The cause of sex abuse

Frances Camilleri-Cassar was interviewed (November 2) about her ideas regarding sexual health education for youngsters in Malta. In my opinion she was not altogether correct in her arguments.

To start with, she put the blame for what she referred to as the lack of sexual education, especially among girls and young women, on the local Church authorities, who, in her opinion, consider sexual education as taboo. This would have been true if she had referred to matters as they stood 40 to 50 years ago but it is definitely not so today. The Church today simply recognises that the present disastrous situation is mostly due to lack of moral values which had a much greater influence on one's life in the past. One would be naïve to believe that girls and young women today do not have access to sex education. Surely there is no lack of information on this subject in the local media.

It is worth remembering what happened in the UK when the British government embarked on "full blown sex education" in the 1970s. John Major, Margaret Thatcher and now even Tony Blair expressed their concern about the high rate of increase in sex abuse and unwanted pregnancies in the 1980s and 1990s. It is widely admitted that this disastrous increase is due to the "sex education" that did away with the taboo which Dr Camilleri-Cassar is so much against.

The rapid increase in sexually transmitted venereal diseases and abortions by young girls, in which the UK unfortunately excels, is another point of concern. We do need sex education but of the right type - that which is based on the true Christian moral basics. Mr Blair himself recently made an urgent call to the nation to go "back to moral bases".

The use of contraceptives and condoms, of which Dr Camilleri-Cassar seems to be so much in favour, simply aggravates the situation. The solution has been amply demonstrated by a Kenyan Catholic nun who instructed thousands of girls and young women how to enjoy life even by abstaining from promiscuous sexual behaviour and sex out of wedlock.

What Dr Camilleri-Cassar advises regarding the use of condoms could logically also be applied to the consumption of alcohol and tobacco which, I am sure, she would condemn.

In her social research work, Dr Camilleri-Cassar seems to have overlooked the fact that man is made of body and soul. During her interview no mention was made of the Almighty who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God's existence, His interest in our welfare and His Commandments have been disregarded for a long time and this is the main cause of the present disorders and chaos. It is wise to keep in mind that ultimately we are all accountable to God Almighty for our actions.