Sexuality education: the progressive conquest of a fundamental right thanks to a global demand and commitment in international texts 

(Original: french)

Written by: Lola Favre

Translated by: Barbara Sika Kudjawu

In 2000, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights “interprets the right to health […] as a comprehensive right, encompassing […] underlying determinants of health such as […] access to health-related education and information, including sexual and reproductive health^[1]LAUSBERG Sylvie, L’Éducation à la vie relationnelle, Affective et Sexuelle (EVRAS) dans le système éducatif francophone de Belgique, Centre d’Action Laïque, 2012”. Sexual health, defined by the World Health Organisation as a ” state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality^[2]Site of WHO : https://www.who.int/topics/sexual_health/fr/“ is a direct effect of quality sexuality education. It can only be achieved if every individual has lifelong access to sexual health information and services. 

Sexuality education is therefore essential to ensure the sexual health of the population. It is defined by the High Council for Equality as “a way of approaching the teaching of sexuality and interpersonal relations that is based on equality of the genders and sexualities, adapted to different age groups, based on scientific information and without prejudice. It aims, based on young people’s own words, to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need for a fulfilling sexual and emotional life^[3]LAURANT Françoise, COLLET Margaux, Rapport relatif à l’éducation à la sexualité. Répondre aux attentes des jeunes, construire une société d’égalité femmes-hommes, Haut Conseil à … Continue reading“. Thus, sexuality education is a right, which particularly concerns children and adolescents. To claim this right and have it implemented, movements have arisen on the regional and international scene, leading to the signing of a number of international texts that encourage the roll-out of sex education. The purpose of this article is to explain how this demand has emerged on the national and international scene, to observe what the texts say about it, and to investigate the criteria for effective sexuality education. 

The emergence of sexuality education in the national and international public arena 

In Western Europe and the United States, the late 1960s and 1970s marked the beginning of access to contraceptive methods, particularly the pill, and the legalization of abortion. It was then finally possible to distinguish between reproduction and sexuality, a distinction that led to an unprecedented sexual revolution and wave of female emancipation. It was in this context that the question of sex education for young people began to arise. The debates around contraception and abortion made sex a less taboo subject than before, and it was possible to talk about it in the public arena. These developments also created a distinct period of adolescence, characterized by the gradual emancipation of young people from their parents and the discovery of emotional and sexual relationships. However, this period was also one of high risk of STI transmission and unwanted pregnancy. The need to inform and prevent young people, therefore, became obvious. The onset of the HIV epidemic in the early 1980s reinforced this imperative. 

The 1970s and 1980s thus represent the emergence of a generation that, driven by modern ideals and a new culture, saw the importance of sex education. Although sex education began to develop throughout Western Europe, it was in Sweden that it was made compulsory in schools for the first time in 1995.  

On the international scene, the right to sexual and reproductive health has been recognized since the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. This conference marked a turning point since, for the first time, the importance of the social development of States and the promotion of women’s rights were highlighted. Among the recommendations of the Action plan approved by all the countries present was the provision of reproductive health care, accompanied by information and prevention. It is also the first international policy document to include a definition of reproductive health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system^[4]ASHFORD Lori S., Que s’est-il passé au Caire ? Promesse et réalité de la CIPD, disponible sur https://www.prb.org/quesestilpasseaucaire/ , consulté le 24/01/2021“. The Action plan adopted in Cairo marked the beginning of a global movement for the recognition and implementation of the right to sexuality education. 

An international wave of commitments towards quality sexual and reproductive health education 

Following the Cairo Conference, commitments, pledges and stances in favor of the development of sexuality education increased. The following year, the Beijing Platform for Action included the recommendation to “develop and implement comprehensive, evidence-based and age-appropriate sexuality education programmes and materials, including comprehensive sexuality education programmes, for all adolescents and young people^[5]Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) and outcome documents of subsequent review conferences“, thus underlining the importance of quality sexuality education in the school curriculum. In 1999, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women complemented this mandate by including the elimination of all barriers related to access to education and services: “Ensure the removal of all barriers to women’s access to health services, education and information, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health^[6]Recommandation générale n°24 du CEDAW : article 12 de la Convention (les femmes et la santé). Adoptée à la 20è session du Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination à l’égard des … Continue reading”. 

