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Comprehensive Sex Education

Every young person has to make  life-changing decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. However many of them cannot access clear, evidence-based information. IPPF's comprehensive sexuality education programmes enable young people to make informed decisions about their sexuality and health, while building life skills and promoting gender equality.

Articles by Comprehensive Sex Education

IPPF/ Layla Aerts
28 May 2018

Sexuality education: where it stands across Europe and Central Asia

      Our latest analysis - done in collaboration with the BZgA - shows that over the past two decades sexuality education has progressed, but improvements are still needed. We cover the state of play and latest developments in the field across 25 European and Central Asian countries, including aspects related to the quality of programmes and the impact on young people’s health. The roll-out of sexuality education differs widely within the region and while promising steps have been taken, we look forward to more progress. Sexuality education addresses the need to foster emotional-sexual intelligence and the capacity for healthy, intimate bonding and growth. It is based on an understanding of the concepts of consent, equity and respect for one’s own boundaries and the boundaries of others in intimate relationships and in society in general. When young people lack these crucial skills, they inevitably face a lack of personal growth and joy as much as a lack of ability to form and foster nurturing and stable relationships with others. To ensure that young people are equipped with these skillsets, we recommend increased knowledge-sharing in the field of sexuality education as well as improving the scope of school programmes and investing in teacher trainings.  

aaron-burden-xG8IQMqMITM-unsplash_2.jpg
09 May 2018

"Don’t demonize sex. Don’t make us afraid of it!”

This film is about the partnership between Sex og Politikk and Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) - IPPF members - during the roll-out of the "Implementing Sexuality Education for Teens (I’MSET)" project. The project is a great example of how sharing knowledge on sexuality education can lead to successful results. The main outcome was a manual on sexuality education to be used in middle schools across Cyprus.  After the inclusion of the manual in the curriculum, Sex og Politikk travelled to Cyprus to document the project. The short documentary film is the result of this trip. Sex og Politikk interviewed the partners from CFPA and other actors involved in the project. The focus was talking to young people who have received comprehensive sexuality education with the help of the manual and to teachers who have used the materials.Young people expressed the need for comprehensive sexuality education in Cyprus, where sexuality has been a taboo for a long time. The I’MSET material inspired them to reflect on changing harmful stereotypes and traditional gender norms. We hope the documentary can inspire future partnerships and exchanges on comprehensive sexuality education. Sexuality education is a human rights based approach aimed at equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values required to make informed decisions and enjoy their sexuality physically, emotionally, individually, and in their relationships. It approaches sexuality holistically and within the frame of emotional and social development. As one of the Cypriot youth expressed: “Don’t demonize sex. Don’t make us afraid of it!” To learn more about the project and to download the manual see sexualityeducation.com.cy

Young people in Eastern Europe
16 February 2018

No time to waste: Governments owe young people sex and relationships education

Sex and relationships education in Europe and Central Asia is at a crossroads. Years of experience, research and international guidance mean that there are no knowledge gaps in terms of how to provide young people with the crucial life skills that underpin individual and community well-being. We currently see significant levels of progress and international support for sexuality education around the region. And yet, too many governments are still denying their young people effective opportunities to develop the skills to foster healthier and safer relationships, based on equality and respect.  We believe that progressive civil society organisations must urgently come together to increase the momentum and encourage politicians, especially conservatives, to take a decisive step in the right direction by making this essential investment in the futures of young people and society more broadly. Vital life skills The current groundswell of testimony and public debate about sexual violence and abuse illustrates only too well what is at stake when society fails to equip all boys and girls to understand the issues of consent, equity and respect for one’s own boundaries and the boundaries of others.  Vital skills that are developed by sex and relationships education are particularly important for children and young people from the LGBTI communities because they face much greater risk of violence, abuse, family and social rejection and self-stigma. Sexuality education empowers these children and youngsters to take care of their health, and it plays a key role in ensuring their safe emotional and physical development.  At community level, it increases equality and respect for diversity in society, benefitting LGBTI children, LGBTI families and their loved ones. When we succeed in changing harmful stereotypes and traditional gender norms, the communities of friends, family and other people who support young LGBTI people are empowered, recognised and protected from stigma and violence.  We know what works There is abundant knowledge about what makes effective sexuality education, and several international institutions have published guidelines on how to do it. The case is spelled out in UNESCO’s recent revision of its international technical guidance: “It can help young people reflect on social norms, cultural values and traditional beliefs, in order to better understand and manage their relationships with peers, parents, teachers, other adults and their communities.” This document draws on the vast body of work by the World Health Organization, the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BzGA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) over the past decade.   The importance of sexuality education, and the harm caused when governments fail to provide it, has also been recognized by human rights standard setting bodies and in UN human rights documents. In 2016, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights stated in a General Comment paper that: “Violation of the obligation to fulfil also occurs when States fail to take measures to ensure that up-to-date, accurate information on sexual and reproductive health is publicly available and accessible to all individuals, in appropriate languages and formats, and to ensure that all educational institutions incorporate unbiased, scientifically accurate, evidence-based, age-appropriate and comprehensive sexuality education into their required curricula.” Positive change is underway The good news on the ground is that sexuality education has become the norm throughout Europe and Central Asia. In a 2017 report into the status quo throughout the region, BZgA and IPPF EN showed that in 21 out of 25 countries studied, there is currently a law, policy or strategy either requiring or supporting it. But provision is still far too patchy. The report found that fewer than half of those countries had made sexuality education mandatory and ensured that it covered all the topics proven to have a positive effect on young people’s social-emotional self-care skills. Chilling effect  So why are so many governments still neglecting to care for their young people? The main barriers to introducing human rights-based sex and relationships education in schools are ideological. Ultra-conservative groups are spreading misinformation about gender, attacking the teaching of awareness and respect for gender identity and sexual orientation, sexual pleasure and sexual rights. In particular they oppose breaking down harmful and rigid gender norms around masculinity and femininity. They exploit existing taboos and promote smear campaigns to deny young people better sexuality and relationships education in schools, deliberately hindering efforts to change harmful social norms around gender, and tackle gender-based violence, including violence against LGBTI children and young people.  Because of these tactics, many countries in the region are wasting time on ideological debate instead of figuring out how to improve the provision of sexuality education. And while they talk, new generations are growing up in the digital era without precious life skills, abandoned to learn about sex and relationships from violent online pornography, at increased risk of violence and homophobic and transphobic bullying. The human cost is huge, when governments and societies fail to care.  Time to act Despite the challenges, there is a greater opportunity to advocate for effective sexuality education throughout the region than ever before. The needs are urgent and increasingly obvious, and there are evidence-based, proven methodologies for delivering it. We believe that organisations working on LGBTI, gender issues and sexual and reproductive health and rights should work with like-minded groups to create a social movement that will enable education to be used as a tool for building open and equal societies in which all relationships and families are equally valued. Together we can demystify sex and relationships education and ensure that it becomes an everyday part of school life, alongside all the other key subjects.    By IPPF EN's Drashko Kostovski and Irene Donadio. This blog was originally published as part of a series #WeLoveSexualHealth by ILGA Europe.

