewing these movies to satisfy their sexual urges. Many of them have had their minds blown by dirty sex, bad public displays (showing breasts even though most women are clothed) and other sexual abuse. Rape and displacement, gross fornication and prostitution are the fruits of this pornographic commercialization.
Youth masturbation is also another enduring challenge that contributes to sexual immorality among youth. This act has become the daily activity of most of the average teenagers found in our high schools and colleges, as well as in universities. Some go overboard and go crazy and wild for sex. The result is very indescribable.
What is particularly unfortunate is how freely young people access family planning for their sexual benefit. Family planning in Ghana has no limits or barriers in terms of its use and prescription, that is, who are the right people to access it? Although intended to control the size of the family, it has rather become the avenue where most young people find a solution to their exploitation and sexual adventure. Free sex is assaulting the youth incessantly. The institution seems to go unnoticed regarding this trend of irresponsible behavior of young people.
Teen pregnancy among the underprivileged is very rampant. A number of children born out of wedlock due to irresponsible behavior outnumbers legitimate children born to married couples. Due to poor upbringing, most of these children end up on the streets. Those who have no other option resort to social vices such as armed robbery, prostitution, drug dealing, among others. Diseases are attacking many, with HIV/AIDS being the deadliest. People’s life expectancy is shortened these days due to immorality. Our human resource capacity is in jeopardy every day.
Parents, teachers, traditional rulers, educational administrators, religious leaders, and other responsible adults are increasingly alarmed and concerned about trends in sexual behavior among young people. In fact, there is a disorder in male-female relationships and there is a breakdown of traditional sexual morality. Sexual indulgence or promiscuity among our girls is becoming alarmingly high. Many boys and girls often come across contraceptives in our schools and colleges, including pornographic videos. The wave of sexuality that engulfs youth is accompanied by an increase in theft, greed, shamelessness, jealousy, arrogance, selfishness, wickedness, rebellion and violence. Sex seems to be the root of all evil and not money. It can be said without exaggeration that these trends represent a great danger for the future of this country; because as the saying of Lenin says, “if we want to destroy a nation, we must first destroy its morals”.