Helping those in need

FROM the young to the old in Singapore, news this morning is about those in need.

The young: More teenage boys – at the median age of 16 – are visiting prostitutes, according to a study by the Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control (DSC) Clinic. Compared to similar interviews at the clinic between 2006 and 2009, when 15 per cent of the boys said they have paid for sex, it has risen by five percentage points to 20 per cent between 2009 and 2014. Researchers found that not having a girlfriend and frequent watching of pornography make it more likely for boys to turn to prostitutes, and them having sex with prostitutes could also be a public health concern if they do not wear a condom (30 per cent in the study did not) and if they have multiple sexual partners (the median number of partners was 4.5).

There is an important caveat, however. The 300 heterosexual respondents visited the DSC clinic, which focuses on the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. In other words this sample of boys is likely to be more sexually active than the general population. After all Associate Professor Wong Mee Lian, a researcher with the study, conceded that “the findings cannot be generalised to represent the population of teens who are sexually active”.

The families: Charities and non-profit organisations (NPOs) are receiving more calls for help, from foreign wives left to their own devices when marriages with their Singaporean spouses turn sour. These women face difficulties finding a well-paying job, especially if they are on social visit passes, they cannot turn to the extended families of their husbands, and they are not eligible to rent or buy public apartments. Financial assistance from the government – disbursed through the social service offices – will be provided to these women, and Singaporean children will still benefit from various subsidies, but there are calls for even more socio-economic help.

The elderly: “Two of my neighbours died and people found out only because of the smell. I don’t want the same thing to happen to me.” The fear of dying alone is a concern for many elderly Singaporeans – after all, there are 41,200 households made up of residents aged 65 and older who live alone, and the government estimates this number to double to 83,000 by 2030 – and as a result charities and NPOs are calling for more attention on these concerns. In addition, to assuage these fears, the demand for closed-circuit television or other forms of elderly monitoring systems such as alarms and motion sensors has increased.

And finally a community eye-screening project – the Mobile Eye Clinic – having benefited 1,800 needy elderly through eye-health tests in neighbourhoods and subsequent referrals for follow-up treatment in hospitals, if necessary, is likely to be extended at the end of the year.

 

Featured image by Kong Chong Yew.

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