Y-SAV envisions a Europe free from sexual violence
28 February 2014

Y-SAV envisions a Europe free from sexual violence

The Y-SAV project led by Rutgers WPF, the Dutch IPPF member, is an excellent example of how a strong centre of expertise on sexual and reproductive health and rights can promote change on all levels. From in-depth research to effective policy-making and on-ground activities Y-SAV’s work stands out when it comes to improving the lives of young Europeans who counter sexual violence. As you read this, research and country reports are translated into concrete actions by policy makers, and around Europe, young advocates speak out for gender equality and against sexual violence. Are we failing to address the reality and the real needs of young people? This is the question that alarmed Rutgers WPF, as study after study provided similar results: sexual aggression and victimization is highly prevalent among young Europeans. In a number of EU countries, a third to half of reported sexual assault cases are of young people, primarily young women – meaning that young people's sexual health and sexual rights are strongly endangered. These alarming findings led to the initiation of Y-SAV, a three-year project on Youth Sexual Aggression and Victimization co-funded by the European Union. Since its introduction, Y-SAV has been tackling youth sexual aggression and victimization on several fronts. This starts with making research comparable across countries and bringing scientists, policy makers and health and education experts together. Young advocates are taking the research findings to a concrete level, discussing them with policy makers and their peers and providing peer-to-peer education. The goal is to see a Europe where every level of action aims at the best possible response to sexual aggression experienced by youth. Gosia’s story from Poland: Young activists combat sexual aggression and victimization “During the summer of 2013, Y-SAV supported two youth led activities: YouAct, which is a group of young European sexual rights advocates, and Ponton, our project in Poland. The name Ponton comes from our volunteer peer educator group, Ponton Group of Sex Educators. We wanted to encourage young people to speak out against Youth Sexual Aggression and Victimization (YSAV). We felt frustrated as in Poland, over 70% of teenagers have experienced some kind of victimization, but the government has not taken concrete measures to prevent this phenomenon. The main goal of our project was to engage young people so that action would be taken by young people for young people. We asked an all-girl hip hop group Rymy w Sercu to create a song about sexual violence to spread the message in a way that would get to young people – and they did an amazing job! You can see their video ‘Take a stand’ here. (Remember to turn on ‘captions’ for subtitles!) Our school workshops inspired young people to come together to rally against sexual violence. They created slogans, photos and a website. It was great to see students being so active. Media and culture fuel negative gender stereotypes and influence the way sexuality and intimate relationships are seen. We need comprehensive sexuality education to fight those stereotypes and convey accurate information. As one of the participants said, “This was the first time someone talked with us about sexual violence.” “I think that if in every school every student could participate in such workshops, more people like me would open up to discussions about sexuality - the issue is an essential part of every human being.”

