Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

GLOBAL: Sex education failing young people
06 Aug 2008 12:21:54 GMT
 Source: IRIN

Background

•  AIDS in Asia

•  AIDS in Africa

•  AIDS pandemic

•  AIDS in Americas

•  Health and diseases

MORE >>
MEXICO CITY, 6 August 2008 (IRIN) - Most sex and HIV education programmes for young people focus on the risks of unsafe sex, leaving them ill-equipped to deal with their sexuality and unable to lead sexually fulfilling lives, experts have said.

"Teaching about the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is necessary, but it must go hand-in-hand with teaching about healthy sexuality and communicating with young people about their experiences," said Sweden's AIDS Ambassador, Lennarth Hjelmaker, at a satellite session on comprehensive sexuality education for young people at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

Prabha Nagarja, who works for an Indian organisation called Talking about Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues, which runs an anonymous helpline for young people, told delegates that calls to her organisation revealed major gaps in India's sex education strategy.

"A new national curriculum on sex education tells young people what not to do sexually, without telling them why or explaining to them even the most basic things, such as how intercourse happens," she said. "Callers who ask whether activities like kissing, eating lunch or sucking nipples can cause HIV demonstrate that despite awareness of the existence of HIV, they have no idea how to protect themselves from it."

Most Latin American countries have committed - on paper, at least - to comprehensive sexuality education, but teen pregnancy in the region is rising, according to Maria Alcaldes, deputy director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

She said teachers were not trained to inform children about sex in a way that allowed them to make informed and responsible choices. "There is a need for sexuality education that goes beyond teaching the basic biology."

Alcaldes called on civil society to work with governments to develop comprehensive sexuality education curricula, and to train teachers and parents to handle difficult questions from students in an open and non-judgemental way.

Brian Ackerman, international policy manager of Advocates for Youth, a non-profit lobby group based in Washington, DC, accused the United States government - through its HIV/AIDS funding mechanism, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - of limiting young people's knowledge of HIV prevention and sexuality to abstinence and faithfulness.

"Society should not be afraid of young people having sex – it is a reality," he said, adding that young people needed access to information about condoms so they could make informed sexual choices.

Comprehensive sexuality education is particularly crucial to young people living with HIV, but according to the Population Council's Harriet Birungi, who has carried out research in Uganda on young people infected at birth, the messages they receive generally associate sex with "fear and death".

"These young people, like any others, have high hopes and big dreams for their futures, but their counsellors discourage them from having sex, falling pregnant, or seeking out HIV-negative sexual partners," she said. "Positive living messages for them focus on nutrition, exercise and the avoidance of stress, but what is positive living without sexuality?"

kr/ks/he

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Emergencies

•  AIDS in Africa

•  AIDS in Asia

•  AIDS in Americas

•  AIDS pandemic

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Christian Aid Haitian partner selected for UNAIDS Red Ribbon Award 2008
Christian Aid - UK

•  International AIDS Conference an "expensive talking shop" unless more done for children
WV - USA

•  Action Now for Children After 25 Years of HIV and AIDS
Save the Children - International Alliance

•  Church has Role in 'Great Advance' against AIDS Pandemic, Says Leading Cleric
WV - USA

•  Uganda: Donors must step up to help agencies address domestic violence
Refugees International - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  GLOBAL: Sex education failing young people

•  Blog: Hard times for NGOs in Uganda

•  Indian PM calls meeting to end Kashmir protests

•  Olympics-Dalai Lama gives support for Beijing Games

•  Indian PM calls meet to end Kashmir protests

MORE >>

IRIN news

Related articles

Breaking stories
 GLOBAL: Sex education failing young people (1 minute ago)

Blog: Hard times for NGOs in Uganda (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 How can aid agencies tackle corruption? (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Christian Aid Haitian partner selected for UNAIDS Red Ribbon Award 2008 (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 DEBATE: Are aid agencies ready for the blogosphere? (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Uganda food security update (1 minute ago)


Country information

Briefings
AIDS in Africa - [Who works where]
AIDS in Asia - [Who works where]
AIDS in Americas - [Who works where]
AIDS pandemic - [Who works where]

Facts & figures
Uganda India

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-08-06T110534Z_01_DEL10_RTRIDSP_2_INDIA-KASHMIR-PROTESTS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DEL10.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-08-06T105027Z_01_SRI10_RTRIDSP_2_INDIA-KASHMIR-PROTESTS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SRI10.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-08-06T104748Z_01_SRI08_RTRIDSP_2_INDIA-KASHMIR-PROTESTS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SRI08.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-08-06T104522Z_01_SRI07_RTRIDSP_2_INDIA-KASHMIR-PROTESTS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SRI07.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-08-06T104136Z_01_SRI05_RTRIDSP_2_INDIA-KASHMIR-PROTESTS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SRI05.htm

Demonstrators cross a river as they head towards the city during a protest on the outskirts of Jammu August 6, 2008. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold an emergency meeting ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Wed Aug 6 12:24:52 2008