STI risk among adolescents & young adults an ‘increasing concern’- CMO
In a statement on HIV, Sexual Health and Personal Responsibility dated August 20, 2026, Dr Georges said sexual health also depends on respect for consent and the law. In the Virgin Islands (VI), the general age of consent is 16.
Sexual activity with a person under the age of 16 is illegal.
Free & meaningful consent
“For persons aged 16 and over, consent must be freely and meaningfully given. Someone who is unconscious, or whose intoxication or impairment prevents them from understanding, choosing or communicating a decision, cannot give meaningful consent," Dr Georges added.
Consent, he continued, should never be assumed because sex occurred previously, because someone did not resist, or because money, gifts, transportation or accommodation were provided.
The CMO encouraged parents and caregivers to speak openly with young people about sexual health, consent, healthy relationships, online safety and transactional sex.
In his statement, Dr Georges revealed that 4 new HIV cases were recorded in the VI for 2026 so far.
Transactional sexual activity
“There is also increasing concern about STI risk among adolescents and young adults, including transactional sexual activity with older adults.”
The CMO said relationships with an imbalance of power can lead to the use of money, gifts, transportation, accommodation or other benefits to obtain sexual access to vulnerable persons.
“Such situations may raise serious consent, safeguarding, and legal concerns.”
Confidential counseling and rapid HIV testing are available through: Public Health Unit: 468-2282, and BVI Red Cross: 494-6349. Sexually active individuals are encouraged to know their status in addition to practising safe sex habits.
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12 Responses to “STI risk among adolescents & young adults an ‘increasing concern’- CMO ”
1. The parents especially the slack mothers who dress half naked and love party life have their daughters following their same low self esteem / low standard choices in partner's
2. The men who break this law were willing to break it when they were under 16. Making it to 18 not gonna make them change their minds. Why would a sensible man even want to go on top of 19 to 12 yrd old is beyond me.
What we really need is a sex offenders list but y'all not shouting it loud enough and the politicians them afraid of it.
But like I said before the young girls are running a or involved in prostitution sex network and the ones using this network are mostly criminals who dress with the big gold chains, weed heads e, selling drugs to minors, school counselors , tax man, party man, man who love to fete, young adults who saw nothing wrong with minros dressing half naked, young adults who saw NTN wrong with minors consuming edibles, young adults who defended women dressed half naked for parade. Those are who benefitting from it and the current culture.
The mothers are slack and have their daughters dressing half naked, got them drinking, smoking and partying behind them at every event. Are we really surprise about the STDs and aids and the fact it is mainly between grown men and young adolescents....
But keep defending the current culture. Some of you mean well defending the current culture but when you defend that slackness the criminals laugh behind y'all backs cuz you make it easier for them to do what they gotta do.
Y'all promote and condone women and minors dressing like prostitutes and sing songs about "she love bad man/gun man"
Y'all promote and condone women and minor's wukkin up and grinding like animals.
Y'all promote fast life and young people wearing ski mask at y'all party events.
Y'all promote women breeding before marriage and having big baby shower's with dudes who clearly look like criminals/party man/drug man
Y'all promote and defend minors consuming edibles and said nothing wrong with a lil weed. Do you know it is grown men selling those drugs to kids? Now they making a profit of your kids and opening the gate for them to get influenced by other drugs and men who wants their bodies
Y'all promote and defend songs about sex, drugs , gangs, violence,fast life etc
Yall promote and defend anti police behaviour and bash them every chance you get.
The culture is the problem. The parents contribute to the problem. The young slack adults fuel and defend the problem.
So the criminals laugh when y'all defend it and promote it then yall get shocked when the young adolescents and older men spreading sti and aids to your kids. Y'all shake y'all butts openly. Tits out openly, skirts short right up under yah crotch, then you attract men who parties, have multiple partner's/ baby mamas, smokers , drug man , criminals and lay down with them thinking they would be responsible parents or responsible partners only to end up sti/aids or becoming a single mother.
Now we have a growing culture of sex network and prostitution amongst young adolescents / minors.
Mother's raising slack daughters and slack daughters following them mother foot steps or the over sexualised culture