The influence of the 'decadent west': discourses of the mass media on youth sexuality in Indonesia

• Claire Harding
• Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific. ANU College of Asia and the Pacific

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30 January 2009The sexual and reproductive health of Indonesian adolescents is of growing concern for many parents, religious leaders, education providers, policymakers and other groups within Indonesian society. The effects of socio-economic change, modernisation and globalisation have resulted in more freedom and autonomy for Indonesian youth, and many are becoming increasingly liberal in their attitudes, ideas and behaviours regarding sex and sexuality.

Despite this there remains a lack of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, education and services available to Indonesian youth, such that they are often left with little choice but to seek answers from questionable sources, including the mass media.