Contents
What myths surround sex education in schools and how does it really work? Doctors Alexander Kulikov and Elena Meshkova are talking.
The article was created specifically for the joint project PSYCHOLOGIES and the UNESCO Office in Moscow “Territory of TEENS: a guide for parents of adolescents.”
Sexual education of adolescents is considered to be a matter exclusively for their relatives. However, world experience shows that school sex education programs that take into account the psychology of adolescents and the traditions of the country can make a great contribution to preserving the health of future parents. What myths surround sex education in schools and how does it really work? Doctors Alexander Kulikov and Elena Meshkova are talking.
Parents are the main educators
Moral lessons are learned precisely in the family, and not so much through conversations as through the daily actions of parents. Their relationship with each other as husband and wife, men and women become an example or an anti-example on which sexual (in the broadest sense of the word) education of children takes place. But “technical” information about the sexual side of life is almost always and everywhere children receive through other channels – through peers, television, movies, books, the Internet, social networks. But only a school can provide correct, age-appropriate knowledge on reproductive health and sexual relations.
Effective school sex education programs take into account the psychology of adolescents, their real needs for information and do not seek to drown out their natural interest in sexual relations. But at the same time, along with knowledge, they form responsible attitudes and communication and decision-making skills that help adolescents delay sexual debut and, most importantly, make it safer.
Read more:
- Sex education: who should do it and where to start?
Sex education in school
Sex education programs for schoolchildren first emerged in post-war Europe. In 1955, sex education became a compulsory subject in all schools in Sweden, in Germany it was introduced in schools in 1968, and in Austria in 1970. In the same years, it began to take root in Dutch, Swiss and Finnish schools. At the same time, free consultations for adolescents on issues related to contraception and family planning began to appear. In the 1980s, sex education became widespread in France, Belgium, Great Britain, and somewhat later in Spain and Portugal. In the 1990s, it became mandatory in the Czech Republic, Greece, Denmark, and Estonia. As a result of these innovations, the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and abortions among adolescents has been reduced*.
By the mid-1990s, optional and even compulsory classes to teach children and adolescents life skills and the basics of a healthy lifestyle became widespread in some CIS countries. But in the 2000s, these subjects, having not received wide distribution, were excluded from the compulsory school curriculum. Only in Ukraine and Armenia, at school lessons within the framework of the “Basics of Health” and “Healthy Lifestyles”, are issues related to puberty, the development of sexuality, building healthy relationships based on trust, respect and gender equality, childbirth and maintaining reproductive and general health. In the Republic of Moldova, the subject of sexual relations is included in the compulsory curriculum, but it is studied not in the classroom, but on a special website where electronic learning modules are posted**.
Read more:
- The right to sex or the right to security?
The experience of Finland is instructive. In the late 1990s, due to the economic downturn, spending on education and health was reduced. Sex education in schools has become optional. The consequences were immediate – the number of abortions among adolescent girls increased (by about 50%), and the incidence of sexually transmitted infections increased. In 2004, sex education became mandatory again. Within a short time, the number of young people having sex at an early age has decreased, and the number of teenage pregnancies and births has decreased***.
Elena Meshkova – Candidate of Medical Sciences, pediatrician of the highest category, Honored Doctor of Ukraine, Deputy General Director of the National Children’s Specialized Hospital “OKHMATDET” (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Alexander Kulikov – Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology, I. I. Mechnikov North-Western Medical University, Head of the Educational, Methodological and Scientific Center for the Development of Youth-Friendly Clinics (with the support of UNICEF) (St. Petersburg, Russia).
Benefit or harm?
When sex education programs were first introduced in Europe, many doubted their usefulness and feared the harm they could cause to children and adolescents. Disputes about this have not subsided so far around the world. Both parents and educators are often held captive by myths, not knowing the real facts about well-designed prevention programs. The main complaint about sex education programs is that they, in the opinion of many, provoke an early sexual debut. However, studies conducted in many countries have shown that sexuality education does not promote early sexual intercourse****. Moreover, it can delay the onset of sexual relations and lead to a more responsible attitude towards sexual behavior. Another common myth is that sex education robs children of innocence. In fact, getting reliable, age-appropriate, and complete information from an authoritative source is beneficial. Deprive of innocence and often traumatize the psyche of the child information received from “advanced” peers, older comrades, from the media or from the Internet.
* Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe, WHO, FCSP, 2010. rodkom.org/ftp/oficial/standart_sex.pdf
** Sexuality Education in Europe, IPPF European Network, 2006.
*** World population in 2011, UNFPA, 2011. gtmarket.ru/files/news/2011/UNFPA_The_State_of_World_Population_2011.pdf
**** UNESCO International Technical Guidelines for Sexuality Education, 2009.
What do educational programs provide?
Effective and comprehensive health education programs that focus on sex education include discussion of moral and psychological issues and help adolescents:
- delay the onset of sexual relations or abstain from them;
- remain faithful to one partner;
- take responsibility for family planning
- use protective equipment to prevent HIV, sexually transmitted infections, to avoid unplanned pregnancy.
The knowledge and skills acquired in the course of studying under such programs make it easier for adolescents to communicate and understand, build healthy relationships, resolve conflicts, and contribute to their harmonious development.
Read more:
- How to talk to teenagers about sex?
The article was created specifically for the joint project PSYCHOLOGIES and the UNESCO Office in Moscow “Territory of TEENS: a guide for parents of adolescents.”
The information and materials contained in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO. The authors are responsible for the information provided.