One could say that this same reality is a major cause of the current widespread incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents as a result of poverty, poor health status, low literacy level, high number of young people, and inadequate knowledge about the diseases. In addition, the cultural paradigm of polygamy, violence and cultural pressures to present one’s premarital relationship as moral have prevented young girls from negotiating safer sex (Lau & Muula, 2004; Smith, 2004; Owolabi et al., 2005).
Female adolescents in many developing societies are still facing various forms of discrimination due to their gender, race and class. Communication must become central to development thinking and practice in relation to the Middle Eastern and North African nations (MENA), otherwise any regional initiatives to improve the lives of people in this troubled region will never succeed
