High School Sex Tapes : Raw & Uncut

In the last five (5) years there has been a drastic increase in the practice of high school students having sex and recording it via smartphones and other recording devices. Often times these students are clothed in full uniform and even more often they are engaging in unprotected sex. The latest video going viral appears to be of a student of Excelsior High in Kingston; true to form, the young lady is in full uniform, bent over in what appears to be an abandoned building by the road side (by the sound of it) and the young man is wearing no condom.

With all the public education campaigns against unprotected sex and the campaigns warning against teenage pregnancy, how is it that these practices are still occurring so casually? Condoms are not scarce, so why aren’t our young people using them? I think it is the stigma. The eye of shame is still given when teenagers try to purchase condoms in pharmacies and stores, and this undoubtedly dissuades them from seeking to purchase the all important commodity. Adults, indeed the Government of Jamaica, need to abandon the policy informed by the assumption that students are not having sex in schools; not only are the having it, they are recording it for distribution – causing the practice to be popular and more students wanting to be a part of what is now seen as a “hype”.

The church and her allies have long lost the battle for purity and chastity, sex is now packaged and sold to our young people, and they are buying it in bulk. The purity ring is now predominantly for fashion, just ask anyone who served in the Bush Administration, they can tell you. They tried to promote the idea of abstinence and failed miserably. We have to chart a new course, a course that makes condoms available to students in schools. The inescapable reality is that our students are having recorded, unprotected sex. I for one would prefer the recorded sex be protected, but that’s just me. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m just as concerned about the younger students getting access to condoms, should they be made available in schools, and engaging in sex they cannot consent to. However, I think a distribution policy can be crafted which sees the Guidance Counsellors and school nurses verifying which students are being given condoms. I know it isn’t fool proof plan, but it is a much needed start. We cannot allow the prevalence of STIs and teenage pregnancies to continue. This is where it becomes extremely important for the Guidance Counsellors in our schools are professional and gain the trust and respect of our students. I’ve heard unsettling stories of Guidance Counsellors betraying the confidence of students, this must stop.

If I’m to be honest, I’m not so concerned that the sex is happening, or being recorded for that matter. My concern is with the students being in uniform, sex on the school grounds, as is the case with some of these “tapes”, the sex being unprotected and the way these girls are spoken to – almost as if they have no value or worth. I mean, it is one thing to want the thrill of a recording, but I get a very uneasy feeling when these girls look so defeated and the young men are demanding that they “look inna di camera” or “sumile wid it inna yuh mouth”. It seems too forced, too coerced, all too demeaning.

Finally, our young women need to start taking pride in themselves and the uniform they wear; whatever happened to that tradition? I recall being drilled in how important it was not to bring the name of my school into disrepute and how important it was to be an “ambassador of excellence” when wearing my uniform. Now if I’m a male and I was so drilled, what is happening where our female students are concerned? Are we still insisting that the uniform be respected? We have to find a way to instill this in our students, they must understand that the uniform represents the whole school and these unflattering actions affect the image of that entire body.

Respect the uniform you wear and respect yourself. Let’s ensure we not have the raw version of these tapes, I for one wishes there would be a wrap. Wrap it up kids, wrap it up.