Here’s some news you can use. Or not. Au choix.
As you know, the French are far more sophisticated than Americans
and Brits when it comes to sex. Books about shades of gray do not rate with the
classics of French erotica, like The Story of O, and the collected
writings of the Marquis de Sade. For the record, Sade was a hero of the French
Revolution. Look it up.
Apparently, the French are so sophisticated in sexual
matters that they are suffering a full blown STD epidemic. This is especially
true of young Frenchpersons, between 15 and 24. So, sex experts— what would we
do without sex experts?— are telling tourists to bring condoms with them if they
travel to France. One hastens to notice that if a tourist hooks up with a
fifteen year old, the STD risk will not be his biggest problem.
So, the London Daily Star has the story:
Sex
experts are warning tourists to bring protection with the country in the midst
of a massive STD epidemic.
It
comes as the number of people with a sexually transmitted disease in France has
tripled in the last four years.
The
experts say that youngsters between the age of 15 and 24 have been particularly
affected in recent years, with chlamydia and gonorrhoea becoming common in
France.
French
health authorities announced that 2016, the last full year they have numbers
available, saw 267,097 people infected with chlamydia.
It has become an epidemic:
In 2012
the number of chlamydia infections was only 76,918.
Spokeswoman
Florence Lot of Public Health France said she feared the real number is even
greater as many people do not go for check-ups or have not yet had physical
symptoms.
Because
of this Public Health France has started a campaign titled "a condom can save
your life" to make French youngsters aware of the importance of safe sex.
A
recent survey showed that 48% of French students do not use a condom when
having sex.
One does not quite understand how young Frenchpersons missed
the lessons about how to put condoms on cucumbers—a staple in many American sex
ed classes. But apparently, being young, they find risk to be arousing.
Florence Lot explains further:
Lot
explained that youngsters "have multiple changing sexual partners and do
not always use a condom".
She
said: "This is why there are so many infections with youngsters under the
age of 25."
The
amount of people with an STD is largest in the capital Paris and in the
Provence region in the South of France, both popular destinations with British
holidaymakers.
Tourist
authorities from several countries have warned holidaymakers heading to France
to be vigilant before starting a holiday romance.
The news has made its way to the Netherlands. The Dutch
government is also advising holiday goers to bring their own condoms. Apparently, it
is difficult to acquire said instruments in France. And they are not always
reliable. Huh?
The
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and public health service GGD even went as
far to warn tourists heading to France to bring condoms from home in a special
campaign.
A GGD
spokesman said: "In lots of countries condoms are difficult to obtain and
not always reliable.
"Therefore,
preferably take them from home. Do not keep them in sunlight."
The
spokesman added: "Holiday romances might seem romantic but are not without
danger.
"The
circumstances are different, but the risks remain the same."
When traveling to France, the rule is: BYOC-- bring your own condoms.
It all sounds very romantic to me.
Vive la
France.
Dutch healthcare services will always advise to bring one's own condoms. Quality may be a consideration, but their other goal is to create awareness before the holidays and hope you remember the wisdom at a later moment too.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the male-female breakdown of that 48% of students?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up we called them rubbers. Still like that term much better than "condum." We used to snicker when the old folks referred to their rubber rain boots, or galoshes, as "rubbers."
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Europe#France
ReplyDeleteThe age of consent in France is 15, as specified by Article 227-25 of the Penal Code, which reads: "The fact of the commission without violence, constraint, threat or surprise of a sexual offence by an adult on the person of a minor under fifteen years of age is punished by five years' imprisonment and a fine of 75,000€."[30]
Article 227-22 prohibits the "organisation by an adult of meetings involving indecent exposure or sexual relations knowing that minors are present or participating". (Minors refers to under 18s; the text of the article can be subject to interpretation).[31]
Article 227-22-1 prohibits the "soliciting of a minor under the age of fifteen, or a person pretending to be such minor, for sexual purposes through the use of a computer system".[32]
Article 227-27 prohibits sexual relations with minors over age 15 (aged 15, 16 or 17) "1° where they are committed by an ascendant or by any other person having a legal or factual authority over the victim; 2° where they are committed by a person abusing the authority conferred by his functions."[33]
I wonder what the percentage of "migrants" is in those areas...
I wonder how the increase in STD's correlates to the immigrant invasion of the country?
ReplyDelete