The state of sexual health within the country is nothing near a picture of good health. With the rate of risk taking behaviour on the increase, this is having a direct effect on the number of people with STI’s. Figures are showing that there are around 25,000 people in Britain that have HIV and have no idea that they have it. Chlamydia is the most common STI affecting over 90,000 people in the UK.

While this surge of sexual ill health is on the rise we do not have the opportunity to be complacent especially while the government are not ring fencing money for sexual health, while GUM clinics are operating a “closed shop” system and lesbian women have no access to smear tests, this year we will actively be working to work to a positive vision of sexual:

NUS believes that all students have the right to free, accessible, local sexual health services, not to be discriminated against in their access to this health care because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. NUS believes that we should be living in a world that allows everyone the opportunity to live a healthy sex life.

In order to actively campaign and lobby on this I have introduced a sexual health coalition. The coalition will be made up of Students Unions, Trade Unions and sexual health organisations who will sign up to and help us campaign for our ten sexual health resolutions.

These ten points are achievable and will not only change the lives of students but people around the world:

1. To campaign for better sexual health services and to ensure 48 hour targets for GUM clinic appointments to be reached across the UK.
2.
2. Campaign to increase the budget secured for sexual health.
3.
3. Campaign to make the access of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) widely available to all that need it.
4.
4. Sex and relationship education to be taught as part of the secondary school curriculum.
5.
5. Reduce the number of people undiagnosed with HIV from 32% to 25% by 2012
6.
6. To make microbicides a reality.
7.
7. To ensure all women, regardless of sexual orientation, sexual partners and sexual activity, should be able to access routine smear testing from the age of 25.
8.
8. Campaign for better and easier access to sexual health services to eradicate the inequalities in sexual health treatment.
9.
9. Campaign and support the set up of sexual health services in Further Education.
10.
10. All sexual health professionals should receive training on ensuring that their services cater for Trans people, whose physical sex may not be the same as the gender that they present as.

Sign your union up and help campaign to make these ten points a reality!

Any questions on the sexual health coalition please do not hesitate to contact me.

ama.uzowuru@nus.org.uk or 07825333600

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