sincerely-media-vcF5y2Edm6A-unsplash_7.jpg
05 March 2014

Upholding the sexual rights of young people with disabilities

Specialist training on sexuality education expands across Europe IPPF EN considers people with disabilities a highly vulnerable group needing special attention when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Member Associations have increasingly been called on to address these unique sexual health needs, so IPPF EN has developed a series of initiatives to increase the network’s capacity to protect the sexual rights of people with disabilities, including a regional capacity-building initiative and an EU-funded project involving 13 European countries. The EU-funded ‘Keep me Safe’ project empowers young people with learning disabilities to protect themselves from violence and sexual abuse in at least seven European countries using the expertise of five IPPF EN Member Associations. Peter and Sophia are two young people with learning disabilities living in different sections of the same institution. Peter is 25 and has been staying at the institution for three weeks, and not much is known about him. Previously, he was in another institution, but there they could not give him the support and guidance he needed. Sophia is a vulnerable girl of 15 years old. She has been living in the institution for over a year. She’s reached puberty and is very much interested in everything to do with boys and sex. They were discovered having sex in the bushes by a visitor. Sophia was yelling “No, stop. I don’t want to,” but Peter wouldn’t stop. In recent years, several IPPF EN Member Associations have been contacted by institutions, organizations and individuals asking for support in responding to incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour by people with learning disabilities or cases of sexual violence and abuse that young people with disabilities are exposed to. Not all the Member Associations were able to respond to these requests for support. Member Associations are experts when it comes to providing sexuality education to young people, but talking to young people with learning disabilities about sex and sexuality requires a different approach that is tailored to this group’s unique needs. However, some IPPF EN Member Associations can draw on years of experience to provide assistance on sexuality education for young people with disabilities and/or support institutions to respond to cases of sexual violence and abuse. For instance, the UK Family Planning Association (FPA) is running a very successful programme and has won several awards for its innovative, interactive educational tool ‘All about us’ (http://www.fpa.org.uk/product/all-about-us-dvd-rom). The success of this work inspired IPPF EN to start an initiative that would enable UK FPA Northern Ireland to coach other Member Associations in this field. In 2009, Georgie McCormick and Mark Breslin from UK FPA Northern Ireland trained representatives from Latvia, Denmark, the Republic of Macedonia and Israel, all of whom returned home and successfully set up programmes for young people with learning disabilities with support from UK FPA. A review of available expertise among IPPF EN Member Associations revealed that UK FPA is not the only one with years of relevant experience, as several Member Associations have eagerly responded to the pressing needs of young people with learning disabilities in their countries. With funding from the European Commission Daphne III programme, IPPF EN has been able to expand its efforts in building the network’s capacity to support young people with learning disabilities in the EU countries most in need. With this EC-funded ‘Keep me Safe’project, we are empowering young people with learning disabilities to protect themselves from violence and sexual abuse in Spain, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Macedonia and Denmark. The Member Associations from these countries are currently receiving training, mentoring and support from their colleagues in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK. All young people have sexual rights Returning to the incident described above: how can such incidents be prevented? Young people with learning disabilities are rarely considered to be sexual beings with sexual wishes and a need for intimacy, sexual affection and love like any other young person. Moreover, family members and carers often feel deeply uncomfortable talking about these subjects with young people, and even more so with young people with learning disabilities. The major taboo around sex and a lack of sexuality education and information for young people with learning disabilities make them extremely vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse. If no one ever talks openly to them about sex and sexuality in a positive way, about their and others’ sexual rights and responsibilities, about their and other people’s boundaries and about social norms, it may result in inappropriate sexual behaviour, violence and abuse. On the one hand, society wishes to protect children, young people and adults with learning disabilities; however, on the other hand, it tends to see them as asexual, which exposes them to much higher risks of abuse and suffering. Young people with learning disabilities are sexual beings and have a right to sexuality information and education tailored to their specific needs. Parents, carers and policymakers have the responsibility to uphold this right, and Member Associations are taking up their responsibility to support them in this task. Providing support to institutions, day care centres and families to respond to these incidents is often a first step in raising awareness of the need to prevent these incidents from happening in the future. Even more important, this is a first step towards improving the quality of their sexual lives by recognizing that young people with learning disabilities are sexual beings with sexual rights that are to be respected and fulfilled just like anyone else’s.   By Marieka Vandewiele, Senior Programme Adviser, IPPF European Network

serbia
10 November 2017

Confronting gender stereotypes in Serbia

Our member SRH Serbia (the Serbian Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) decided to challenge gender stereotypes in Serbian society through the act of theatre-based workshops, in partnership with IPAK Center. In a country where social issues like gender are rarely a serious part of public debate, boys and girls taking part literally walk in one another's shoes to help challenge and dismantle 'gender roles'. As SRH Serbia's Dragana Stojanović says, "gender roles are merely roles that we are playing all our lives, and this is why playing them on the stage makes perfect sense." The project was funded by IPPF's Innovation Fund.

Sexuality Education in Bulgaria
02 December 2014

How sexuality education is empowering young people with learning disabilities in Bulgaria

The town of Kazanlak, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, is the centre of Bulgaria’s famous rose oil industry. Maria Gineva and Veska Marakjieva run four centres there for young people with special needs, including learning disabilities. Both have taken part in training sessions on sexuality education organised by IPPF’s Bulgarian member association BFPA as part of the ‘Keep me Safe’ project. Maria tells the story of a teenage couple with learning disabilities who were in love. “They didn’t really know about sex, about how it worked, and how to protect themselves. So we started to work with them, discussing sexuality, feelings and how and where it’s appropriate to express them. “Previously they had been kissing all the time in public spaces. After these sessions we agreed on rules on where they could go, and gave them a private space. Their parents hadn’t talked to them at all about sex. We spoke to the parents too, to encourage them to speak to their children and respect their need for space. The project is helping us find the right way to talk to these young people.” Maria and Veska believe that the project can make real changes to the lives of young people with learning disabilities by equipping them and their parents, as well as others involved in their care, to navigate the tricky waters of puberty and developing sexuality. Before Keep Me Safe, explains Veska, “we didn’t focus on these issues, even though the young people were literally growing up before our eyes.” The staff of the centers had tried instinctively to talk to them about issues like personal boundaries and masturbation in communal spaces, and there was some work on preventing sexual abuse. “But we hadn’t thought of it as something where we needed a concrete policy,” adds Maria. This has now changed, and a new policy is being rolled out. It is clear from the experiences of Maria and Veska and other professionals caring for young people with learning disabilities in Bulgaria that parents have a crucial role to play in empowering them when it comes to sexuality and prevention of sexual abuse. But this is also an extremely difficult subject to broach in a country where discussing sexuality in general is taboo, and sexuality education for mainstream children is woefully inadequate. Reactions from parents of young people with learning disabilities to the prospect of sexuality education workshops have ranged from questioning the need to discuss sex with their children, to embarrassment, curiosity and gratitude. One mother who attended a BFPA workshop in the town of Lovech described herself as “very happy – this will give me the confidence to talk to my son about these issues. He is 21. Before he didn’t know who he could talk to when he was in love, he was looking for information on the internet.” Veska, herself the mother of a child with a learning disability, recalls the first session she ran with parents. “We advised them to try and give their children more privacy, and stop hugging them like they are toddlers when some of them are 30 years old. We tried to make them understand that this puts their children at risk because they think hugging all the time is the norm.” She laughs as she adds that she is trying to get into the habit of just kissing her son on the cheek. “The impact on the young people themselves can be greater happiness,” says BFPA Executive Director Radosveta Stamenkova, when asked what the project will mean in the longer term. She has been pleasantly surprised by the strong demand from organisations involved in the direct care of these youngsters, travelling with the BFPA team to different towns around the country to lead additional workshops. Radosveta believes that Keep me Safe’s visual tools with their simple language can also be useful for reaching out to other vulnerable groups, e.g. younger children in the mainstream, new waves of refugees escaping conflict in the Middle East, and Bulgaria’s Roma community, of which 20% is illiterate. Veska confirms that in Kazanlak, which has a large Roma population, the project is already being used more broadly: “We did several sessions with teenage mums, mainly Roma, and we realised that they just didn’t know their own bodies at all, didn’t know the risks of early pregnancy, could not make a proper assessment of healthy behaviour and risks.” But a recurring theme in conversations with all those who are excited about the potential of Keep me Safe in Bulgaria is the lack of mandatory comprehensive sexuality education in mainstream schools. “We have been fighting for this for 20 years. It pains me physically that it is still not there,” adds Radosveta, citing a recent case that reached notoriety when a teenage mother in Kazanlak dumped her baby in a dustbin. When the media interviewed an adolescent boy who went to the same school and asked him to name one sexually transmitted infection, he said “Ebola”. --- Keep me Safe is a two-year project that aims to empower young people with learning disabilities across Europe to protect themselves against sexual abuse and violence. It is funded by the European Commission Daphne III Programme. You can read more about the work in Bulgaria here.

