Comprehensive sexuality education : recognizing the realities of young people’s lives
Document type: article
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Abstract:
This issue of Exchange is about learning about sex and this article describes the advantages of comprehensive sexuality education over abstinence-until-marriage education. Today’s generation of youth is the largest ever. While adolescence is a time for growth and learning, youth increasingly confront multiple threats to their health and well-being such as violence, early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. At the same time, youth are our greatest hope for the future and therefore need information and skills to protect themselves from harm and to make free, informed and responsible decisions about sex and reproduction. The time to entrust young people with the right, and equip them with the tools, to build a healthy and egalitarian future is now. Though the rapid physical and sexual maturation boys and girls experience during puberty is widely understood, discussing sexuality is still taboo in many countries. Youth today face, and are expected to process, conflicting messages about sexuality and sex in an increasingly technological and information-oriented society. They get information from a wide variety of sources including their peers, parents, popular media and websites. Some of this information is accurate, while some is not. Therefore misconceptions about sex can and do spread.
Authors:
Castagnaro, K.
Category:
Research
End Page:
3
Serial number:
3
ISSN:
[1871-7551]
Journal:
Exchange on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender
Keywords:
HIV and AIDS
,
health
,
disease prevention and control
,
education
Language:
eng
Organization:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute
Year:
2007
Right:
© 2007 KIT
Subject:
Health and Nutrition
Start Page:
1
Title:
Comprehensive sexuality education : recognizing the realities of young people’s lives