Dominican Republic: Campaign Launched to Postpone Sexual Debut

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Feb. 10, 2006 — PSI/Dominican Republic launched a national mass-media campaign to delay the onset of sexual activity and to promote communication about sexuality between parents and their children between 10 and 14 years old.

The project, funded by UNICEF and executed in close coordination with the Dominican Ministry of Health (SESPAS) is PSI/Dominican Republic's second behavior change communication (BCC) campaign, following the "Trusted Partner" HIV/AIDS prevention campaign targeting youth aged 15 -24. Media and health impact studies conducted at the end of that campaign in 2004 revealed that youth in the Dominican Republic are beginning their sexual activity ever earlier. As much as 45% of sexually active youth report having sex before they reach 15 years of age and 18% of new cases of HIV in the Dominican Republic occur in youth 18-25. Additionally, although there is much work being done with youth and HIV/AIDS prevention in the country, very little is targeted specifically to youth before they have sex for the first time.

The youth campaign, called "El Sexo No Es Un Juego" (Sex Is Not a Game), uses an animated group of friends who speak honestly and with humor about the consequences of having sex at an early age and the importance of talking about sex with parents. This group of friends belongs to a world called "Parque Tropical" represented in TV spots, radio spots, posters, stickers and a thought-provoking borchure.

Additionally, PSI engaged the Dominican Republic's top local Regguetón artist, Don Miguelo, and recorded a song and filmed an MTV-quality video called "Tu Futuro Esta en Tu Mente" (Your Future Is In Your Mind) to complement the campaign.

The campaign directed towards parents took the key message that "El Silencio es Peor" (Silence is Worse) and represented it in various materials that provoke parents to talk with their kids. The call to action is clear: the only option a parent has is to confront the subject and talk to their kids.

The parents' campaign includes support materials to enable parents to begin talking with their kids. In much of the research, PSI/Dominican Republic found that parents do not discuss the subject of sex because they do not know how. The booklet produced in this campaign provides a very clear "how" including specific questions Dominican youth of both sexes want answered and how to start a conversation by using every day surroundings or occurrences, such as a graphic song on the radio.

Diffusion of the campaign will continue both in the mass-media and at the community level through NGOs throughout 2006.

— Christina Fontecchio and Elizabeth Beachy, PSI/Dominican Republic

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The youth launch of the "Delayed Debut" campaign in the Dominican Republic