Kyrgyzstan sexuality education
18 November 2016

Sexual health? It’s shameful not to know!

When Uluk began teaching his friends about reproductive health, he had no idea that it would develop into a fully-fledged vocation. It all started when one of his friends began asking everyone to hold up their thumbs. “We did, and my friend began to laugh. And then he said that he could determine the size of someone’s penis just by observing the size of the thumb. After that, my friends began asking me questions, either on social media, or out and about.” Uluk, 16, now refers to himself as a “junior expert” on reproductive health issues. As a volunteer for the Reproductive Health Alliance (RHAK)*, Kyrgyzstan, he began conducting training sessions for secondary school students, and providing referrals to other young people for their clinic in the capital, Bishkek. It was at one of these meetings that he met Ainura, who lives in the country’s Chuy Region. She told Uluk that after getting her first period, she was brought to a gynaecologist, who found out she wasn’t a virgin and informed her mother. She was subsequently punished by her father who told her, “You are not a girl; you are a disgrace to our family.” Ainura’s story reflects the deep societal stigmatisation about sex and morality that girls face on a daily basis. It is so important for girls like Ainura to have access to information on their sexual and reproductive health and rights. In a country where sex and sexuality are very much taboo, young people are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to reproductive health. Uluk and other young volunteers play a vital role in providing education and services to young people where they have been largely kept out of the loop. Women and girls in Kyrgyzstan continue to be at a disadvantage primarily due to gender stereotypes, and conservative customs and practices.  Although the country has a gender action plan, and has signed the Beijing Platform for Action to uphold women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, a lack of political will and reduced funding mean that these treaties have had very little impact. Although comprehensive sexuality education is on the official curriculum, few schools offer it. The influence of religious groups and a lack of funding make it increasingly difficult to teach sexuality education, which leaves young people – who make up 31% of the population –particularly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy. Many young people in Bishkek are actually too worried to go to private clinics due to the suspicion surrounding their visits. They tend to use the internet to find out about sex and in turn go to unlicensed clinics to avoid their parents and the rumours that follow. The reproductive health knowledge young volunteers gain fills a massive gap in information that they do not receive at school or home. Uluk often conducts classes on reproductive health matters, HIV/AIDS and contraception at school. Hoping to ensure that all young people benefit from improved access to information, education and services, RHAK worked with key decision-makers to ensure sexuality education and youth-friendly services were included in the national reproductive health strategy.  “The state and private sectors only seek to benefit themselves, not us,” says Uluk. “We must take care of our own reproductive health. There's nothing shameful in knowing about it, it is shameful not to know about it.” * IPPF’s Member Association by Galina Chirkina, Executive Director, Reproductive, Health Alliance Kyrgyzstan, (RHAK) featured in the Girls' Rights Gazette for European Week of Action for Girls

Sexuality Education and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for EU Development Cooperation
13 October 2016

Sexuality Education and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for EU Development Cooperation

Sexual and reproductive rights are human rights. Education empowers young people and enables them to make their own choices. Comprehensive Sexuality education (CSE) allows young people to make critical choices about their health and future.It seeks to equip young people with the knowledge, life skills, attitudes and positive values they need to understand and enjoy their sexuality – physically and emotionally. This briefing paper presents the ways in which CSE is a key enabler for both social and economic sustainable development.

aaron-burden-xG8IQMqMITM-unsplash_9.jpg
07 October 2015

Policy Briefs on Sexuality Education

The Federal Centre for Health Education BZgA in Germany, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia), and the World Health Organisation (WHO Regional Office for Europe) with input from various experts, including representatives from IPPF EN Member Associations, jointly develop a series of policy briefs on sexuality education. The first two issues have now been released and answer the questions: - What is sexuality education? - And what is the impact of sexuality education? The policy briefs are targeted to politicians and other decision makers, primarily in Europe and Central Asia, and provide them with short and comprehensive information on different issues regarding sexuality education. As an advocacy tool, the policy briefs promote good quality sexuality education as an effective life-course intervention which supports children and young people in protecting their sexual health and general well-being. Policy brief No. 1 provides background information on the history, the benefits and the rights-based approach of sexuality education and further discusses myths and facts in this field. It argues that children and young people can greatly benefit from good quality sexuality education, which are age and development appropriate. Policy brief No. 2 summarises the scientific evidence regarding the impact of sexuality education on the sexual health and well-being of children and young people. In this regard, it explores public health-related indicators but also so called “soft outcomes” of sexuality education, such as the development of a positive attitude towards sexuality, as well as skills in communication, decision-making and critical thinking.  It is also possible to order hard copies from BZgA.  

