Slovakia: Research shows half of Romani children do not discuss sex with their parents

Romani boys have a higher tolerance for premarital sex than do Romani girls or Romani parents. Up to 86 % of a total of 160 male respondents said it was acceptable for a boy to have premarital sex with a girl; when selecting their female partners, however, the respondents were quite demanding, saying the woman chosen should be a virgin before marriage, according to Jarmila Filadelfiová, who participated in preparing the research on sexual and reproductive behavior in Roma communities in Slovakia.

In her opinion the negative position of girls and parents to premarital sex is due to concerns over unwanted pregnancy and fear of being condemned by the community. When answering the question of whether children speak with their parents about sex, up to 70 % of boys and 51 % of girls said they never have. "From the research it can be seen that more than half of young Romani people have no information whatsoever about sex and sexual health.

This lack of information should be covered by the schools or other informational activities,” Filadelfiová said. The questionnaire was completed by 160 girls and 160 boys between the ages of 13 – 27 and by 172 parents between the ages of 17 – 58 from 12 districts in Slovakia.