This content was generated via a Google Alert and the content is owned by the original site
Click here to visit the original site
Learning about rape, relationships, sexual consent and self-worth in school has won the backing of Manawatu social services and support agencies.
The Ministry of Education is set to release its updated sex education guidelines next month.
Manawatu’s Abuse and Rape Crisis Support (ARCS) and Women’s Refuge are already welcoming the reworked remits, in the hope they will provide more consistency and direction for educators and prevent abuse.
The Government has acknowledged traditional sex education needs to change in the wake of the Roast Busters scandal, where a group of young men boasted about getting underage girls drunk and gang-raping them.
Parliament’s health select committee has said sexuality education programmes across the country were fragmented and uneven and recommended a new, consistent and evidence-based programme.
The advice was heeded by the Education Ministry, which has been working with schools and health professionals to update its guidelines by the end of the year.
Deputy secretary of student achievement Dr Graham Stoop said the review would give greater clarity on the issues schools needed to think about before covering the subject with students.
As well as learning about puberty and the logistics of safe sex, it has been suggested students could tackle the topics of sexual and domestic violence, abuse, consent, coercion and how to take care in intimate relationships.
“I can’t think of anything more valuable,” Palmerston North Women’s Refuge manager Dr Ang Jury said.
“We talk a lot about prevention work and we aim that at older teenagers, but the reality is kids are getting into relationship when they’re really, really young.”
Schools’ sexual education programmes should be all-encompassing and explore healthy versus violent relationships, domestic abuse, sexual violation and emotional and mental effects, Jury said.
ARCS manager Ann Kent said improving young people’s attitudes and knowledge of respectful relationships was the foundation for facing more affronting issues.
“The more people hear, discuss and talk about positive aspects of relationships, the more likely they are to put it into practice.”
Robust sexual education classes were already at Palmerston North Girls’ High School, with ARCS running sessions with year 11 students based on respectful relationships.
Principal Melba Scott said building and maintaining healthy relationships remained the cornerstone of Girls’ High’s health curriculum, but the number of high-profile cases where women had spoken out about abuse had made pupils more aware.
“Sometimes things that have gone hidden in the past are no longer hidden because people are more willing to speak out about it,” she said. “A lot of our girls now understand that there are issues they will need to handle themselves in the future and having the knowledge and information to do that is really important.”
“Sexuality education” is compulsory in New Zealand schools until the end of year 10, with boards of trustees required to consult the community every two years about their policy and the content of the schools’ programmes.
Comments are closed.