IPPF/ Layla Aerts
28 May 2018

Sexuality education: where it stands across Europe and Central Asia

      Our latest analysis - done in collaboration with the BZgA - shows that over the past two decades sexuality education has progressed, but improvements are still needed. We cover the state of play and latest developments in the field across 25 European and Central Asian countries, including aspects related to the quality of programmes and the impact on young people’s health. The roll-out of sexuality education differs widely within the region and while promising steps have been taken, we look forward to more progress. Sexuality education addresses the need to foster emotional-sexual intelligence and the capacity for healthy, intimate bonding and growth. It is based on an understanding of the concepts of consent, equity and respect for one’s own boundaries and the boundaries of others in intimate relationships and in society in general. When young people lack these crucial skills, they inevitably face a lack of personal growth and joy as much as a lack of ability to form and foster nurturing and stable relationships with others. To ensure that young people are equipped with these skillsets, we recommend increased knowledge-sharing in the field of sexuality education as well as improving the scope of school programmes and investing in teacher trainings.  

aaron-burden-xG8IQMqMITM-unsplash_2.jpg
09 May 2018

"Don’t demonize sex. Don’t make us afraid of it!”

This film is about the partnership between Sex og Politikk and Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) - IPPF members - during the roll-out of the "Implementing Sexuality Education for Teens (I’MSET)" project. The project is a great example of how sharing knowledge on sexuality education can lead to successful results. The main outcome was a manual on sexuality education to be used in middle schools across Cyprus.  After the inclusion of the manual in the curriculum, Sex og Politikk travelled to Cyprus to document the project. The short documentary film is the result of this trip. Sex og Politikk interviewed the partners from CFPA and other actors involved in the project. The focus was talking to young people who have received comprehensive sexuality education with the help of the manual and to teachers who have used the materials.Young people expressed the need for comprehensive sexuality education in Cyprus, where sexuality has been a taboo for a long time. The I’MSET material inspired them to reflect on changing harmful stereotypes and traditional gender norms. We hope the documentary can inspire future partnerships and exchanges on comprehensive sexuality education. Sexuality education is a human rights based approach aimed at equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values required to make informed decisions and enjoy their sexuality physically, emotionally, individually, and in their relationships. It approaches sexuality holistically and within the frame of emotional and social development. As one of the Cypriot youth expressed: “Don’t demonize sex. Don’t make us afraid of it!” To learn more about the project and to download the manual see sexualityeducation.com.cy

Young people in Eastern Europe
16 February 2018

No time to waste: Governments owe young people sex and relationships education

Sex and relationships education in Europe and Central Asia is at a crossroads. Years of experience, research and international guidance mean that there are no knowledge gaps in terms of how to provide young people with the crucial life skills that underpin individual and community well-being. We currently see significant levels of progress and international support for sexuality education around the region. And yet, too many governments are still denying their young people effective opportunities to develop the skills to foster healthier and safer relationships, based on equality and respect.  We believe that progressive civil society organisations must urgently come together to increase the momentum and encourage politicians, especially conservatives, to take a decisive step in the right direction by making this essential investment in the futures of young people and society more broadly. Vital life skills The current groundswell of testimony and public debate about sexual violence and abuse illustrates only too well what is at stake when society fails to equip all boys and girls to understand the issues of consent, equity and respect for one’s own boundaries and the boundaries of others.  Vital skills that are developed by sex and relationships education are particularly important for children and young people from the LGBTI communities because they face much greater risk of violence, abuse, family and social rejection and self-stigma. Sexuality education empowers these children and youngsters to take care of their health, and it plays a key role in ensuring their safe emotional and physical development.  At community level, it increases equality and respect for diversity in society, benefitting LGBTI children, LGBTI families and their loved ones. When we succeed in changing harmful stereotypes and traditional gender norms, the communities of friends, family and other people who support young LGBTI people are empowered, recognised and protected from stigma and violence.  We know what works There is abundant knowledge about what makes effective sexuality education, and several international institutions have published guidelines on how to do it. The case is spelled out in UNESCO’s recent revision of its international technical guidance: “It can help young people reflect on social norms, cultural values and traditional beliefs, in order to better understand and manage their relationships with peers, parents, teachers, other adults and their communities.” This document draws on the vast body of work by the World Health Organization, the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BzGA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) over the past decade.   The importance of sexuality education, and the harm caused when governments fail to provide it, has also been recognized by human rights standard setting bodies and in UN human rights documents. In 2016, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights stated in a General Comment paper that: “Violation of the obligation to fulfil also occurs when States fail to take measures to ensure that up-to-date, accurate information on sexual and reproductive health is publicly available and accessible to all individuals, in appropriate languages and formats, and to ensure that all educational institutions incorporate unbiased, scientifically accurate, evidence-based, age-appropriate and comprehensive sexuality education into their required curricula.” Positive change is underway The good news on the ground is that sexuality education has become the norm throughout Europe and Central Asia. In a 2017 report into the status quo throughout the region, BZgA and IPPF EN showed that in 21 out of 25 countries studied, there is currently a law, policy or strategy either requiring or supporting it. But provision is still far too patchy. The report found that fewer than half of those countries had made sexuality education mandatory and ensured that it covered all the topics proven to have a positive effect on young people’s social-emotional self-care skills. Chilling effect  So why are so many governments still neglecting to care for their young people? The main barriers to introducing human rights-based sex and relationships education in schools are ideological. Ultra-conservative groups are spreading misinformation about gender, attacking the teaching of awareness and respect for gender identity and sexual orientation, sexual pleasure and sexual rights. In particular they oppose breaking down harmful and rigid gender norms around masculinity and femininity. They exploit existing taboos and promote smear campaigns to deny young people better sexuality and relationships education in schools, deliberately hindering efforts to change harmful social norms around gender, and tackle gender-based violence, including violence against LGBTI children and young people.  Because of these tactics, many countries in the region are wasting time on ideological debate instead of figuring out how to improve the provision of sexuality education. And while they talk, new generations are growing up in the digital era without precious life skills, abandoned to learn about sex and relationships from violent online pornography, at increased risk of violence and homophobic and transphobic bullying. The human cost is huge, when governments and societies fail to care.  Time to act Despite the challenges, there is a greater opportunity to advocate for effective sexuality education throughout the region than ever before. The needs are urgent and increasingly obvious, and there are evidence-based, proven methodologies for delivering it. We believe that organisations working on LGBTI, gender issues and sexual and reproductive health and rights should work with like-minded groups to create a social movement that will enable education to be used as a tool for building open and equal societies in which all relationships and families are equally valued. Together we can demystify sex and relationships education and ensure that it becomes an everyday part of school life, alongside all the other key subjects.    By IPPF EN's Drashko Kostovski and Irene Donadio. This blog was originally published as part of a series #WeLoveSexualHealth by ILGA Europe.

