Sexuality education: What adolescents' educational rights require.

Abstract

Sexuality education continues to fail youths and society. Research reveals a pressing need for reform in the manner in which adolescents receive, learn, and practice information relating to their sexual development and their intimate relationships. However, legal systems generally fail to provide opportunities for such experiences. This article reviews reasons for the policy failure and suggests that the legal system can be harnessed to ensure adolescents' right to sexuality education. The proposal rests on the democratic notion that society must prepare youths for their future and for immediate social participation. Taking that fundamental truth as a starting point allows for rethinking how schools prepare youths for responsible citizenship, including the manner in which youths treat others and themselves in their intimate relationships.

Sexuality, sexual and reproductive health: an exploration of the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of the Greek-Cypriot adolescents

“…This approach is characterized sex as positive, pluralistic and comprehensive (Levesque, 2000). Therefore, they support sexuality education and policy in school.…”

“…One may view the whole idea of sexuality education in two extremes: The impulse toward restrictive orthodoxy and the impulse toward expansive liberalism (Levesque, 2000). The restrictive ideology views human sexuality negatively and sexual behaviour on the bases of legal, social and moral controls.…”

“…In other countries it is an extracurricular activity. Literature reveals that with constructive exchange of ideas and scientific support interested parties can come to a reasonable, acceptable agreement (Levesque, 2000 ;Rienzo et aI., 1996).…”

A world without adolescents

“…The answer is a series of volumes published over the past decade by Levesque (2000Levesque ( , 2002aLevesque ( , 2002bLevesque ( , 2003. Not knowing either author, I cannot rule out the possibility that "Levesque" is Epstein's academic pen name or, alternatively, that "Epstein" is Levesque's popular nom de plume.…”

Teaching about Human Relationships Education for primary school student‐teachers using an interactive CD‐ROM

“…In the United Kingdom, Blake (2008) discusses the problems of situating sexuality education within a crowded, compartmentalised and non-compulsory curriculum of Personal, Social and Health Education, which may also be 'charged with solving an ever-growing number of public health issues and "social problems"' (Blake, 2008, p. 34). In the USA, comprehensive sexuality education 'is widely supported … yet rarely experienced by its youth' due to curricula presented in a fragmented, inaccurate, incomplete (Constantine et al, 2007, p. 1) and highly politicised (Levesque, 2000) way. In contrast, Sweden has comprehensive, values-oriented and cross-curricular sexuality education, compulsory since 1954, which is accepted as an individual right, a social good and the world's best practice (Hodzic, 2003).…”