Sexual Exposure and Sexual Experience among Night School Youth at Misrak Ber No. 1 Primary Level Government School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was aimed at identifying the sexual exposure, sexual initiation and factors contributing to sexual initiation aiming at night school youth at Misrak Ber Number I Primary level Government School in Addis Ababa Bole Sub City of the City Administration of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Descriptive research study was used to understand the nature of the situation using primary quantitative and qualitative data collected from the main target groups, pupil in age range 15-24 and important stakeholders. A combination of non-probability and probability sampling techniques was used for selecting and drawing samples for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques including frequency distribution, mean, median, and standard deviation and tests like Chi-Square, Spearman and Pearson, logistic regression analysis with odds ratio was performed to check for relationships and occurrence of one phenomenon and its magnitude. The majority of the night school pupils were low income migrants working in the informal sector. They were in poor literacy level with difficulty to express them in writing. Early sexual initiation is aggravated by forced sex particularly in females and unintended abortion making them more vulnerable. Lack of RH and HIV/AIDS clubs and limited awareness on associated topics lead them to have unprotected sex making them susceptible to HIV/AIDS. In order to protect the night school pupil from sexual exposure and experience, the school administration can perform three main activities: (1) Use own resource to know the problems including assessing the reason for absentees and linkages with the existing RH and anti-HIV/AIDS clubs to promote peer support; (2) Networking and coordination role with other stakeholders that can provide support; and (3) Play a part in the technical design of the awareness program by putting the pupil themselves in the design process and by considering the technical suggestions given in this research report.