Y-SAV envisions a Europe free from sexual violence
28 February 2014

Y-SAV envisions a Europe free from sexual violence

The Y-SAV project led by Rutgers WPF, the Dutch IPPF member, is an excellent example of how a strong centre of expertise on sexual and reproductive health and rights can promote change on all levels. From in-depth research to effective policy-making and on-ground activities Y-SAV’s work stands out when it comes to improving the lives of young Europeans who counter sexual violence. As you read this, research and country reports are translated into concrete actions by policy makers, and around Europe, young advocates speak out for gender equality and against sexual violence. Are we failing to address the reality and the real needs of young people? This is the question that alarmed Rutgers WPF, as study after study provided similar results: sexual aggression and victimization is highly prevalent among young Europeans. In a number of EU countries, a third to half of reported sexual assault cases are of young people, primarily young women – meaning that young people's sexual health and sexual rights are strongly endangered. These alarming findings led to the initiation of Y-SAV, a three-year project on Youth Sexual Aggression and Victimization co-funded by the European Union. Since its introduction, Y-SAV has been tackling youth sexual aggression and victimization on several fronts. This starts with making research comparable across countries and bringing scientists, policy makers and health and education experts together. Young advocates are taking the research findings to a concrete level, discussing them with policy makers and their peers and providing peer-to-peer education. The goal is to see a Europe where every level of action aims at the best possible response to sexual aggression experienced by youth. Gosia’s story from Poland: Young activists combat sexual aggression and victimization “During the summer of 2013, Y-SAV supported two youth led activities: YouAct, which is a group of young European sexual rights advocates, and Ponton, our project in Poland. The name Ponton comes from our volunteer peer educator group, Ponton Group of Sex Educators. We wanted to encourage young people to speak out against Youth Sexual Aggression and Victimization (YSAV). We felt frustrated as in Poland, over 70% of teenagers have experienced some kind of victimization, but the government has not taken concrete measures to prevent this phenomenon. The main goal of our project was to engage young people so that action would be taken by young people for young people. We asked an all-girl hip hop group Rymy w Sercu to create a song about sexual violence to spread the message in a way that would get to young people – and they did an amazing job! You can see their video ‘Take a stand’ here. (Remember to turn on ‘captions’ for subtitles!) Our school workshops inspired young people to come together to rally against sexual violence. They created slogans, photos and a website. It was great to see students being so active. Media and culture fuel negative gender stereotypes and influence the way sexuality and intimate relationships are seen. We need comprehensive sexuality education to fight those stereotypes and convey accurate information. As one of the participants said, “This was the first time someone talked with us about sexual violence.” “I think that if in every school every student could participate in such workshops, more people like me would open up to discussions about sexuality - the issue is an essential part of every human being.”

