EFFECT OF PRE-MARITAL SEX AMONG THE YOUTHS.

EFFECT OF PRE-MARITAL SEX AMONG THE YOUTHS.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

In this age of moral laxity, the laws of God have been set aside in the name of freedom. The moral codes of the past have given way to situation ethics. Mothers are insisting that birth control pills be given to their unmarried daughters. Movies, televisions, magazines and pornography of every kind are being used to train and inflame our youth. Modern sex education has become the tool of the devil because the biology and mechanics of sex are being taught without restraint (Momah S. 2007).

Biblically, it was categorically stated that marriage is honourable in all, and keep the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (Hebrews 13:4)

            However, modern dress styles are designed to make the side walk classroom and living room into garlic’ show. Little has been left for imagination. Miniskirts and hot pants have been designed to break down any form of modesty and morality that still exist in our society. Live-stage shows draw a large crowd by staging wild bizarre sex acts that are real in every way (Dobson J.1982).

         According to Momah S.(2007), the result of promiscuity and premarital sex, being veneral diseases and illegitimate births increasing among young people at an unprecedented rate. The teenagers who are more sexually active than anyone else generally do not realize how easy it is to become pregnant .The ultimate solutions recommended by Planned Parenthood is abortion with good surgical procedure where contraceptive fails. People’s minds have been conditioned to accept the idea that unborn baby is something less than human.

          The global Christian Missionary Publications (2008) stated that there is no joy in premarital sex; it only brings misery and regrets. The men who will pressurize the girls for sex will be the Same ones to hate them (the girls) passionately later on .The Girls that give into a boy’s (or man’s) demands for sex only cheapens the girl before the boy or man. A girl that can keep herself and resist every sexual advance from her fiancé will be highly honoured by her groom on their wedding night.

              In times past, the virginity of the female at her marriage called for a family celebration with appropriate gifts and visits from the in-laws. In some cultures, especially among the Yorubas, where “hawking” (street vending) and “night marketing” is common, young girls are learning to receive “passes” from men and acquire skills in dealing with these. Since the introduction of Western values and education in Nigeria, women have continued to acquire skills in dealing with males in a culture in transition. This has led to an increased tendency to delay marriage and an increased incidence of premarital sexual relationships. In some tribal cultures, in fact, it is more common today to demand pregnancy rather than virginity as a prerequisite for marriage. This is especially true among the educated young. Also, most of the popular music and advertisements glamorize sexuality, even though there is still a strong disapproval of open discussion of sexuality.

                Hausa culture today is predominantly Islamic, making it difficult to distinguish tribal Hausa cultural norms from Islamic injunctions. Although Hausa culture has remnants of non-Islamic and distinctly indigenous practices that are part of their rites of passage, a marriage of convenience has evolved between Islamic injunctions and aspects of Hausa cultural norms that do not conflict with the religion. Islam is a way of life for its adherents, with rules and regulations guiding all aspects of life. Its strong moral code emphasizes chastity, and prohibits loitering, soliciting, and unnecessary intermingling of the sexes. Islam permits women to go out of their houses only to pursue lawful needs such as the acquisition of knowledge or to work and contribute to societal development. Marriage before age 18 was the norm among Muslim Hausa girls before the colonial era and the introduction of secular education. Most parents in those days preferred to marry off their daughters at age 12.