Comprehensive Sexuality Education: international landscape

Nowadays, many countries around the world are acknowledging the importance of developing and carrying out educational programmes that address human rights issues such as gender equality and the eradication of gender-based violence. These programmes also aim at equipping children and adolescents with knowledge and skills to make responsible choices in relation to their physical and emotional well-being and their relationship with others. Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programmes are clear examples of this aim as they integrate sexuality, gender and citizenship, and incorporate them across the school curriculum.

CSE is an explicit empowerment and rights-based approach to sexuality education. It is key to understand that sexuality involves not only biological aspects but also psychological, social, affective and ethical ones. This type of education involves the analysis of family life, relationships, culture and gender roles. It also addresses human rights, gender equality, bodily autonomy and threats such as discrimination, abuse and sexual violence. (UNFPA, 2021)

According to UNESCO (2018), CSE is based on gender equality and it aims at building awareness of the centrality and diversity of gender in people’s lives. More specifically, CSE is: scientifically accurate: it is based on facts and evidence related to sexual health and relationships (SHR), sexuality and behaviours. incremental: it is a continuing educational process in which new information builds upon previous learning. age and developmentally appropriate: its content is responsive to the changing needs and capabilities of students as they grow. based on gender equality: it contributes to gender equality by building awareness of the centrality and diversity of gender in people’s lives. culturally relevant and context appropriate: it fosters respect and responsibility within relationships, helping students to examine and challenge norms and socially and culturally constructed behaviours. This means that even though CSE is integral, each region or country will place the focus on their needs, which are socially and culturally constructed. Thus, CSE in Argentina is seen from a gender and rights perspective and starts as early as kindergarten, while in other countries in Latin America, such as Ecuador, the focus is on health and sexuality and is dealt with mostly in secondary schools. In other regions, like sub-Saharan countries, CSE is mostly related to violence against children, child marriage and STI (sexually transmitted infections). In Ghana, CSE is taught under Management in Living, a popular course for girls but not for boys, limiting boys’ access to CSE. transformative: it contributes to the formation of a fair society by empowering people, promoting critical thinking and strengthening young people’s citizenship. It builds the skills and attitudes that enable students to treat others with respect and empathy, regardless of their race, social or economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. key for the development of life skills needed to support healthy choices: this includes the ability to reflect and make informed decisions, communicate and negotiate effectively and demonstrate assertiveness.

In Argentina, the National Law Nº 26,150 or Comprehensive Sexuality Education Law was passed in 2006 (Congreso de la Nación Argentina 2006). The law establishes the right of all students to receive CSE in all educational institutions, both private and state-run, and incorporates UNESCO’s definition of sexuality which, as we mentioned before, involves biological, psychological, social, affective and ethical aspects. Following this, sexuality is a complex social construct as well as a subjective experience and it cannot be understood without reference to gender and diversity.

Before Law Nº 26,150, Sexuality Education was included in the curriculum but was limited to topics such as anatomy, reproduction and sexually transmitted infections. After this law was passed, the focus shifted to equipping students with tools to develop critical thinking skills and make informed decisions not only about their sexual health but also about other aspects of their lives. Since the CSE law came into being in 2006, the Argentine legal landscape has been enriched with a series of laws that advance human rights, such as Law Nº 26,485 (Protection of women against violence), Law Nº 26,618 (Equal marriage), Law Nº 26,743 (Gender identity) and Law Nº 27,610 (Voluntary termination of pregnancy), among others. This legislation broadens the scope of CSE and opens up the door to new topics to be dealt with in the classroom.

In 2008, the Federal Council of Education introduced the National Curricular Guidelines, which suggest CSE topics for different school subjects or areas and strategies for each educational level. Additionally, the CSE programme in Argentina features five intertwined axes which ensure an integral approach to all human dimensions:

Acknowledge gender perspective:

The gender perspective looks at the impact of gender on people’s opportunities and social role, and it problematizes what is considered exclusively masculine or feminine.

Take care of the body:

This goes beyond biology and involves the psychological, social and cultural aspects of health. The WHO (World Health Organization) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Respect diversity:

This involves embracing differences through an intersectional lens (see ‘Intersectionality’). This means that the different social categories that shape our view of the world, such as race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic positions, among others, converge and this leads to some people simultaneously suffering different types of discrimination. Approaching diversity also means rejecting violence as there cannot be pedagogical silence when faced with discrimination.

(Marina et.al. 2014)

Value affectivity: Exercise our rights:

This refers to feelings, emotions and values with special emphasis on avoiding coercion and consequently infringing upon someone’s rights.

This can be thought of from two dimensions. On the one hand, it means to acknowledge that children and adolescents are fully fledged subjects of rights with the capacity to participate, be heard and not be discriminated against. Schools must ensure the conditions for the effective implementation of these rights. On the other hand, it means that students have the right to receive age-appropriate, updated and scientifically validated information. This ax cuts across the others.

This is just a summary. It is very important that you read carefully and understand what each axis involves so that you can decide from which one(s) we will be approaching the CSE topics that we have selected. You can find the CSE axes in Argentina here: https://direcciongeneraldeeducacionprimaria.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/1c-los-ejes-de-la-esi.pdf

Now that you have read about CSE at an international level and about Law Nº 26,150 in Argentina, let’s look at some frequently asked questions about the implementation of CSE in our classrooms:

Q: Do I only have to teach content related to sexual relationships when I deal with CSE?