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05 March 2014

Upholding the sexual rights of young people with disabilities

Specialist training on sexuality education expands across Europe IPPF EN considers people with disabilities a highly vulnerable group needing special attention when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Member Associations have increasingly been called on to address these unique sexual health needs, so IPPF EN has developed a series of initiatives to increase the network’s capacity to protect the sexual rights of people with disabilities, including a regional capacity-building initiative and an EU-funded project involving 13 European countries. The EU-funded ‘Keep me Safe’ project empowers young people with learning disabilities to protect themselves from violence and sexual abuse in at least seven European countries using the expertise of five IPPF EN Member Associations. Peter and Sophia are two young people with learning disabilities living in different sections of the same institution. Peter is 25 and has been staying at the institution for three weeks, and not much is known about him. Previously, he was in another institution, but there they could not give him the support and guidance he needed. Sophia is a vulnerable girl of 15 years old. She has been living in the institution for over a year. She’s reached puberty and is very much interested in everything to do with boys and sex. They were discovered having sex in the bushes by a visitor. Sophia was yelling “No, stop. I don’t want to,” but Peter wouldn’t stop. In recent years, several IPPF EN Member Associations have been contacted by institutions, organizations and individuals asking for support in responding to incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour by people with learning disabilities or cases of sexual violence and abuse that young people with disabilities are exposed to. Not all the Member Associations were able to respond to these requests for support. Member Associations are experts when it comes to providing sexuality education to young people, but talking to young people with learning disabilities about sex and sexuality requires a different approach that is tailored to this group’s unique needs. However, some IPPF EN Member Associations can draw on years of experience to provide assistance on sexuality education for young people with disabilities and/or support institutions to respond to cases of sexual violence and abuse. For instance, the UK Family Planning Association (FPA) is running a very successful programme and has won several awards for its innovative, interactive educational tool ‘All about us’ (http://www.fpa.org.uk/product/all-about-us-dvd-rom). The success of this work inspired IPPF EN to start an initiative that would enable UK FPA Northern Ireland to coach other Member Associations in this field. In 2009, Georgie McCormick and Mark Breslin from UK FPA Northern Ireland trained representatives from Latvia, Denmark, the Republic of Macedonia and Israel, all of whom returned home and successfully set up programmes for young people with learning disabilities with support from UK FPA. A review of available expertise among IPPF EN Member Associations revealed that UK FPA is not the only one with years of relevant experience, as several Member Associations have eagerly responded to the pressing needs of young people with learning disabilities in their countries. With funding from the European Commission Daphne III programme, IPPF EN has been able to expand its efforts in building the network’s capacity to support young people with learning disabilities in the EU countries most in need. With this EC-funded ‘Keep me Safe’project, we are empowering young people with learning disabilities to protect themselves from violence and sexual abuse in Spain, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Macedonia and Denmark. The Member Associations from these countries are currently receiving training, mentoring and support from their colleagues in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK. All young people have sexual rights Returning to the incident described above: how can such incidents be prevented? Young people with learning disabilities are rarely considered to be sexual beings with sexual wishes and a need for intimacy, sexual affection and love like any other young person. Moreover, family members and carers often feel deeply uncomfortable talking about these subjects with young people, and even more so with young people with learning disabilities. The major taboo around sex and a lack of sexuality education and information for young people with learning disabilities make them extremely vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse. If no one ever talks openly to them about sex and sexuality in a positive way, about their and others’ sexual rights and responsibilities, about their and other people’s boundaries and about social norms, it may result in inappropriate sexual behaviour, violence and abuse. On the one hand, society wishes to protect children, young people and adults with learning disabilities; however, on the other hand, it tends to see them as asexual, which exposes them to much higher risks of abuse and suffering. Young people with learning disabilities are sexual beings and have a right to sexuality information and education tailored to their specific needs. Parents, carers and policymakers have the responsibility to uphold this right, and Member Associations are taking up their responsibility to support them in this task. Providing support to institutions, day care centres and families to respond to these incidents is often a first step in raising awareness of the need to prevent these incidents from happening in the future. Even more important, this is a first step towards improving the quality of their sexual lives by recognizing that young people with learning disabilities are sexual beings with sexual rights that are to be respected and fulfilled just like anyone else’s.   By Marieka Vandewiele, Senior Programme Adviser, IPPF European Network

serbia
10 November 2017

Confronting gender stereotypes in Serbia

Our member SRH Serbia (the Serbian Association for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) decided to challenge gender stereotypes in Serbian society through the act of theatre-based workshops, in partnership with IPAK Center. In a country where social issues like gender are rarely a serious part of public debate, boys and girls taking part literally walk in one another's shoes to help challenge and dismantle 'gender roles'. As SRH Serbia's Dragana Stojanović says, "gender roles are merely roles that we are playing all our lives, and this is why playing them on the stage makes perfect sense." The project was funded by IPPF's Innovation Fund.

Sexuality Education in Bulgaria
02 December 2014

How sexuality education is empowering young people with learning disabilities in Bulgaria

The town of Kazanlak, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, is the centre of Bulgaria’s famous rose oil industry. Maria Gineva and Veska Marakjieva run four centres there for young people with special needs, including learning disabilities. Both have taken part in training sessions on sexuality education organised by IPPF’s Bulgarian member association BFPA as part of the ‘Keep me Safe’ project. Maria tells the story of a teenage couple with learning disabilities who were in love. “They didn’t really know about sex, about how it worked, and how to protect themselves. So we started to work with them, discussing sexuality, feelings and how and where it’s appropriate to express them. “Previously they had been kissing all the time in public spaces. After these sessions we agreed on rules on where they could go, and gave them a private space. Their parents hadn’t talked to them at all about sex. We spoke to the parents too, to encourage them to speak to their children and respect their need for space. The project is helping us find the right way to talk to these young people.” Maria and Veska believe that the project can make real changes to the lives of young people with learning disabilities by equipping them and their parents, as well as others involved in their care, to navigate the tricky waters of puberty and developing sexuality. Before Keep Me Safe, explains Veska, “we didn’t focus on these issues, even though the young people were literally growing up before our eyes.” The staff of the centers had tried instinctively to talk to them about issues like personal boundaries and masturbation in communal spaces, and there was some work on preventing sexual abuse. “But we hadn’t thought of it as something where we needed a concrete policy,” adds Maria. This has now changed, and a new policy is being rolled out. It is clear from the experiences of Maria and Veska and other professionals caring for young people with learning disabilities in Bulgaria that parents have a crucial role to play in empowering them when it comes to sexuality and prevention of sexual abuse. But this is also an extremely difficult subject to broach in a country where discussing sexuality in general is taboo, and sexuality education for mainstream children is woefully inadequate. Reactions from parents of young people with learning disabilities to the prospect of sexuality education workshops have ranged from questioning the need to discuss sex with their children, to embarrassment, curiosity and gratitude. One mother who attended a BFPA workshop in the town of Lovech described herself as “very happy – this will give me the confidence to talk to my son about these issues. He is 21. Before he didn’t know who he could talk to when he was in love, he was looking for information on the internet.” Veska, herself the mother of a child with a learning disability, recalls the first session she ran with parents. “We advised them to try and give their children more privacy, and stop hugging them like they are toddlers when some of them are 30 years old. We tried to make them understand that this puts their children at risk because they think hugging all the time is the norm.” She laughs as she adds that she is trying to get into the habit of just kissing her son on the cheek. “The impact on the young people themselves can be greater happiness,” says BFPA Executive Director Radosveta Stamenkova, when asked what the project will mean in the longer term. She has been pleasantly surprised by the strong demand from organisations involved in the direct care of these youngsters, travelling with the BFPA team to different towns around the country to lead additional workshops. Radosveta believes that Keep me Safe’s visual tools with their simple language can also be useful for reaching out to other vulnerable groups, e.g. younger children in the mainstream, new waves of refugees escaping conflict in the Middle East, and Bulgaria’s Roma community, of which 20% is illiterate. Veska confirms that in Kazanlak, which has a large Roma population, the project is already being used more broadly: “We did several sessions with teenage mums, mainly Roma, and we realised that they just didn’t know their own bodies at all, didn’t know the risks of early pregnancy, could not make a proper assessment of healthy behaviour and risks.” But a recurring theme in conversations with all those who are excited about the potential of Keep me Safe in Bulgaria is the lack of mandatory comprehensive sexuality education in mainstream schools. “We have been fighting for this for 20 years. It pains me physically that it is still not there,” adds Radosveta, citing a recent case that reached notoriety when a teenage mother in Kazanlak dumped her baby in a dustbin. When the media interviewed an adolescent boy who went to the same school and asked him to name one sexually transmitted infection, he said “Ebola”. --- Keep me Safe is a two-year project that aims to empower young people with learning disabilities across Europe to protect themselves against sexual abuse and violence. It is funded by the European Commission Daphne III Programme. You can read more about the work in Bulgaria here.

