DATE:

LOCATION: Malaga

Comprehensive sex education (CSE) is a sex education instruction method based on curriculum that aims to give students the knowledge, attitudes, skills and values to make appropriate and healthy choices in their sexual lives. Sex education is high quality teaching and learning about a broad variety of topics related to sex and sexuality, exploring values and beliefs about those topics and gaining the skills that are needed to navigate relationships and manage one’s own sexual health. CSE is a program that starts in kindergarten and continues through high school. It brings up age-appropriate sexuality topics and covers the broad spectrum of sex education, in order to achieve a state specific sexual and reproductive health and also a satisfactory state of general health, both physical and emotional. Sex education shouldn’t only be about having “the talk.” Instead, it should be a series of open conversations over the course of many years. Sexual education is usually incorporated into various compulsory courses, mainly as part of biology lessons (in lower grades) and later in a course related to general health issues. Studies have found that comprehensive sex education is more effective than receiving no instruction and/or those who receive abstinence-only instruction. Acknowledging that people may engage in premarital sex rather than ignoring it allows educators to give the students the necessary information to safely navigate their future sexual lives. A review of school-based sexuality education programmes has demonstrated positive effect of CSE as increased HIV knowledge, increased self-efficacy related to condom use and refusing sex, increased contraception and condom use, a reduced number of sexual partners and later initiation of first sexual intercourse. Young people’s access to CSE is grounded in internationally recognized human rights, which require governments to guarantee the overall protection of health, well-being and dignity, as per the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and specifically to guarantee the provision of unbiased, scientifically accurate sexuality education.

In Spain, for several years there are sex education programs in schools and other initiatives to bring this information to adolescents, according to the Law on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Affective-sexual education is included in the curriculum of the Spanish educational system from Primary to Secondary. Law of comprehensive protection against discrimination due to sexual and gender diversity obliges public and private schools to educate their students about sexual protection and diversity. Since 1994, the Andalusian Youth Institute, through the Sexual Information Telephone, provides information and advice to Andalusian youth on sexuality issues. The Ministry of Health implements a program of “health promotion and prevention” in educational centers -both public and private and private-. It covers from three years to the students of secondary education, with five lines of approach: food and healthy hygiene habits; physical activity; emotional well-being; prevention of addictions and sexual affective education. Spanish students receive continuous and varied workshops on sexuality in all courses. They are internal activities, within the educational center itself, with the training given in class by their own teachers who previously trained by doctors and sex educators. Another useful tool that is used is to teach CSE through the games. In these workshops, the quality of the relationship that can be achieved is even more important than the messages that are given. Children can learn to express their fears and concerns as well. With the educational materials developed by the Institute of Sexology and the Delegation of Youth, students learn under an alternative prism of sexuality. Through the online games it is proposed to promote gender equality, promote health and educate in values with the aim of promoting a healthy and pleasant sexuality, influencing the development of self-esteem, of egalitarian interpersonal relationships, responsibility and health.