A: Even though sexual relationships is indeed a crucial topic within CSE, it is not the only one. Remember that sexuality is not only about biology and reproduction but it also involves affectivity, relationships, values, equality, rights, among others, and that is why the word comprehensive is key.

The National Curricular Guidelines in the Argentine CSE programme provide teachers with strategies and possible content to address at each educational level. It is important to mention that there are no suggested topics for foreign languages. However, since all CSE topics are related to our everyday life and, therefore, are relevant to our students’ needs and interests, we can easily bring them into our classrooms.

The following table shows some topics for each educational level as suggested by the Argentine National Curricular Guidelines:

Level

Kinder

Topics and abilities suggested in the National Curricular Guidelines

• Diverse family configurations and respect for different ways of living.

• Knowledge about and care of the body, acknowledging and valuing differences that make human beings unique, helping children understand the importance of diversity (parts of the body, healthy habits, hygiene, bodily integrity, etc).

• Self-protection (learning to say ‘no’ in case of inappropriate physical interaction, knowing the difference between good and bad secrets, valuing our own intimacy and that of others).

Primary school

• Respecting people regardless of their appearance, identity and sexual orientation (bullying).

• Understanding and playing different games of cooperation and opposition, emphasizing their collaborative and inclusive aspects.

• Learning about:

• different ways of growing up, spending free time and celebrating traditions and festivals.

• diverse diets, clothing, and people’s roles throughout history and in different cultures.

• Critical analysis of body image and gender stereotypes in mainstream media and literature.

Secondary school

• Critical analysis of the different ways in which masculinity and femininity have been performed in history.

• Learning about national and international laws that guarantee human rights.

Certain topics are common to all levels but their treatment and complexity vary according to the different ages, eg: family configurations, body parts and autonomy.

You will find the full National Curricular Guidelines here: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/el008015.pdf

The five axes guarantee that the topic we choose is addressed in a comprehensive way. Let’s take a topic from the Argentine Curricular Guidelines, for example: beauty standards is a topic presented both at primary and secondary school levels. How can we approach it considering the five axes?

Respect diversity: Why are some people regarded as more beautiful than others? Is it because of their weight, eye and hair colour?

Take care of the body: How does trying to fit into the thin / young / ‘beautiful’ standard affect our health?

Value affectivity: How is our self-esteem affected when we feel we do not meet those beauty standards?

Acknowledge gender perspective: Why are generally women the target of campaigns to look younger / thinner / ‘more beautiful’?

Exercise our rights: Why is it important that the Size Law (Law Nº 27,521) is implemented effectively in Argentina?

Incorporating CSE into our classrooms and practices favours a learner-centred approach because we are working with activities and topics which are relevant to the needs and interests of students. The ultimate goal of CSE is to help our students become respectful and critical citizens who are also agents of change.

Q: Is CSE only curricular content?

A: Definitely, CSE is content, which we have the opportunity to teach together with or through language. However, CSE also involves attitudes, school organization and the development and use of critical thinking skills, among others.

We all carry prejudice and biases. Our own values, ideas and personal stories are present in every pedagogic act. The personal biases we hold significantly influence what we teach (and do not teach). This calls on teachers to take on the challenge of constantly reflecting upon and addressing our personal biases:

• How do we address families when we send a note home? Do we write Señores padres or do we write Queridas familias?

• Do we openly address situations of discrimination and bullying or do we keep silent because we think that this is something that kids generally do? Can there be pedagogic silence in the face of these situations?

• How do we organize the attendance list? Are boys placed first? Are the names of all students arranged alphabetically?

• When we play a game, do we split groups into boys and girls?

• Are the images we bring into the classroom diverse? Do they show diversity of: gender, body, ethnicity, ability, skin colour, family configurations, among others?

Incorporating CSE into our classrooms and practices favours a learner-centred approach because we are working with activities and topics which are relevant to the needs and interests of students. In doing so, we are equipping students with tools to problematize, question and reflect. In other words, we are helping them to develop and put into use critical thinking skills.

Q: Is it enough to prepare one CSE project during the year?

A: As we said before, CSE is everywhere so we should not think of it in terms of projects only. This means that CSE is present at the moment of planning and delivering our lessons, addressing discriminatory or hurtful remarks (or not), organizing a game or interacting with our students and families. As the National Curricular Guidelines state:

‘(...) we understand that CSE is a systematic teaching and learning process that aims at developing knowledge and skills to make informed and sensible decisions (...).’ (p10)

When it comes to CSE as content, we should try to incorporate it on a regular basis. Even when we have already planned our lessons, we can always find a way to bring an aspect of CSE into our plans. In other words, ‘the comprehensive aspect of CSE refers to the breadth, depth and consistency of topics, as opposed to one-off lessons or interventions.’ (UNESCO, 2017)

Q: How should I choose the topics?

A: It is important that any CSE project is context sensitive, in other words, that it responds to the needs of the institution where we work. One way of achieving this is to take a close look at the institution (the way it is organized, the conflicts and tensions that emerge, etc.) and spot the potential CSE issues that could be addressed both institutionally and in the different subjects. For any CSE intervention to have real impact, these issues need to be discussed and analyzed by all stakeholders: heads of the institution, counselors, teachers, among others.

Also, students’ active participation in the elaboration of the CSE projects is central, as their interests, queries, doubts and wishes should be at the core of our proposals. Involving students will mean moving away from an adult-centred perspective (See ‘Adultcentrism’).