Africa: Tell US More - Children Call for Sex Education

[Guest guest]

Dakar — Children in sub-Saharan Africa want to know more about sex

and how to protect themselves from HIV, but taboos surrounding

children's sexuality can mean life-saving information is kept from

them, according to an international NGO.

Children in the region say they need access to sex education that is

comprehensive, practical, and free from moral judgment, according to

the report Tell Me More! by Save the Children Sweden (SC-S). The NGO

researched children's views on sexuality, sex education, HIV

prevention approaches and sexual identity in nine sub-Saharan African

countries.

" Adults think we're too young to know anything about sexuality. They

don't explain things clearly. They don't want to give the information

to children, " Carine Hlomador, a 15-year-old AIDS activist from Togo,

told IRIN during the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in

Africa (ICASA) in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

With nearly 1,800 new infections every day among children under 15

worldwide, some through sexual activity, sex education for children

is vital to prevent the spread of HIV, Save the Children says in its

report, released on 1 December.

Right to information

The 2001 UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS states that young

people aged 15-24 should have access to information and services to

protect themselves from HIV infection, and aimed to reach 90 percent

of youths by 2005.

But three years past that target only 40 per cent of young men and 36

percent of young women worldwide are armed with accurate knowledge on

HIV prevention, according to a 2008 UN report.

Under-15s are not targeted at all, despite more than 10 percent of

interviewees between 15 and 19 claiming to have had sex under the age

of 15, according to Amé , SC-S programme manager in Dakar.

" Children under 15 have been largely ignored in HIV/AIDS prevention

education programmes, because talking about children's sexuality is

taboo, " said.

Taboos around children's sexuality also mean that little is known

about children aged 7 to 14, according to Save the Children. " There

is clearly a need - if not a moral obligation - for studies [on these

age groups], " the report concludes, adding that children are being

exposed to HIV from a young age, becoming sexually active early and

developing their own strategies to protect themselves.

Studies show that children with access to accurate information tend

to delay having sex for the first time. " It is the children who don't

have the information who try to discover what it is all about, " SC-

S's said.

is convinced that suppressing children's sexuality can only

make things worse: " If we say nothing is happening at adolescence, we

are deluding ourselves. If we look the other way and put our head in

the sand, children will look for information in the media which is

not always a good source. "

Bayala Rodrigue, 16, of Côte d'Ivoire, told IRIN adults would be

wrong to avoid the subject. " In Africa, adults say there is an age

after which you can teach sexuality to children. But there is no age

limit. You think you know your child, but in reality you don't. On

the street you don't know what he or she is learning. "

Why the taboo

The silence surrounding children's sexuality in some sub-Saharan

countries comes partly from adults' unease with the subject, says

Anta Fall Diagne, programme officer for reproductive health at the

Population Council, an international NGO working on reproductive

health in Senegal.

" It is adults, policymakers and ministers who are afraid of [talking

about it]. The youth themselves are open about their problems. "

Religion also plays a significant role, she said. People are

reluctant to talk to children about sexuality in societies where sex

outside of marriage is frowned upon.

But Fall said: " One thing is sure - many of them [youths] have a sex

life. Another thing is sure - they have problems with their sex

lives. Thirdly, they do not have the right information to deal with

these problems. "

Better sex education in schools

Children surveyed by SC-S who do receive sex education in schools

said that it is often negative, contradictory and too focused on

biology. Instead children want knowledge that is relevant to their

situation and the skills to negotiate prevention methods in a

relationship.

" You've told me to protect myself, " Rodrigue of Côte d'Ivoire

said. " OK, I know that you put the condom on the penis. But there are

other things to negotiate. We need more realistic information. "

The report also found that teachers are often unprepared to openly

discuss issues of sexuality with children and frequently take a

moralistic and negative stance.

" Teachers don't seem to want to open the debate to allow children to

express themselves, talk about what's happening to them and find

solutions for their problems, " Souadou Ndoye, a 17 year-old

Senegalese student, told IRIN.

