As part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science 2012, Sheffield Hallam and partners hosted a one day event to debate the issues surrounding sexual abstinence education.
Dr Julia Hirst, from the Public Health Hub at Sheffield Hallam, says that they hope to bring together politicians, teachers, youth workers, young people and their parents to discuss the re-emergence in their society of views promoting sexual abstinence education in schools and youth settings. The existing evidence fails to support the view that teaching abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid unintended pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV.
Extensive research undertaken in the U.S. points to negative outcomes associated with sexual abstinence education including increased risks of unprotected activity in sex and a more reluctance to seek advice or treatment related to sexual health and relationship matters.
By widening understanding of safer sexual practices and equipping young people with the skills and confidence to protect their sexual and emotional health, reduces the risk of unprotected sex, unwanted pregnancies, and STI’s. Comprehensive SRE also includes strategies for young people who want support in abstaining from sexual activity. .
Research study shows that comprehensive sex education should include a greater focus on the issue of relationships, as well as sexuality, include more discussion of safer sexual activity and further debate regarding values and up-bringing in shaping attitudes to sex.
Discussions with young people consistently suggest that while there are pockets of good practice in terms of SRE in the UK, sex education overall is too little and too late and often fails to address young people’s expressed needs for across-the-board sex and relationships education.
Countries, such as Netherlands or Sweden with the lowest rates of unwanted pregnancy and STIs have the least relationship abuse and more attention is paid to relationships. These countries have age-appropriate SRE embedded in their curriculum and it is supported by youth friendly sexual health services and well-informed parents.