"Contraceptive Found in Middle School Daughter's Pocket... What Should I Do?"

Image unrelated to this article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] "I found contraceptives in my daughter's clothes pocket. She still seems like a baby to me..."

Recently, a post seeking advice was uploaded on an online community, saying that while cleaning her middle school daughter's room, she found condoms, birth control pills, and a test kit in her clothes pocket.

A, who introduced herself as a woman in her early 40s raising a daughter in the 2nd year of middle school, said, "They were not used yet," and "I put them back after finding them, but my heart hurts so much and it feels painful."

A said, "She still follows me and her older sister to the bathhouse or jjimjilbang and is very affectionate. To my eyes, she still seems like a baby, so I was too scared to even bring it up." She then asked for advice, saying, "I feel frustrated not knowing how to handle this."

Netizens who read the story advised a cautious response.

One netizen said, "You should never scold or interrogate her," and suggested, "Since you found the test kit while organizing clothes, ask if she bought it because she might need to use it." Another netizen responded, "I agree with the condom, but the presence of the test kit is problematic," and added, "You should teach her to value her body and not engage in actions she cannot take responsibility for."

Meanwhile, according to the "14th (2018) Youth Health Behavior Survey Statistics" conducted by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in 2018 targeting 60,040 youths, the average age of first sexual intercourse was 13.6 years old. 5.7% (3,422) of respondents reported having had sexual experience.

The problem is the low rate of contraceptive use. Among them, only 59.3% practiced contraception.

According to the "Survey on the Actual Condition of Induced Abortion" published by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, youths answered that they did not use contraception because they "did not prepare contraceptive tools" (49.2%) or "because their partner did not want to use contraception" (33.1%).

As the age of sexual activity decreases, the importance of sex education for youths is increasing. However, many, like A, still have vague difficulties regarding the timing and methods of sex education for their children.