22 December 2018
Sex, dating, birth control…life in general. This is complicated stuff and sometimes “to make things easier” people especially parents don’t talk about such issues.
Children get to hear a whole lot of myths, misconceptions and superstitions that they can’t figure out what’s real and what’s fake and it becomes a myth vs fake battle for them.
Sex education shouldn’t be seen as a forbidden area but rather be taught even in primary schools because even if you don’t tell them about it, they will still hear it from other sources that may be very wrong.
Children should be taught about the different parts of their body and the true names, they should also know about their sexuality which enables them to make informed choices as they grow older.
Children should also know about social relationships and responsibilities, the human sexual anatomy and activity including reproduction,the age of consent, reproductive health, reproductive rights, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence. We cannot pretend that they know nothing and watch them go astray due to the wrong information.
There is a growing consensus that young people require more than sex education, they need comprehensive sexuality education (CSE).
CSE is more comprehensive and includes sex education plus the mechanics and a lot more about sexuality.
That means not just teaching young people about the biology of sex, but also the individual characteristics, emotional, societal, environmental and cultural forces which shape the way they choose to conduct their lives. Armed with a better understanding, young people can make enlightened decisions.
The acquisition of this knowledge equips young people with critical skills, that enables them to question the way they act, and whether or not it is right, valuable or desirable to do so. It imparts information and promotes responsibility.
