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Introduction
For Nigeria's over 24 million adolescents aged 10-19, there are several challenges that come with surviving in today's fast-changing world. The traditional norms and behavioral controls that once guided adolescence are breaking down due to several factors that include increasing poverty, rural-urban migration, and the influence of the world media. With the increasing opportunity to acquire formal education, many more young people are spending more years in school and consequently, they are getting married later, especially in the urban areas of Nigeria.

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Introduction: A Confusing Beginning
Pakistan's approximately 40 million adolescents, like untold hundreds of millions the world over, receive mixed messages about sexuality. At home, many of them learn that sex is shameful. Their parents fear that providing even the most basic information about reproduction will unleash their sexual desires. Yet on television, teens see sex used overtly to sell items like deodorant and chewing gum. In their neighborhoods, especially in the cities, many are exposed to pornography or perhaps to a poverty-stricken neighbor who must sell sex to feed her children. Many of their peers may experiment sexually, while their teacher skips the chapter in their biology textbook on reproductive processes out of embarrassment or shyness. Religious leaders seldom discuss sex, and when they do their emphasis is usually on the dangers of premarital sex. Furthermore, as Pakistani boys and girls undergo physical changes, the world around responds with a new set of expectations—expectations of roles and responsibilities that are defined strictly on the basis of whether they are male or female. Along with the hormonal changes that accompany puberty, how can these adolescents be anything but confused about their bodies and their sexual feelings?

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Summary: Presentation by Leyla Gülçür, Program Officer, Asia, to IWHC’s President’s Council Members, May 19, 1999.