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Sexual Health Education in School

By Anila Muhammad

Should our children get sexual health education at schools? This is a question which triggers every parent to think. Sexuality is an integral part of life from birth to death and concerns about sexual health are issues in our life cycle. Sexual health is recognized today as an essential part of every individual life’s experience and it is rapidly becoming a legitimate concern of the health and allied professions. Children are sexual beings and adolescents are highly sexual beings. In this regard, sexual health education can play vital role in appropriate sexual development and sexual functioning of children. Evans (2006) proposed that a child’s sexual, mental, emotional and physical health is important from birth and should be targeted at every opportunity within a holistic approach to the child and the community within which she / he exists.

That is why, this topic is very important to be addressed in the society. As we know that it is human’s nature that they try to explore hidden information and become curious to search. Like wise, sex is one of the sensitive topics which need to be explored and information should be in reach of every individual’s. Therefore, it is my view children should get sexual health education at schools, but here, the question arises that why it is important to address this issue and what could be out come of giving sex education to children at schools. Hence, by teaching sexual health education we can give awareness to reduce sexual harassment, promote safe sexual practices, and reduce unintended pregnancies, rates of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV in the country.

Firstly, it might be not agreed that giving awareness towards sex education means stimulate youth towards sexual activities. That is why; human sexuality education in the schools continues to be controversial and dictated by community values. However, Walker (2003) claims, “Researchers in field of sex education have reached a consensus that talking with children about sex and relationship, does not mean there will be more sexual activity amongst young people” (P. 133). Instead, awareness about sexual health can decrease the number of sexual harassments, which are commonly present in our surroundings. As we know that rape is one of brutal issues of our society and mostly teen aged girls are raped. Even some girls do not know that they could become pregnant due to rape and then end up with unsafe abortions. I believe that awareness is one of the important aspects to develop assertiveness amongst children, especially in girls. Moreover, sex education including the knowledge about human body parts are not enough. Therefore, providing information about reproductive parts is not only sex education but information about puberty, safe sexual practices, use of contraceptives, breast and testicular examination should be included in sexual health education. Furthermore, lack of adequate information and attendant skills may contribute to a poor uptake of safer sex practices and lead to certain medical consequences of homophobia, which are nothing less than a public health hazard. Low self esteem and depression may also predispose a person towards self loathing, unsafe sexual practices and suicidal ideations. Hence, sexual health education brings awareness among children.

Secondly, promotion of sexual health education can be helpful in the reduction of unintended pregnancies in early ages. Religious scholar Dr. Muhammad Khan argued that Islam is not against family planning, children should be given sex education to enable them to save themselves from wrong doings. God bless those, who acquired knowledge and continued to struggle themselves from wrong doing. (Husain, 2004). In addition, children and adolescents need accurate and comprehensive education about sexuality to practice healthy sexual behavior as adults. Nevertheless, if teen aged girls aware of the consequences of unsafe sexual practices and issues then, unintended pregnancies can be reduced. There is a critical need for birth control counseling for sexually active teenagers and support services for pregnant teenagers.

Finally, provision of sexual health education at schools could also decrease the number of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV in Pakistan. In fact the incidences of HIV are also increasing in young children in Pakistan and one of the unsafe sexual practices. According to report of WHO (2006) number of HIV increased from 56000 to 85000 in children 15 years of age data conducted in 2005. If we read newspaper we will come to know that HIV cases are reported among drug addicted children day by day. According to WHO (2006) “The report of US National Academies, Growing UP Global, concluded that “unprotected sex is one of the riskiest behaviours that young people can undertake, particularly in settings where HIV/AIDS is widespread”. Homosexual is also one of the hidden acts among children which are under reported. Children should teach about hygiene of private parts to reduce infection. They need to be aware of sexually transmitted diseases and their consequences. Therefore, awareness about sexually transmitted diseases are necessary to teach in schools. Curriculum is to be designed in such a way that it provides in depth and comprehensive information about sexual health. Hence, sexual health education can play vital role in the reduction of sexually transmitted diseases in long-term.

To conclusion, I would like to suggest that sexual health education should be part of school curriculum. Explicit information about sexual matters should always be given in the context of personal, social and moral responsibility. Sufficient emphasis should be given to potential emotional and physical risk of immature sexual relationship and to the value of family life. Nevertheless, provision of sexual health to children should be allowed to bring awareness to decrease the victims of harassment, rape, unintended pregnancies, STDs and HIV. Hence, sexual health education to children should be important part of the school health. However, I believe that we still need to work hard to train school teachers and parents so they can easily communicate with children on the topics of sex. Nevertheless, I would like to recommend that health care personal can initiate the training of sexual education to school teachers and parents along with other health education; otherwise our country might be include in the list of high incidences of sexual harassment, unintended pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases in the near future. Now, parents need to answer that whether our children should get sexual health education at school or not?