The public association “For Family” on December 1 will launch the national campaign “Real love is waiting” to promote purity and chastity until marriage. The campaign will last by May 15, when Moldova marks the International Family Day. Also then, the NGO aims to unveil a monument in Chisinau, dedicated to young people who chose to keep virginity until marriage.

In a news conference at IPN, the chairman of the association “For Family”, priest Vasile Filat said that an alarming trend in the family relations and sexuality has been witnessed in Moldova over the last few years, while the data of the National Bureau of Statistics show that over 20% of the children are born outside marriage. Polls reveal that most of the children aged 11-12 already experienced the first sexual intercourse.

The initiated project is intended for the over 400,000 teens and young people aged between 12 and 20 and is aimed at persuading them to keep their purity and to abstain from having sex until marriage. The young people will be educated by lessons held in schools, at houses of prayers and by private discussions. Everyone will be able to make a commitment to keep chastity until marriage. The commitment will be written on a two-sided leaflet. On the wedding day, the young people will exchange half of the leaflet and will leave the other half in a niche in the monument that will be erected.

Deputy chairman of the association “For Family” Vitalie Marian said the strategies for preventing sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are most often reduced to the promotion of the use of condoms. This approach encourages sexual libertinage among young people and will not lead to positive results. Sexual education is needed to promote fidelity and purity in relations among young people.