Kyrgyzstan sexuality education
18 November 2016

Sexual health? It’s shameful not to know!

When Uluk began teaching his friends about reproductive health, he had no idea that it would develop into a fully-fledged vocation. It all started when one of his friends began asking everyone to hold up their thumbs. “We did, and my friend began to laugh. And then he said that he could determine the size of someone’s penis just by observing the size of the thumb. After that, my friends began asking me questions, either on social media, or out and about.” Uluk, 16, now refers to himself as a “junior expert” on reproductive health issues. As a volunteer for the Reproductive Health Alliance (RHAK)*, Kyrgyzstan, he began conducting training sessions for secondary school students, and providing referrals to other young people for their clinic in the capital, Bishkek. It was at one of these meetings that he met Ainura, who lives in the country’s Chuy Region. She told Uluk that after getting her first period, she was brought to a gynaecologist, who found out she wasn’t a virgin and informed her mother. She was subsequently punished by her father who told her, “You are not a girl; you are a disgrace to our family.” Ainura’s story reflects the deep societal stigmatisation about sex and morality that girls face on a daily basis. It is so important for girls like Ainura to have access to information on their sexual and reproductive health and rights. In a country where sex and sexuality are very much taboo, young people are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to reproductive health. Uluk and other young volunteers play a vital role in providing education and services to young people where they have been largely kept out of the loop. Women and girls in Kyrgyzstan continue to be at a disadvantage primarily due to gender stereotypes, and conservative customs and practices.  Although the country has a gender action plan, and has signed the Beijing Platform for Action to uphold women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, a lack of political will and reduced funding mean that these treaties have had very little impact. Although comprehensive sexuality education is on the official curriculum, few schools offer it. The influence of religious groups and a lack of funding make it increasingly difficult to teach sexuality education, which leaves young people – who make up 31% of the population –particularly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy. Many young people in Bishkek are actually too worried to go to private clinics due to the suspicion surrounding their visits. They tend to use the internet to find out about sex and in turn go to unlicensed clinics to avoid their parents and the rumours that follow. The reproductive health knowledge young volunteers gain fills a massive gap in information that they do not receive at school or home. Uluk often conducts classes on reproductive health matters, HIV/AIDS and contraception at school. Hoping to ensure that all young people benefit from improved access to information, education and services, RHAK worked with key decision-makers to ensure sexuality education and youth-friendly services were included in the national reproductive health strategy.  “The state and private sectors only seek to benefit themselves, not us,” says Uluk. “We must take care of our own reproductive health. There's nothing shameful in knowing about it, it is shameful not to know about it.” * IPPF’s Member Association by Galina Chirkina, Executive Director, Reproductive, Health Alliance Kyrgyzstan, (RHAK) featured in the Girls' Rights Gazette for European Week of Action for Girls

Sexuality Education and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for EU Development Cooperation
13 October 2016

Sexuality Education and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for EU Development Cooperation

Sexual and reproductive rights are human rights. Education empowers young people and enables them to make their own choices. Comprehensive Sexuality education (CSE) allows young people to make critical choices about their health and future.It seeks to equip young people with the knowledge, life skills, attitudes and positive values they need to understand and enjoy their sexuality – physically and emotionally. This briefing paper presents the ways in which CSE is a key enabler for both social and economic sustainable development.

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07 October 2015

Policy Briefs on Sexuality Education

The Federal Centre for Health Education BZgA in Germany, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia), and the World Health Organisation (WHO Regional Office for Europe) with input from various experts, including representatives from IPPF EN Member Associations, jointly develop a series of policy briefs on sexuality education. The first two issues have now been released and answer the questions: - What is sexuality education? - And what is the impact of sexuality education? The policy briefs are targeted to politicians and other decision makers, primarily in Europe and Central Asia, and provide them with short and comprehensive information on different issues regarding sexuality education. As an advocacy tool, the policy briefs promote good quality sexuality education as an effective life-course intervention which supports children and young people in protecting their sexual health and general well-being. Policy brief No. 1 provides background information on the history, the benefits and the rights-based approach of sexuality education and further discusses myths and facts in this field. It argues that children and young people can greatly benefit from good quality sexuality education, which are age and development appropriate. Policy brief No. 2 summarises the scientific evidence regarding the impact of sexuality education on the sexual health and well-being of children and young people. In this regard, it explores public health-related indicators but also so called “soft outcomes” of sexuality education, such as the development of a positive attitude towards sexuality, as well as skills in communication, decision-making and critical thinking.  It is also possible to order hard copies from BZgA.