14
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, February 19, 1992
AIDS fear doesn't hamper teen sex
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Magic Johnson has made sexually active high school seniors more worried about AIDS, but not enough to change their sex habits, according to a survey released by an educational publishing organization yesterday.
Educational Communications Inc. said it sent questionnaires to a sample of 3,000 "A" and "B" students among nearly 226,000 seniors listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students. The survey was conducted three weeks after Johnson, a former basketball star with the Los Angeles Lakers, announced that he had the HIV virus.
Of the 1,150 students who responded, 21 percent said they were worried or very worried about contracting the virus. In a similar survey before Johnson's announcement, the figure was 12 percent.
About 28 percent of the youngsters reported that they had engaged in sexual intercourse. And both before and after Johnson's announcement, 45 percent of the students in that group said they always used a condom.
"These alarming findings confirm our worst fears - high school students see themselves as invincible," said Paul Krouse, publisher of the student directory. "Unfortunately, it seems the message of the danger of AIDS will spread only with the number of young people who succumb to it."
However, in the latest survey, 42 percent of the sexually active students said they would continue to have sexual intercourse even if a condom was not available.
Eighty-two percent attended public schools.
The organization said 70 percent of the students responding were females.
The survey said one fourth of the respondents had not talked about AIDS with teachers after Johnson's announcement, and nearly 30 percent did not discuss AIDS at home.
Of the majority who said they have not had sex, more than half said they abstained because they were afraid of contracting the HIV virus. Other reasons, also given by more than half, were fear of getting pregnant, contracting other sexually transmitted diseases or facing disapproval of their parents.
Two thirds said they were not ready for sexual intercourse or they wanted to wait until marriage.
Teens talk about AIDS
Survey highlights of teens listed in the Who's Who Among American High School Students:
1,150 were surveyed; 70%
Those reporting they have had sexual intercourse
Said they will have sex even if a condom is not available
Before Magic Johnson said he was infected, believed their risk of getting AIDS was:
After Magic Johnson said he was infected, believed their risk of getting AIDS was:
SOURCE: Educational Communications
Demand for child prostitutes rises
The Associated Press
GENEVA — The fear of AIDS is driving some customers to demand much younger prostitutes, contributing to the global growth in the sale of children, the author of a U.N. report said yesterday.
Vitt Muntarbhorn, a law professor in Thailand, said in a telephone interview from Bangkok, that children of 9 or 10 frequently were taken across borders and then tricked or forced into prostitution.
"A multitude of children worldwide fall into this web of bondage, and the numbers are increasing daily," Muntarbourn said in his report for the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
Customers often are indifferent to the children's plight, he said. "If they do care, it is usually for their own health."
In some areas customers are opting for "more and more for younger pros
titutes, particularly virgins, in the belief that they will protect themselves from the threat of AIDS," he said.
Many child prostitutes in India, Thailand and the Philippines have tested positive for the AIDS virus, he said. The World Health Organization has reported similar findings.
The sale of children is extensive but is difficult to measure because the abuses are "shielded by the cloak of a pervasive underworld," Muntarbhorn said.
He said the numbers of young prostitutes, up to the age of 17, were highest in Asia and Latin America, where millions of street children were lured into prostitution.
He said there also were reports of an increase in child prostitution in Africa, North America and Europe.
- Criminal elements wait in the wings to lure or trick many children
A frequent motive for selling children is to raise enough money to support the other children in a family, he said.
into prostitution," Muntarborn said, But he added that in some parts of the world it was parents who willingly or unwillingly sold their children into prostitution.
Boys increasingly are being used for prostitution, but girls are exploited first, partly because families in many societies favor boys, Muntarbhorn said.
France Bruce, program director of the Geneva-based International Catholic Child Bureau, said she found a close link between poverty and prostitution. In Chile, field workers reported few problems with child prostitution before 1980, but that it developed rapidly after Chile began encountering economic problems in the early 1980s, she said.
It can't do laundry or find you a date, but it can help you find more time for both.
The new Apple* Macintosh* Classic* II computer makes it easier for you to juggle classes, activities, projects, and term papers and still find time for what makes college life real life.
It's a complete and affordable Macintosh Classic system that's ready to help you get your work finished fast. It's a snap to set up and use. It has a powerful 68030 microprocessor, which means you can run even the most sophisticated applications with ease. And its internal Apple SuperDrive disk drive reads from and writes to Macintosh and MS-DOS formatted disks—allowing you to
exchange information easily with almost any other kind of computer.
Macintosh Classic II
In addition to its built-in capabilities, the Macintosh Classic II can be equipped with up to 10 megabytes of RAM, so you'll be able to run several applications at once and work with large amounts of data.
To put more time on your side, consider putting a Macintosh Classic II on your desk. See us for a demonstration today,and while you're in, be sure to ask us for details about the Apple Computer Loan. It'll be time well spent.
Introducing the Macintosh Classic II
KU Bookstore Burge Union·Level2 864-5697