UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
11 December 2008
Children in sub-Saharan Africa want to know more about sex and how to protect themselves from HIV, but taboos surrounding children's sexuality can mean life-saving information is kept from them, according to an international NGO.
[ See Article ]
I can fully agree with the call for comprehensive sexual education for children and adolescents. Sexuality starts allready when your very young so also parents have a great responsibility to show their children - from the early childhood on - the example of a good relationship with respect for the partner so this will contribute to the childs social norms to look for intimity and a good (sexual) relation with pleasure and respect for both in their future. Sexuality is so much more than penetration and good sexual education will prevent the youth from falling ill through unsafe sex and undergoing the risks of (illigal) abortions or facing teenpregnancy. Exemples of good relationship will show the youth the value of intimate sexuality and prolonge the first intercourse. Next to this it is important they have good knowledge of sexual health in the most broad since and what relationship is about. We have to make adolescents aware off their rights and obligations toward themselves and their partner, so they can take and will have (shared) responsibility, future planning and other life skills which are necessary to become a stable adult who can take decisions for him or herself and through that pathway decrease the economic and psychological burden - which can come when they are not well educated through teenpregnancy, STIs and HIV, drop outs of school, less control over their future etcetea - on their family and community.