Moslem's constitute the majority of the population in Malaysia and religion has always been an important part of Malaysian life. According to the Islamic religious principles and among the Malaysian cultural characteristics are the emphasis on propriety and social codes; the appropriation of sexuality only within the context of marriage; and sexual restraint and modesty. In other words, expressions of sexuality outside marriage are denounced in Malaysian culture. Despite all these social and religious sanctions, reports have indicated that the percentage of adolescents in Malaysia having premarital sex has been on the rise. For example, Jaafar et al. (2005) have found that 48% of the adolescents reported that they had their first sexual intercourse when they were 18-20 years old, 35% when they were 16-17 years old and 12% when they were 13-15 years old. Less than 50 years ago, rates would have been much lower before marriage.
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