A decade later, based on available data on sexuality education programmes around the world, UNESCO produced its first report stating that “effective sexuality education is about providing young people with scientifically accurate, culturally relevant and age-appropriate information^[7]UNESCO, Principes directeurs internationaux sur l’éducation à la sexualité. Une approche factuelle à l’intention des établissements scolaires, des enseignants et des professionnels de … Continue reading”. It also outlines the goal of sexuality education as “equipping children and young people with the knowledge, skills and values to make responsible choices about their sexual and social relationships in a world affected by HIV^[8]Id”. Six years later, pledges on measures to combat AIDS were renewed by the UN General Assembly, which committed to “strengthen the capacity of women and adolescent girls to protect themselves from the risk of HIV infection, principally through the provision of health care and services, including sexual and reproductive health, and by ensuring full access to comprehensive information and education^[9]Déclaration Politique sur le VIH et le SIDA : Accélérer la riposte – Intensifier nos efforts pour lutter contre le VIH et mettre fin à l’épidémie de SIDA d’ici à 2030. 2016”. 

In 2015, the ambitions of the Beijing Platform for Action were reiterated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to “achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, information and education^[10]Transformer notre monde : le Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030. Déclaration politique et Objectifs de développement durable, 2015”. Thus, we see the importance of sexuality education highlighted in many international documents, which has contributed to its advancement worldwide and influenced action at the regional level. 

Significant measures and texts at the regional level 

In 1961, the Council of Europe adopted a European Social Charter, Article 11 which mentions “making provision for consultation and education in regard to the improvement of health and the development of a sense of individual responsibility for health^[11]Charte sociale européenne, Conseil de l’Europe, adoptée en 1961. Disponible sur https://rm.coe.int/168007cf94”. In a decision on Croatia in 2009^[12]The Committee had been seized by the association Interights which criticised Croatia for not respecting its commitments on sexuality education. In this decision, the Committee found in favour of the … Continue reading, the European Committee of Social Rights stated that this article commits signatory states to encourage a sense of responsibility in matters of sexuality, for example, and that sex education must necessarily be part of a country’s health education programme. This is a condition for ensuring the effectiveness of the right to health protection^[13]Comité européen des droits sociaux Décision sur le bien-fondé : International Center for the Legal protection of Human Rights (Interights) c. Croatie, récl. n°45/2007,30 mars 2009. 

Latin American and Caribbean countries have demonstrated their commitment to promoting sexuality education by signing the Ministerial Declaration “Educating to Prevent” in 2008. This commits them to implement and strengthen sexuality education and promote sexual health through strategies and inter-state coordination. In Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Peru, sexuality education has even become compulsory. 

In Eastern and Southern Africa, a similar commitment was made in 2013 with the Ministerial Commitment to Comprehensive Sexual Education and Sexual Reproductive Health for adolescents and young people. It prioritises ensuring access to high-quality sexual and reproductive education. UNAIDS^[14]United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the African Union also recognised sexuality education as one of the five major tools for combating HIV transmission in Africa in 2015. 

In 2013, at the International Conference on Population and Development in Asia and the Pacific, countries emphasised ensuring sexuality education for all, especially the most marginalised and poorest populations. 

This increase in international and regional literature and commitments has encouraged states to expand their provision of sexuality education. However, there is often a significant gap between policy at the global level and implementation at the local level. Where sexuality education is optional or semi-compulsory, many young people do not have access to it. For this reason, several international documents have been written to advocate for compulsory sex education in schools for all children and young people. 

The international consensus is that children and young people should be the main recipients of sexuality education 

While it is necessary for all people, regardless of age, to have access to sexual and reproductive health information, it is only reasonable that children and young people be the primary targets of sexuality education policies. As expressed in a WHO Europe report, international standards and recommendations state that sexuality education should start from childhood and continue through adolescence to adulthood^[15]WHO Regional Office for Europe and BZgA, Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe. A framework for policy makers, educational and health authorities and specialists, Cologne 2010. For example, UNESCO’s International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education proposes that young people should have sessions from the age of 5 until the age of 18^[16]UNESCO, Principes directeurs internationaux sur l’éducation à la sexualité. Une approche factuelle, 2018. 

