Comprehensive sexuality education

Published 8/8/2024

Updated 8/8/2024

Comprehensive sexuality education is an important part of the learning journey that provides children and young people with the knowledge and values they need to make positive decisions about their sexuality, relationships and future. Comprehensive sexuality education is curriculum-based teaching covering a broad range of sexualities, including rights and equal worth. Children and young people may receive sexuality education in school and in both formal and informal settings. Sexuality education can be included as an interdisciplinary topic, as an individual subject or a dedicated subject. Delivering sexuality education can be challenging in many countries and contexts as it is a sensitive topic that faces coordinated resistance from various opposition groups. It is therefore crucial that the work is evidence-based and that activities are adapted for different contexts.

What

Comprehensive sexuality education is curriculum-based teaching about cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects related to sexuality and aims to provide children and young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will enable them to protect their own health, welfare and dignity and develop positive relationships. It also provides them with awareness of how their own choices affect themselves and others and how they can safeguard their own rights. Sexuality education can be included as an interdisciplinary topic, as an individual subject or a dedicated subject. Comprehensive sexuality education is therefore a central part of support to education, since a good education needs to prepare children and young people for the future.

The work with comprehensive sexuality education in schools consists of including this in various topics in the curriculum and syllabus and developing programmes to train teachers to deliver evidence-based and quality-assured sexuality education in the classroom. It is also important to work with comprehensive sexuality education in an evidence-based manner. This involves supporting different types of studies and research projects and obtaining adequate, quality-assured data to meet the opposing and coordinated resistance against the right to learn about your own body, sexuality, rights and how to relate to other children and young people. SDG 4 states that pupils and students must be able to acquire the skills to promote human rights, equality and contribute to sustainable development. This includes comprehensive sexuality education.

Why

The term “sexuality education” can be considered sensitive in many contexts and may lead to unfortunate associations. Terms such as “life skills education”, “family education”, etc. are therefore often used at national level. A more flexible use of the term may be beneficial but this also entails a risk of the concept and discipline being diluted.

The arguments against comprehensive sexuality education are largely based on a belief that it will encourage sexual activity among young people and that parents should be responsible for educating their children about the topics covered in comprehensive sexuality education. There is also resistance to LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer), gender equality and sexual and reproductive rights being covered in sexuality education. Topics that are considered “culturally inappropriate” can lead to major controversy and reverse progress. Some opposition groups spread misinformation and claim that comprehensive sexuality education teaches children to be sexually active. Together with safe abortion and gender identity, sex education is a very sensitive topic in international negotiations and references to the term CSE (comprehensive sexuality education) can be problematic.

The development of sexuality education programmes has had a positive impact in many countries (UNESCO 2023). It is important to ensure that sexuality education programmes are transparent and that what schools are trying to achieve through such teaching and the content taught in schools is well understood. This is necessary to ensure support from the local community and to include decision-makers such as politicians and religious leaders. Sexuality education can have a positive impact on the reduction of teen pregnancy, thereby reducing dropouts from school which can be viewed as an effective approach by the national education authorities in improving girls’ education.

How

The main channels for Norwegian support to comprehensive sexuality education are UNESCO and UNFPA. UNESCO primarily works on comprehensive sexuality education in schools, while UNFPA does so outside of schools. Norad also supports comprehensive sexuality education through core funding for several multilateral organisations and funds, such as the Global Partnership for Education, UNAIDS, Global Financing Facility and the Robert Carr Fund, among others. Norway also supports comprehensive sexuality education through civil society partners such as Save the Children, Plan, Norwegian Church Aid, Sex og Politikk and SAIH.

Where

Most of our funding goes to countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We do not earmark funding for countries, but we support our partners’ strategies. Nevertheless, some funding is provided via embassies, such as funding to UNESCO in Malawi.

Contact details

For further information, please contact the Section for Education and Research