Summer is here and school is out—but sexual development and education continue. As kids start their summer holidays, it is a good time for parents, guardians, and teachers alike to reflect on their children’s education, which should always include comprehensive sexuality education as a core part of their learning journey.
I am an advocate for an every day, open, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and see any adult who plays a significant role in a child’s life as a potential comprehensive sexuality educator. But, at the same time, these potential educators (as well as the children they are educating) need the right tools.
It is somewhat of a cliché to write about how awful your sexual education was. Mine was not the worst, but it definitely needed some improvement in terms of a more holistic and inclusive approach. As an adult who is interested in the world of sex, sexuality, and education, it is clear to me that sexuality education ought to become a vital part of a child’s upbringing, and that CSE has potential to truly make an impact both in the world of sexuality education and in the world more generally.
What is Sexuality Education and why should it be Comprehensive?
Sexuality education, as defined by the Sexuality Information Council of the United States (SIECUS) is:
“Sexuality education is a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values about such important topics as identity, relationships, and intimacy. (...) all people have the right to comprehensive sexuality education that addresses the socio-cultural, biological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of sexuality by providing information; exploring feelings, values, and attitudes; and developing communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills.”
As this definition explains, sexuality education encompasses various parts of sexual development and identity that go beyond the biological process of coitus and pregnancy. There are multiple factors that make up sexuality—which children have the right to know. Moreover, SIECUS agrees that while parents are the primary sexuality educators, “faith-based institutions, community-based organizations, and schools” are hugely important, too.
Beyond that, the adults who play significant roles in a child’s life can also be magnificent sexuality educators, specifically when these adult-child relationships are supportive and open. In the book Going Beyond 'The Talk': Relationships and Sexuality Education for those Supporting 12 -18-year-Olds, authors Sanderijn van der Doef, Clare Bennett, and Arris Lueks argue that children often experience a healthier sexual development if they feel unconditionally loved, safe, and appreciated. Van der Doef, Bennett, and Lueks also believe that sexuality education should be conducted in the form of “continuous communication,” encouraging a warm and constant sexuality education throughout a child’s life stages.
There is considerable variation in the understanding of what makes CSE ‘comprehensive’. For example, CSE in the 2009 UNESCO’s technical guidance was defined as “age-appropriate, culturally relevant approach to teaching about sexuality and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, non-judgmental information.” Elsewhere, the United Nations Population Fund defined it as “a rights-based and gender-focused approach to sexuality education” for young people. These two distinct definitions of CSE highlight the different points educators can focus on when promoting a comprehensive sexuality education, which allows for flexibility and adaptability but may also lead to confusion and lack of consistency in CSE.
Gacoin and Miedema et al. argue that these different interpretations of CSE are due to the fact that sexuality education is politicized. Miedema et al. explore this through identifying the four core components of CSE, which are: (1) rights, participation, and agency; (2) sexual and reproductive health (SRH)-related concerns; (3) gender equality and power; and (4) positive sexualities and respectful relationships. Furthermore, they state that these four components are focused on and applied through different actors, cultures, and perspectives—which therefore results in the word ‘comprehensive’ taking on different meanings in different scenarios. For example, according to Miedema et al., ‘comprehensive’ in the 2009 UNESCO’s technical guidance focuses on “making reference to sexuality, relationships and cultural relevance,” whereas the United Nations Population Fund emphasizes “rights and gender.” The ‘comprehensive’ in CSE is thus a fluid concept that encapsulates the four main components of CSE and emphasizes them to varying extents.
Why CSE and how can we apply it at home and in schools?
Comprehensive Sexuality Education has been confirmed through evidence to be one of the most effective ways to promote sexual health. It recognizes the reality that sexual development starts from a young age, and starts with the assumption that all young people have the right to be well-informed about their sexualities.
Some of the biggest issues related to sex and sexuality education come from the lack of tools possessed by potential sexuality educators such as parents and teachers, as well as the worry that what is being taught is not age-appropriate. However, CSE resources exist in order to combat these issues.
First, there are various CSE books aimed at parents to help understand how to implement CSE into their everyday parenting. Books like Can I Have Babies Too? Sexuality and Relationships: Education for Children from Infancy Up to Age 11 and the aforementioned Going Beyond 'The Talk': Relationships and Sexuality Education for Those Supporting 12 -18 Year Olds (both by van der Doef, Bennett, and Lueks) are incredibly accessible and useful texts aimed at cultivating an everyday, open, and warm communication between potential sexual educators and young people. By cultivating this kind of communication and engagement in and out of the classroom, young people gain access to a greater, more positive, and well-informed sexuality education.
The second worry is that what is being taught to young people is not “age-appropriate,” especially because of the politicization of CSE (and both sexuality and education in general) in the last few years. However, CSE resources have been created in order to make sure that parents, teachers, and other sexuality educators are aware of what is and is not age appropriate for young people. One specific resource is called the ‘traffic light system’, which helps sexuality educators understand what sexual behaviors are age-appropriate and which ones aren’t, with green meaning appropriate and healthy behavior and red meaning inappropriate and harmful behavior.
For example, a parent may be worried about their 9 year-old’s growing need for privacy and acts of touching known peers. With the traffic light resource, they can simply scroll down to their child’s age and check what is healthy and what is harmful. These two examples are categorized as ‘GREEN’, so the parent or guardian ought to provide opportunities to talk, explain, and support, but need not be alarmed. However, if they were worried about their 9-year-old’s persistent explicit talk or accessing age-restricted materials, these are categorized as ‘ORANGE’, requiring monitoring and extra support.
Furthermore, the ‘age-appropriateness’ of the knowledge that is being taught to children is assessed by sexual education and child development professionals to ensure that it is is up-to-date and accessible. Two reputable resources for up-to-date information about CSE are the World Health Organization and UNESCO.
Let’s make sexuality education better for everyone!
When I first learned about CSE, I found myself wishing that it had been part of my sexuality education journey. Its positive and open approach is something that I truly believe is (and has been confirmed to be) very beneficial and useful for not only the children being educated, but for their educators too. Additionally, embracing the inclusive and empowering principles of CSE not only benefits not only individual learners and educators, but also holds the potential to transform sexuality education at an international level. The implementation of CSE in various regions—including Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa—demonstrates the far-reaching impact it can have in fostering a comprehensive and progressive approach to sexuality education worldwide.
Written by Alicia Caldentey Langley (she/they).