The reason for targeting this age group is that the best possible precaution in matters of sexual and reproductive health is considered to be before the onset of sexual life; children and adolescents are therefore naturally given priority. Beginning sexuality education at such an early age also enables children to identify and report inappropriate behavior, including child abuse, and to develop healthy attitudes towards their bodies and relationships. The International Committee on the Rights of the Child has taken this position and emphasises the need to provide children with sufficiently early information “to enable them to deal with their sexuality in a responsible manner^[17]Comité des Droits de l’enfant, ONU, Observation générale n°3 (2003) : “Le VIH/SIDA et les droits de l’enfant”, 17 mars 2003”. 

In a general comment in 2016, the same Committee also reiterated the importance of adolescents having access to sexuality education: “The Committee urges States to adopt comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policies for adolescents that take into account gender and sexuality issues, and stresses that unequal access to sexual and reproductive health information, commodities and services for adolescents is discriminatory. Lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services contributes to making adolescent girls the group most at risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth or contracting serious, sometimes lifelong, conditions^[18]Comité des droits de l’enfant. Observation générale n°20 sur la mise en œuvre des droits de l’enfant pendant l’adolescence, 2016“. 

Sex education, should therefore be provided in schools and on compulsory basis 

Today, primary education is compulsory in almost every country in the world, with 92% of children having access to it^[19]Observatoire des inégalités, La scolarisation des enfants progresse dans le monde, 20 novembre 2020, making it an appropriate and optimum time for the first sessions of sexuality education as a large number of people will be affected. The UNESCO report on the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education adds that “to enter adulthood, they [children] need to be informed and equipped with the knowledge and skills to make responsible choices about their social and sexual lives^[20]UNESCO, Principes directeurs internationaux sur l’éducation à la sexualité. Une approche factuelle, 2018”, which is the role of the school. In addition, young people often start their sexual lives while they are still in school, which means that we cannot wait until they are out of the school system to be provided with the most basic information. 

Nonetheless, this means building quality curricula and training education staff. This was already emphasised by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1999 when it stated in a general recommendation that sex education should be “provided by appropriately trained personnel in the form of curricula developed for this purpose^[21]Recommandation générale n°24 du CEDAW : article 12 de la Convention (les femmes et la santé). Adoptée à la 20è session du Comité pour l’élimination de la discrimination à l’égard de … Continue reading”. In 2009, in a conclusion addressed to Croatia, the European Committee of Social Rights took up this idea and insisted on three essential points, i.e. to include health education in the school curriculum, to train teachers and to ensure continuity of this training^[22]Comité européen des droits sociaux, Décision sur le bien-fondé : International Center for the Legal protection of Human Rights (Interights) c. Croatie, récl. n°45/2007,30 mars 2009. The Human Rights Council also stipulates that the quality of school curricula must be such that “States should design and implement comprehensive and evidence-based educational programmes and materials, including in the area of sexuality education^[23]Conseil des droits de l’homme. Intensification de l’action menée à l’égard des femmes : associer les hommes et les garçons à la prévention de la violence contre toutes les femmes et … Continue reading”. 

Thus, to be effective and widely disseminated, sexuality education must be compulsory in schools and addressed to children and adolescents. If in view of the arguments set out, this seems logical, the encouraging results of the impact of sex education are there to prove it. 

A proven track record of positive impact 

Sex education has many virtues and several surveys have shown that it is highly effective in combating phenomena such as HIV, and unwanted pregnancies, and in raising the age of first sexual intercourse. 

A 2014 survey showed that sex education programmes helped to increase knowledge about HIV, promote better condom use and effectiveness, increase contraceptive use, explain the concept of consent and delay first sexual experiences^[24]FONNER Virginia et al., School Based Sex Education and HIV Prevention in Low -and Middle- Income Countries : a systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Plos One, 2014. In 2016, another survey in Europe, the United States, Nigeria and Mexico revealed the importance of sex education in reducing early and unwanted pregnancies^[25]ORINGANJE Chioma et al., Les interventions pour prévenir les grossesses non désirées chez les adolescents, 3 février 2016. Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, a researcher at the University of Windsor, conducted a study of nearly 6,000 students in Kenya who had received sex education classes. The study found that the classes helped to delay the age of first intercourse and increase condom use among those already sexually active^[26]MATICKA-TYNDALE Eleanor, Sustainability of gains made in a primary school HIV prevention programme in Kenya into the secondary school years, Journal of Adolescence, Volume 33, pages 563-573, Août … Continue reading. 

