Premarital Sex among Urban Adolescents in Bangladesh

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study conducted in Bangladesh to examine the reproductive and sexual health behavior of adolescents. It is observed that adolescents are not aware of their reproductive health (RH) needs. More than two-thirds of the girls reported that they usually discuss RH issues with their mothers. Findings suggest that approximately 5 percent of the unmarried adolescents had premarital sexual exposure and 98 percent of them were males. Half of the sexually active unmarried adolescents had sex in the last six months. Adolescents are engaged in risky sexual behavior without protection. Almost 95 percent of the adolescents heard about contraceptive methods and 85.4 percent had heard about RTI/STDs. It is observed that approximately 39 percent of male adolescents had sex with commercial sex workers and 56 percent of them did not use a condom.