After five years of attempting to get young Chinese students to drop in and learn about sex, a clinic working under the auspices of the Shanghai International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital has finally closed its doors.
"On average, we received two or three calls each day. Only tens of teenagers, most of whom are about 18, have come to the hospital for advice over the past five years, though we arranged to open after school hours to make it easier for students," says Cen Shuyuan, who was in charge of the department that ran the clinic.
When asked why she never went to the clinic, a 20-year-old woman named Zhou Bingqin said, "If I have any sex problems, I definitely would not go to clinics for help, as it's embarrassing and unnecessary to talk about sex with strangers face to face." Students have indicated they would rather turn to the Internet for sex help.
Critics say that, with more than 3,500 young women having abortions each year, more should have been done to promote the clinic in schools. They're now suggesting a website built by sex educators on which young men and women can chat with an educated stranger about sex without having to meet them. However, all agree that a cultural block seems to be the problem.
"On average, we received two or three calls each day. Only tens of teenagers, most of whom are about 18, have come to the hospital for advice over the past five years, though we arranged to open after school hours to make it easier for students," says Cen Shuyuan, who was in charge of the department that ran the clinic.
When asked why she never went to the clinic, a 20-year-old woman named Zhou Bingqin said, "If I have any sex problems, I definitely would not go to clinics for help, as it's embarrassing and unnecessary to talk about sex with strangers face to face." Students have indicated they would rather turn to the Internet for sex help.
Critics say that, with more than 3,500 young women having abortions each year, more should have been done to promote the clinic in schools. They're now suggesting a website built by sex educators on which young men and women can chat with an educated stranger about sex without having to meet them. However, all agree that a cultural block seems to be the problem.
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