Unicef praises Putrajaya’s stand on early sex education

Unicef warns that if children are not taught about sexual and reproductive rights, predators will take the opportunity to misinform and abuse them. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The government’s recent decision to enhance reproductive and social health programmes in a bid to solve underage marriage and sexual harassment against children has been praised by a United Nations body and others involved in protecting their rights.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) welcomed the move, saying that without reproductive health education, children are at risk of abuse, teen pregnancies, child marriages, and sexually transmitted diseases.

“The additional efforts recommended by the deputy prime minister are urgently needed to empower children in general and adolescents in particular.

“That’s also what boys and girls themselves want; to learn how to protect themselves against unwanted sexual advances and abuse,” Marianne Clark-Hattingh, Unicef representative to Malaysia explained.

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the women, family and community development minister, was earlier this week quoted as saying that the government wanted to now teach children about child grooming from preschool.

She said the children would be taught about reproductive health including on diseases and risks, safe touching and sexual grooming.

“All that must be taught to our children, through curriculum and modules which will be pushed,” Wan Azizah, who is also the deputy prime minister, said.

In a statement to FMT, Clark-Hattingh said reviewing and assessing the effectiveness of existing sex education in schools is a good first step and those outside the formal education system should also be targeted.

“Comprehensive and mandatory sexual and reproductive health education in all schools is what Unicef has been advocating for many years, together with civil society organisations and the United Nations Population Fund.

“If we don’t teach children about sexual and reproductive rights, predators will take the opportunity to misinform and abuse them.

“So, the next time children hear the words ‘I’ll teach you about sex’, let’s be certain that it comes from a trusted and trained educator or their parents,” Clark-Hattingh said.

Cathryn Anila, an independent child rights advocate, explained to FMT that the current education syllabus is insufficient to enable students to understand about sexual grooming and exploitation.

“As for having programmes in school, half-day ceramahs has time and again proven to be ineffective because the attention of the students will not be there and worse still, students tend to skip school whenever there’s a seminar.

“Most importantly, it is not the perfecting of the syllabus that the government should focus on, but rather the training of the teachers,” Cathryn, 18, said.

“Teachers should not feel shy or refrain from addressing topics such as good touch and bad touch and sexual health. Teachers should not look at it as taboo and should comfortably use the right terms when teaching.

“This is more important because the entire purpose of having such programmes and having it in our syllabus would be defeated if our teachers aren’t prepared to address it,” she explained.

The Federation of Reproductive Health Associations, Malaysia (FRHAM) told FMT that there should be more comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education training courses at teachers training colleges.

According to a study carried out by FRHAM recently, not all teachers are comfortable teaching the subject. Some teachers are also afraid of being harassed if they discussed the topic.

“There have been issues with teachers being labelled ‘sex teachers’,” said Syirin Junisya Mohd Ali, executive director of FRHAM, who added that training would allow teachers and students to be more aware of the matter.

“To do this effectively, there must be a concerted effort by multi-stakeholders, where the National Population and Family Development Board and education ministry must engage with young people, parents, communities, and NGOs that are youth-led and working with young people.”

She pointed out how in Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations in Switzerland recently, Slovenia and Iceland had recommended the country update its existing reproductive and social education syllabus.

“In response to the announcement, we feel this is the chance to enable improvement to how sexual and reproductive health topics are taught in schools,” she said, citing issues like gender equality, gender-based violence, consent, and sexual abuse. -FMT