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United

Nations ]

[Guest guest]

Dakar — Children in sub-Saharan Africa want to know more about sex

and how to protect themselves from HIV, but taboos surrounding

children's sexuality can mean life-saving information is kept from

them, according to an international NGO.

Children in the region say they need access to sex education that is

comprehensive, practical, and free from moral judgment, according to

the report Tell Me More! by Save the Children Sweden (SC-S). The NGO

researched children's views on sexuality, sex education, HIV

prevention approaches and sexual identity in nine sub-Saharan African

countries.

" Adults think we're too young to know anything about sexuality. They

don't explain things clearly. They don't want to give the information

to children, " Carine Hlomador, a 15-year-old AIDS activist from Togo,

told IRIN during the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in

Africa (ICASA) in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

With nearly 1,800 new infections every day among children under 15

worldwide, some through sexual activity, sex education for children

is vital to prevent the spread of HIV, Save the Children says in its

report, released on 1 December.

Right to information

The 2001 UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS states that young

people aged 15-24 should have access to information and services to

protect themselves from HIV infection, and aimed to reach 90 percent

of youths by 2005.

But three years past that target only 40 per cent of young men and 36

percent of young women worldwide are armed with accurate knowledge on

HIV prevention, according to a 2008 UN report.

Under-15s are not targeted at all, despite more than 10 percent of

interviewees between 15 and 19 claiming to have had sex under the age

of 15, according to Amé , SC-S programme manager in Dakar.

" Children under 15 have been largely ignored in HIV/AIDS prevention

education programmes, because talking about children's sexuality is

taboo, " said.

Taboos around children's sexuality also mean that little is known

about children aged 7 to 14, according to Save the Children. " There

is clearly a need - if not a moral obligation - for studies [on these

age groups], " the report concludes, adding that children are being

exposed to HIV from a young age, becoming sexually active early and

developing their own strategies to protect themselves.

Studies show that children with access to accurate information tend

to delay having sex for the first time. " It is the children who don't

have the information who try to discover what it is all about, " SC-

S's said.

is convinced that suppressing children's sexuality can only

make things worse: " If we say nothing is happening at adolescence, we

are deluding ourselves. If we look the other way and put our head in

the sand, children will look for information in the media which is

not always a good source. "

Bayala Rodrigue, 16, of Côte d'Ivoire, told IRIN adults would be

wrong to avoid the subject. " In Africa, adults say there is an age

after which you can teach sexuality to children. But there is no age

limit. You think you know your child, but in reality you don't. On

the street you don't know what he or she is learning. "

Why the taboo

The silence surrounding children's sexuality in some sub-Saharan

countries comes partly from adults' unease with the subject, says

Anta Fall Diagne, programme officer for reproductive health at the

Population Council, an international NGO working on reproductive

health in Senegal.

" It is adults, policymakers and ministers who are afraid of [talking

about it]. The youth themselves are open about their problems. "

Religion also plays a significant role, she said. People are

reluctant to talk to children about sexuality in societies where sex

outside of marriage is frowned upon.

But Fall said: " One thing is sure - many of them [youths] have a sex

life. Another thing is sure - they have problems with their sex

lives. Thirdly, they do not have the right information to deal with

these problems. "

Better sex education in schools

Children surveyed by SC-S who do receive sex education in schools

said that it is often negative, contradictory and too focused on

biology. Instead children want knowledge that is relevant to their

situation and the skills to negotiate prevention methods in a

relationship.

" You've told me to protect myself, " Rodrigue of Côte d'Ivoire

said. " OK, I know that you put the condom on the penis. But there are

other things to negotiate. We need more realistic information. "

The report also found that teachers are often unprepared to openly

discuss issues of sexuality with children and frequently take a

moralistic and negative stance.

" Teachers don't seem to want to open the debate to allow children to

express themselves, talk about what's happening to them and find

solutions for their problems, " Souadou Ndoye, a 17 year-old

Senegalese student, told IRIN.

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United

Nations ]