The Student Union of Hong Kong Shue Yan University (SYUSU) recently gave out free condoms on campus and was stopped by the school, which claims that free condoms encourage sex. Please see their Facebook post (Chinese only) at
Some of the free condoms given out by the SYUSU were provided by AIDS Concern through Sticky Love Rice (糖不甩), an online platform that promotes sex education. AIDS Concern also gives out free condoms at the Chinese University of Hong Kong through the Student Union of New Asia College.
AIDS Concern supports such initiatives of these student unions because we believe NGOs and society at large have the responsibility to promote protected sex to youths without delay.
Programme Manager of AIDS Concern Mr. Jim Hoe said, ‘Prohibiting giving out free condoms only reinforces the taboo on sex. From our experience, the taboo makes youths embarrassed about buying condoms, which in turn leads to more unprotected sex and makes combating HIV and other sexually transmitted infections more difficult.
‘A lot of schools only focus on shocking and shaming students in sex education class with video footage of abortion operations and pictures symptoms of sexually transmitted infections. The taboo only deters them from bringing the topic of safer sex with their partner and preparing for sex.
‘This kind of sexuality education therefore leads to more unprotected sex and the rapid rise in the number of HIV infections. According to the Department of Health, in 2014 there were 232 new HIV infections of people aged below 30 in Hong Kong, which was twice as many as in 2011. There have been 541 new infections in all age groups in the first 3 quarters of 2015, and the annual number of new infections this year is likely to hit record high since records began in 1984. NGOs and society at large have the responsibility to promote protected sex to youths without delay.
AIDS Concern also conducts comprehensive sexuality education workshops to secondary schools, and explores sexuality with students in a positive and comprehensive manner.’
For further information, please contact
Annie Li
Communications Officer
AIDS Concern
Tel: 2898 4411 / 9753 9074
annie.li@aidsconcern.org.hk