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April 28, 2008
Sexado picture
Two "radio sexado" participants in downtown Tucuman, Argentina

“Radio Sexado,” a radio program produced “by and for” Argentinean adolescents to discuss and learn about sexual health, has received an overwhelmingly positive response from its participants and their parents. “Radio Sexado,” sponsored by Ipas, was broadcast from July-December 2007 in Tucumán, a province in North Argentina. A poster presentation of the “Radio Sexado” program by the program director, Amelia del Sueldo Padilla, and Radio Sexado participant Gabriela Silva Molina, also garnered positive reviews; it received an honorable mention at the 4th Latin American Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, from April 10-12 in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Sixteen interested adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 were selected to participate. The group met weekly with a team that included a psychologist, a sex expert, a radio announcer and a producer who taught them about sexual and reproductive health, as well as how to discuss these issues on the radio. Then, the teens got together to write, produce and create hour-long radio episodes. Topics discussed in the 24-episode series included contraception, sexual health and pleasure, sexual violence, AIDS and unintended pregnancy. The problem of unsafe abortion also emerged as an issue in three episodes. The teen-aged participants were involved in all stages of production, from coming up with ideas to writing scripts and recording programs. Ipas provided funding, as well as technical assistance in training the adolescents.

“Radio Sexado” episodes were intended to entertain adolescent listeners throughout Tucumán, and to educate them about sexual health, risk-reduction and available services.  Episodes included sketches, interviews with Argentinean public-health leaders and question-and-answer sessions with Argentinean youths who could ask questions via e-mail, telephone or text messages.

“I was charmed by the group’s maturity and deep understanding of reproductive health topics,” says Rodolfo Gomez, Ipas senior health systems advisor, who monitored the project. “I believe their work will really make a difference in preventing unwanted pregnancy and avoiding unsafe abortion in a very restrictive environment,” Gomez says. In Argentina abortions are allowed only to save a woman’s life or health. In the case of rape, abortion is only permitted when the woman has a mental disability.

Gabriela Silva Molina, one of the Radio Sexado participants, says, “We wanted to share accurate information that listening adolescents couldn’t receive from other sources.”

“There is a lot of misinformation among adolescents,” Molina adds. “Adolescents can feel their sexuality awakening, but they don’t know how to protect themselves and they don’t know how to care for themselves.” She hopes the program was able to get listeners to think about their own sexual identities, as well as to get adolescents to communicate openly with their parents and their friends.

The program received thousands of phone calls and text messages from Tucumán adolescents with questions or comments.

Additionally, through the course of the series, the audience expanded to include parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents, as well as adolescents, Gomez says. According to an evaluation completed in March, 85 percent of participants said the show was either “excellent” or “very good”; the same percentage agreed that the themes of the show were “excellent” or “very good” in their usefulness. Seventy-nine percent of polled parents also agreed that the program was “excellent” or “very good.”

A 10-minute promotional clip for “Radio Sexado,” including episode segments, is available online at YouTube.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258