Condom machines in China’s colleges spark hot debate

Public opinion is sharply divided over one Chinese province's decision to give away free condoms on university campuses.

中国某一省份校园免费发放避孕套的行为，引起了大众热议。

For some, the policy is government-sponsored promiscuity, while for others it is nothing more than a logical and effective public health measure.

一些人表示，这种行为是政府支持“淫乱”；另外有些人说这只不过是保护大众健康的有效措施。

Zhejiang Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission announced last month that all 128 universities in the province would have free condom dispensing machines installed on their campuses, in an effort to reduce accidental pregnancy and arrest the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

上个月，浙江省健康和计划生育委员会在全省128所高校建立了免费避孕套自动售货机，此举旨在减少意外怀孕和阻止性病的传染。

Li Danhe, the commission's head of contraceptive management, said that at least 10 colleges have already installed the commission's dispensers and that all universities would have at least one within a year.

李丹贺，计生委避孕管理的主任，说道，目前已经有10所高校安装了避孕套自动售货机，一年之内所有高校将会设立至少一台这样的机器。

The Zijingang Campus of the prestigious Zhejiang University in Hangzhou took the lead by installing a machine in March. It provides contraceptive suppositories, spermicidal gel and condoms and is located in a building in the student accommodation area of the campus.

今年三月，杭州市著名大学浙江大学紫金港校区引领潮流，安装了自动售货机。售货机位于校园学生公寓附近，售货机提供栓剂、杀精胶和避孕套。

Anyone aged from 18 to 60 can obtain free contraceptives by scanning their ID card on the dispenser.

18岁到60岁之间的任何人只要扫描身份证就可以获取免费的避孕产品。

The doctor responsible for maintaining the machine said that over 1,000 boxes of contraceptives had been distributed and the machine was restocked about once a week.

负责管理机器的一名医生说，1000余箱避孕品已经发放，售货机每一周就补充一次货源。

Lunchtime, early evening and night are the peak times for people to collect the contraceptives and most patrons are students, she said.

“午餐时间，早上和晚上是取货高峰时间，大部分顾客都是学生，”她说道。

Chen Qunfang, in charge of the University's birth control department, said that free contraceptives were previously only available in the department office, and only teachers or university staff ever asked for them. "However, from the machine's records, we can see that users of the dispensers are predominantly male students," she said.

陈群芳，大学控制生育的部门负责人说道，“之前避孕品只能在部门办公室获得，只有大学教职工才可以要求获取。然而从现在售货机取货记录来看，使用避孕品的顾客主流人物是男学生。”

Prudent decision

谨慎的决定

Installing free condom machines in universities is opposed by people who claim to be protecting what they believe to be traditional social norms, claiming abstinence and premarital virginity are basic Chinese values.

在大学设立免费避孕套售货机遭到了一些人的反对，他们声称婚前禁欲和保持贞洁是中国的基本价值观和传统社会规范。

Li Danhe said, "The machines have met opposition from those who think they encourage students to have sex."

李丹贺说道，“一些人认为售货机的设立是在鼓励学生有性行为而反对此举措。”

"Our school's leaders discussed it," said university official in Shaoxing who demanded anonymity, "but gave up the idea in case parents complained."

“我们学校领导商量过这个问题，”一名匿名绍兴的大学领导说道，“但是我们担心遭到学生家长的抱怨，还是放弃设立售货机。”

At Zhejiang Ocean University where a condom machine has just been installed, a female student – demanding anonymity – told Xinhua that she felt insulted: "It will contaminate the school's atmosphere. Both me and my parents are angry about it!"

浙江海洋大学，一部避孕套机器已经刚刚设立，一名匿名女生告诉新华社记者说，“我感到很受侮辱，这严重破坏了校园气氛，我和我的父母都很生气！”

"Students are still not independent enough either financially or socially, and cannot handle the responsibilities of premarital sex," opined another anonymous student.

“学生还没有完全取得经济和社会独立，不能为婚前性行为负责，”一名匿名学生说道。

A contrary opinion was voiced at Zhejiang University: "Sexual intercourse is not rare in colleges. Since there is no way to stop it, we should protect the students. The machine offers easy access to contraception and students will feel less embarrassed than going to a store. This can protect girls from accidental pregnancy."

浙江大学为此做出相反的发言：“性行为在大学并不罕见，因为没有办法阻止这种行为，我们只能设法保护学生。售货机为学生避孕提供了便捷，这相比去成人用品店会减少尴尬。我们这样做可以避免女生意外怀孕。”

Knowledge is strength

知识就是力量

Li Danhe said, "Free condom machines in schools are neither an approval nor encouragement of premarital sex. College students' attitudes toward sexuality and marriage are changing, but they still don't know much about sexual health, nor how to protect themselves."

李丹贺说，“校园内设立免费避孕套售货机既不是对婚前性行为的肯定也不是鼓励。大学生对于性行为和婚姻的态度在变化，但他们还是不了解性健康问题，或者说不知道怎么保护自己。”

According to a 2012 poll by Xiaokang magazine, a subsidiary of the Qiushi Journal of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, 70 percent of respondents said they had had premarital sex, up 30 percent from 1994.

根据2012由小康杂志的一项调查显示，小康杂志是中国共产党中央委员会的一个下属杂志，70%的受访者表示，他们有过婚前性行为，而1994年只有30%。

Zhou Ji with the Zhoushan, Zhejiang birth control department described a national rise in unwanted pregnancies, with a quarter of the people involved under 25.

浙江舟山计生部门周记表示，近几年意外怀孕的概率全国有大幅上升，其中1/4是25岁以下的人口。

College students fall prey to sexually transmitted diseases all too often. Statistics from Zhejiang show 3,327 new cases of HIV/AIDS during the first ten months of 2014, up by 21.2 percent from the previous year. Among them were 104 college students, up 85.7 percent. Medical sources in the province attribute the rise to students being more sexually active and having more sexual partners.

大学学生时常是性疾病传播的受害者。数据显示2014年前十个月浙江省共新增3327例艾滋病患者，相比前几年上升了21.2%。其中有104位是大学学生，这个数据相比之前上升了85.7%。医学分析本省学生性病上升的情况归因于性行为频繁和有多名性伙伴。

About 96.5 percent of the 3,327 AIDS cases were sexually transmitted, 40.4 percent through male homosexual practices. "It is estimated that about 4 percent of male college students engage in homosexual acts, and many are unaware of the danger of unprotected sex," said Jiang Jianmin, vice head of the Zhejiang disease control center.

3327例艾滋病患者中大约有96.5%的患者是性传播导致的，40.4%是通过同性性交传染。“估计有4%的大学男生有同性性交行为，许多学生并没有意识到不防护性行为的危险，”蒋建民，浙江疾病控制中心的副部长说道。