Contrary to what is often thought, sex education does not lead to earlier sexual activity; this is also shown by a 2015 UNESCO report^[27]UNESCO, Emerging Evidence, Lessons and Practice Comprehensive Sexuality Education, a global review, 2015. The Report on the prevention and management of teenage pregnancies written by Michèle Uzan shows that clear and complete sexuality education allows for a reduction in the rate of abortion among minors^[28]UZAN Michèle, Rapport sur la prévention et la prise en charge des grossesses des adolescentes, Secrétariat d’Etat à la Santé, janvier 1998. Finally, a 2014 survey by Elaine Unterhalter, Professor of Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University of London, among others, shows that sexuality education helps to develop self-confidence, a necessary factor in delaying the age of first sexual intercourse and promoting the use of contraception^[29]UNTERHALTER Elaine et al., Girls’ education and gender equality Education Rigorous Literature Review, Juin 2014. 

The situation in the United Kingdom can attest to this. Until about 20 years ago, the country had a very high rate of early pregnancy, whereas the rate was rather low in the rest of Western Europe. To address this, the UK government introduced the National Teenage Pregnancy Strategy which aimed to promote the use of contraception through better sex education and access to health services. The rate of teenage pregnancies among under-18s fell by 56% between 1998 and 2013^[30]UNESCO, Emerging Evidence, Lessons and Practice Comprehensive Sexuality Education, a global review, 2015. 

A global youth agenda today 

The emergence of the issue of sexuality education has helped to launch a global political movement on this subject. In recent years, the right to receive sexuality education has been demanded by young people, who have become the voice of this issue on the international stage. In Mali in 2011, around 150 young HIV activists from all over the world came together to form an international youth summit. Their goal was to unite young people in the fight against HIV and to create a new generation of leadership on the issue. The participants agreed on strategies for action to fight the virus in a new way. The result was a call to action for youth around the world and for leaders in different countries to advance the fight. 

The following year in Bali, the International Youth Forum was held to formulate recommendations for the UN Post-2015 Agenda. Sexuality education was included. It was stated that the international community, governments, NGOs, the public and private sectors and civil society should work together to ensure that adolescents are aware of their right to sexual health. It also stated that governments must create laws and environments to make quality sex education accessible to all. In the context of the consultations on the Post-2015 Agenda, the young people of the “Have you seen my rights” coalition recommended sexuality education for all. They wanted young people’s sexual and reproductive rights to be better represented and protected by the new Sustainable Development Goals, which were validated by the United Nations. 

Conclusion 

Today, despite the desire to advance sexuality education on the international stage, national implementation is still challenging. Some populations continue to lack even the most basic information about sexual and reproductive health. Thus, establishing sexuality education programmes and promoting universal access to sexual health care services remains a major struggle. However, the global momentum and support from the youth movement are strong factors in overcoming this challenge. 

Sexuality education now addresses issues of gender, power relations and human rights, making it even more important and useful. Through their sex education classes, young people are encouraged to look critically at their environment and behaviour and to promote gender equality. The High Council for Equality mentions in its report on sex education that it is “one of the best tools for dealing with the consequences of the system of patriarchal domination^[31]LAURANT Françoise, COLLET Margaux, Rapport relatif à l’éducation à la sexualité. Répondre aux attentes des jeunes, construire une société d’égalité femmes-hommes, Haut Conseil à … Continue reading“. Beyond being a public health necessity, sex education is a way to advance equality between women and men and between different sexualities. 

Sources  

Reports 

BARBIERI Davide et al., Gender Equality Index 2017 : Measuring gender equality in the European Union 2005-2015, European Institute for Gender Equality, 2017 

LAURANT Françoise, COLLET Margaux, Rapport relatif à l’éducation à la sexualité. Répondre aux attentes des jeunes, construire une société d’égalité femmes-hommes, Haut Conseil à l’Egalité, Rapport n°2016-06-13-SAN-021, 13 juin 2016. 

LIENART Laetitia, ICASA 2011, Evaluation Report : 16th International Conference on AIDS & STIs in Africa, Society for AIDS in Africa, 2011. 

