Indonesian District Plans To Ban Condoms In Convenience Stores Soon

According to recent reports, an Indonesian district, Sulawesi, plans to ban the sale of condoms in convenience stores in order to halt premarital sex, an official said on Tuesday. The move, however, is being criticised by activists who consider it to be misguided, AFP reported.

District head Andi Mudzakkar told the news source that the local administration in Luwu on central Sulawesi island will soon send a notification to convenience stores, giving them a week to remove condoms from their shelves.

"We are concerned that premarital sex is on the rise among teenagers," he told AFP from the district capital Belopa.

The government would also raid the dozens of convenience stores in Luwu a week after the letters are sent, and those caught violating the rule could be shut down, Mudzakkar added. Condom sales would be still permitted in pharmacies but only for customers above 17 years of age, he said.

Yakub Gunawan, an activist from the Red Institute, an NGO focusing on HIV, told AFP the ban would not tackle "risky sexual behaviour".

"The Luwu government should be promoting early sex education instead so teenagers will know how to be responsible and protect themselves," he said.

In June, reports surfaced that lawmakers in Bengkulu were working on a directive to limit the sale of condoms and other contraceptives arguing that the availability of such items leads to higher rates of pre- and extramarital sex and can accelerate the spread of HIV and AIDS, JakartaGlobe reported.