Brasília – The sex lives of Brazilian youth were researched for the first time by Unesco in a report released as "Youth and Sexuality." This weekend the subject was discussed at the 12th Youth Conference (12º Encontro Nacional de Adolescentes - ENA) which took place in Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte, northeast region.

The Unesco study interviewed 16,000 students between the ages of 10 and 24, along with teachers. It found that sex is a youth priority.

According to the study, the average age of sexual initiation for boys is 13.9 to 14.5 years of age. For girls it is between 15.2 and 16 years of age. Fully 70% of those interviewed said they had sex with only one partner.

There was a big geographical difference when it came to youth pregnancy. In Florianopolis, southern region, only 12.2% of the girls got pregnant; the lowest percentage in the country. The highest percentage was in Recife, northeast region, where it was 36.9%. However, 90% of the youth said they use contraceptives. The most popular contraceptive was the condom, followed by the pill.

As for abortion, 14% in Porto Alegre (southern region) were totally opposed to it. In Maceio (northeast region), that number rose to 31%.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Irene Lôbo
Translator: Allen Bennett
26/07/2004