UNESCO, Emerging Evidence, Lessons and Practice Comprehensive Sexuality Education, a global review, 2015 

UNESCO, Principes directeurs internationaux sur l’éducation à la sexualité. Une approche factuelle à l’intention des établissements scolaires, des enseignants et des professionnels de l’éducation à la santé, 2010. 

UNESCO, Principes directeurs internationaux sur l’éducation à la sexualité. Une approche factuelle, 2018 

UZAN Michèle, Rapport sur la prévention et la prise en charge des grossesses des adolescentes, Secrétariat d’Etat à la Santé, janvier 1998. 

WHO Regional Office for Europe and BZgA, Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe. A framework for policy makers, educational and health authorities and specialists, Cologne 2010. 

Articles 

ASHFORD Lori S., “Que s’est-il passé au Caire ? Promesse et réalité de la CIPD“, disponible sur https://www.prb.org/quesestilpasseaucaire/ , consulté le 24/01/2021 

FONNER Virginia et al., School Based Sex Education and HIV Prevention in Low -and Middle- Income Countries : a systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Plos One, 2014 

GRUNDLER Tatiana, ROMAN Diane, “L’éducation sexuelle devant le Comité européen des droits sociaux : entre protection de la santé et lutte contre les discriminations (Comité européen des droits sociaux, 30 mars 2009, International Center for the Legal protection of Human Rights (Interights) c. Croatie, ré n°45/2007)“, Revue trimestrielle des droits de l’Homme, Editions Nemesis, 2010. 

International Women’s health Coalition, “Colombo Declaration on Youth : Mainstreaming Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda”, 10 mai 2014, disponible sur https://iwhc.org/resources/colombo-declaration-youth-mainstreaming-youth-post-2015-development-agenda/#:~:text=The%20Colombo%20Declaration%20is%20the,jointly%20negotiate%20a%20single%20outcome , consulté le 24/01/2021. 

LAUSBERG Sylvie, “L’Éducation à la vie relationnelle, Affective et Sexuelle (EVRAS) dans le système éducatif francophone de Belgique“, Centre d’Action Laïque, 2012 

MATICKA-TYNDALE Eleanor, “Sustainability of gains made in a primary school HIV prevention programme in Kenya into the secondary school years“, Journal of Adolescence, Volume 33, Août 2010, pp. 563-573, 

ORINGANJE Chioma et al., Les interventions pour prévenir les grossesses non désirées chez les adolescents, 3 février 2016. 

UNAIDS, “African leaders reaffirm commitment to the AIDS response and women’s empowerment“, 11, fév. 2015, disponible sur https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2015/february/20150211_africanleaders , consulté le 24/01/2021. 

UNAIDS, “Mali welcomes new generation of leaders for AIDS response”, 15 avr. 2015, disponible sur https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2011/april/20110415aprmaliyouthsummit , consulté le 24/01/2021. 

UNAIDS, “Young people convene in Mali to revolutionize the AIDS response”, 15 avr. 2011, disponible sur https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2011/april/20110415amali , consulté le 24/01/2021. 

UNTERHALTER Elaine et al., Girls’ education and gender equality Education Rigorous Literature Review, Juin 2014. 

International Documents 

Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies, Déclaration politique sur le VIH et le SIDA : accélérer la riposte pour lutter contre le VIH et mettre fin à l’épidémie de sida d’ici 2030, Résolution n°70/266 adoptée le 8 juin 2016. 

Charte sociale européenne, Conseil de l’Europe, adoptée en 1961. Disponible sur https://rm.coe.int/168007cf94 

Comité des Droits de l’enfant, ONU, Observation générale n°3 (2003) : “Le VIH/SIDA et les droits de l’enfant”, 17 mars 2003 

Comité européen des droits sociaux, Décision sur le bien-fondé : International Center for the Legal protection of Human Rights (Interights) c. Croatie, ré n°45/2007,30 mars 2009 

International Conference on Population and Development beyond 2014 and ONU, Bali Global Youth Forum Declaration, 2012 

World Conference on Youth 2014, Colombo Declaration on Youth, 21 mars 2014 

To quote this article: Lola FAVRE, “Education sexuelle: la progressive conquête d’un droit fondamental grâce à une revendication planétaire et à un engagement dans les textes internationaux”, 03.03.2021, Gender in Geopolitics Institute  

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