Hazing: A Dangerous and Outdated Tradition

It is no secret that hazing is rather infamous from then until now as a tradition especially to a community where a certain group or individual wants to display power or dominance over many, this violent tradition must be stopped and banned

Recently, the hazing case in Adamson University resulted in the death of a 20-year old marine engineering student John Matthew Salilig in December last year The victim of the "Salilig Hazing Case" hazed by the fraternity called Tau Gamma where six perpetrators were brought to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and sentenced to a prison term of 20 to 40 years and a fine of Php Three million for each count The inquest proceedings on two counts of violation of the anti-hazing law, Republic Act No 8049, as amended by Republic Act No 11053

At most, hazing inflicts physical and emotional consequences for the individual involved The said ritual often include dangerous and humiliating activity such as physical abuse, excessive drinking and sexual assault As these activities can cause physical harm, emotional trauma and even death

Hazing creates a toxic and exclusive culture which is harmful to everyone involved

These rituals often highlight the "us vs them" mentality where newcomer's are subjected to abuse and humiliation in order to prove their worthiness to join the group

Another point worth nothing is the said benefit of joining a fraternity is brotherhood which gives protection to its members, networking and at some point is academic support, but the deterrent cost of joining required outweighs the advantages

All things considered, hazing goes against the values of respect, integrity and community that should be in our schools and universities This cruel and heinous crime No one should be subjected to such harmful and degrading treatment in the name of tradition

Will we continue to tolerate the harmful and often deadly practice of hazing? or will we take a stand and work towards a future where everyone is treated with dignity and respect?

Zusete Ramos

Editorial Board

Editor-In-Chief:Jasmine Andrei O Cabinta

Associate Editor:Jemimah Llenaresas

News Editor: Dan Cruz Cristobal

Feature Editor: Shikirah Nuena

Science Editor: Czarina Calingansan

Sports Editor: Alvien Louis Caayon

Literary Editor: Charlene Nepomuceno

Layout Artist: Vinece Paña

Head Cartoonists: Paula Grace Catabay Dustine Kim Nadura

Photojournalist:Angela Dorothy Villanueva

Field Repoters:Jovan Pelausa Mark Reposo

Other Members: Anjenette Corinne

Cozklint Tante

Jared Dela Cruz

Marielle Elise Banaag

Paper Adviser: Mark Jerome San Pedro

These programs can provide young people with accurate information about sexual health and reproduction It can also help reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections and lessen the report of sexual abuse to teens and children

Based on reports, 5% of women aged 15 to 19 years old are pregnant at an early age and 10% of them came from poor households Other research also states that 13,000 girls drop out of school per year due to different reasons such as being financially unstable or being bullied in school or many other reasons In some other cases, teens continue to study but rely on their parents for the child's expenses

According to the report, a large number of students were forced to leave school because they had to take care of themselves while pregnant

This demonstrates the significance of sex education, especially for teenagers Sex education can stop the rise of unintended pregnancies and lower the likelihood of more children dropping out of school It also prevents teenagers from relying on their parents

Sex Education could also contribute to expressing strong messages in balance in favor of equality between men and women from the early stages of education, promoting non-stereotyped gender roles, consent to sexual relations, respect for personal integrity, and many more It is also a good platform for increasing awareness of women's sexual and reproductive health and rights, such as access to modern contraception and safe abortion Early pregnancy is not only potentially harmful to the health of teens, but it also severely limits their educational options

In addition to that, SexEd also helps children and teens in avoiding sex offenders, mostly online, as they are vulnerable causing them to be the target of sexual extortion, grooming, and sexual exploitation The importance of this type of education is to

In addition to that, SexEd also helps children and teens in avoiding sex offenders, mostly online, as they are vulnerable causing them to be the target of sexual extortion, grooming, and sexual exploitation The importance of this type of education is to prevent children from falling prey to sexual offenders online, especially since the cases of online offenders have risen during the period of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Furthermore, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and aids are more likely to be prevented as SexEd teaches about what are STDs, how you can avoid these, the importance of using condoms and other contraceptives promote safer sex, etc Because of their awareness of sexual health and lack of ignorance around it, students benefit greatly from sex education The knowledge they acquire will be beneficial to them in the future, and they can impart it to others However, some parents are not in favor of Sex Education as they think that Sex Education can just only increase the sexual desires of children especially teens as they are hitting the time of puberty