"Let us talk openly about sexuality"Today, December 1st, is the World AIDS Day – a day when extra attention is given worldwide to the urgency in combating HIV/AIDS. This day I want to share one message that I think is much too often neglected: Young people need education about sexual and reproductive health and rights. They have the right to accurate, accessible and age-appropriate information about their sexuality and their sexual health - in all countries and all schools all over the world. There is a huge need for an open communication about sex.
For many, sexuality is a sensitive issue which is difficult to talk about. But all of us can make our best to move those boundaries and talk more with some of those we are relating to. First and foremost we need to be more open about sexuality since it is both such a positive part of life and at the same time the main way of spreading the HIV-infection. We all have an individual responsibility to contribute to information, to change social and cultural norms when necessary and to influence behaviour in a way that avoids risky sex.
Teachers have a special responsibility. They should be equipped with essential knowledge and with professional know-how to teach and discuss sexuality issues. They need to be trained for this and provided with appropriate materials. The teachers also need explicit backing from the Ministries and they need support and follow-up from the head teachers in order to succeed. There are also a number of NGOs working on protection and prevention, not least but not only, related to HIV/AIDS. Teachers and other concerned actors should be encouraged to cooperate with such NGOs since they could support as well as complement the work carried out in schools.
We certainly need to be humble. It is difficult to change from secrecy to openness on sexuality in all societies. And it takes time. Most often neglected or violated are the rights for homosexual, lesbian and bisexual people.
In my own country education on sexual and reproductive health and rights was made compulsory in schools the year I was born 1955. The necessary quality and openness did not come over night – to say the least. And we have still not reached as far as one may wish.
At the same time we need to stop deceiving ourselves: Sex among young people does not cease to exist if you keep silent about it. It occurs anyhow but under much more unsafe circumstances. Girls and boys simply have the right to know. It is necessary for them to know to be able to protect themselves against HIV-AIDS, against sexual abuse and against early pregnancies. To abstain from sex is of course one way to avoid the risks, but sooner or later young people will engage in sex. Then they must know how to deal with it and how to protect themselves including how to use contraceptives, especially condoms.
Girls and women should have equal rights with men – not only when voting at the polling station but also in matters of love, sex and reproduction. It is as simple as that. I was terrified the first time I was informed that the group experiencing the highest risk of getting HIV is married women in Africa. The prevalence in Tanzania is still significantly higher among women than among men (6,8% compared to 4,7%). Consequently, girls need to hear that they have the right to say no to sex. And boys need to know that sex is not about power, violence and being macho, but about love and mutual respect. That equality with girls and women also is of crucial interest and gain for us boys and men.
Also media has an important role in providing information to all of us, and especially to young people. A good example is Femina HIP which through TV-broadcasted talk shows and magazines provides information and opportunities for discussion among young people about their own and other people’s sexuality. Their now ongoing One love-campaign is an important case in point. It challenges some norms that allow primarily men to have more than one partner at the same time and also promotes a more open communication about sex – not least between partners.
A 1993 World Health Organisation survey revealed no evidence that sex education in schools leads to earlier or increased sexual activity among young people. On the contrary: Sexuality education delays the onset of sexual activity and increases safer sexual practices by those already sexually active. A newspaper has reported about an American high school for girls where management excluded any type of sexuality education as being immoral. It turned out that the number of pregnancies among the students increased sharply after the school stopped sexuality education.
Therefore some of the early pregnancies unfortunately being so common could probably be avoided if communication is improved - and if students are provided with education and knowledge promoting mutual responsibility and respect when entering into a relation.
I understand that the factors behind early pregnancies are more complex than lack of appropriate education. But it underlines the important role that schools have to play and the need to do more in this respect. It is with great satisfaction I have noted that the Government of Zanzibar recently has changed its policy regarding pregnancies among students and now is allowing girls to come back to school after giving birth. It is my sincere hope that the same will happen soon all over the United Republic of Tanzania.
In order to reduce the number of early pregnancies, sexual abuse, the incidence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, young people in particular need to get accurate education and answers to their questions, as well as appropriate skills to deal with difficult situations in their daily life. That is why it is so important for us all to talk more openly about sex.