“Unfortunately, the figures on condom use among young people speak for themselves: during casual sexual encounters, it is continuing to decline,” explains Suzanne Meijer, programme manager for Young People at Soa Aids Nederland. “We see that young people lack a solid foundation in sex education, which means they are insufficiently prepared when they become sexually active. Investing in sustained classroom attention to relationships and sexuality throughout a young person’s entire school career more than pays off in confident, sexually healthy young people.”
Rutgers researcher Marianne Cense adds: “Together with young people, we investigated what they want from sex education. They feel that they currently receive far too few lessons. ‘There is too much focus on ovaries and too little on diversity, pleasure and relationships,’ was the general feeling. Precisely when young people themselves begin relationships and have sex, in the upper years of secondary school, they no longer receive any sex education! That is why we advocate a continuous learning pathway, with broad attention to sexuality, identity, relationships and resilience.”
Attention to sexuality reduces the risk of STIs and pregnancy
Sex education goes far beyond conveying knowledge about the body and reproduction. It is about promoting sexually healthy behaviour in the broadest sense, addressing topics such as resilience, communication with your partner, sexual diversity and treating one another with respect. Attention to love, sex and relationships among students reduces the risk of STIs, boundary violations and unintended (teenage) pregnancies.