Sexuality Education in Asia and the Pacific
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Review of Policies and Strategies to Implement and Scale Up Sexuality Education in Asia and the Pacific Review of Policies and Strategies to Implement and Scale Up Sexuality Education in Asia and the Pacific Published by UNESCO Bangkok Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building 920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, Klongtoey Bangkok 10110, Thailand © UNESCO 2012 All rights reserved ISBN 978-92-9223-380-8 (Print version) ISBN 978-92-9223-381-5 (Electronic version) The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this book and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. UNESCO Bangkok is committed to widely disseminating information and to this end welcomes enquiries for reprints, adaptations, republishing or translating this or other publications. Please contact [email protected] for further information. Publication of this report was made possible with financial contribution from UNAIDS Unified Budget and Workplan (UBW) funding. Design/Layout: Sirisak Chaiyasook Front cover photo: © UNESCO/S. Chaiyasook, © UNESCO/ Dhaka /Din Muhammad Shilbly © GMR Akash, © UNESCO/Islalmabad, © Reza Golchin Kouhi (Year 2009, Iran) HP2/12/OS/001-300 CONTENTS LISTI OF F GURES IV CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS PART 3 – CURRICULA 31 LIST OF ACRONYMS IV Coverage . 33 Approaches . 34 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS V Teacher training and capacity . 35 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Other challenges . 36 Findings related to laws and policies . .1 Chapter summary . 36 Findings related to strategies and plans . .2 CHAPTER 6: REFLECTION AND EMERGING RECOMMENDATIONS 37 Findings with respect to curricula . .2 Areas of emerging recommendations . .2 CHAPTER 7: ISSUES FOR FURTHER REFLECTION 41 CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY 5 ANNEXES 43 Annex 1: Number and list of documents reviewed . 44 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS 9 Annex 2: Content analysis of main themes in national HIV laws and policies 56 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS PART 1 – LAWS AND POLICIES 13 Annex 3: Content analysis of main themes in national population and Sexuality education in national HIV laws and policies . 15 reproductive health laws and policies . 57 Sexuality education in national population and reproductive health laws and Annex 4: Content analysis of national youth policies . 58 policies . 17 Annex 5: Content analysis of national HIV strategies and plans . 59 Sexuality education in national youth policies . 18 Annex 6: Content analysis of national education sector strategies and plans 60 Sexuality education in national education sector policies . 19 Annex 7: Content analysis of curricula . 61 Chapter summary . 21 Annex 8: Extracted content of policies/laws/strategies/plans . 62 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS PART 2 – STRATEGIES AND FRAMEWORKS 23 Sexuality education in national HIV strategies and plans . 24 Sexuality education in national population and reproductive health strategies and plans . 27 Sexuality education in national education sector strategies and plans. 28 Chapter summary . 30 LIST OF FIGURES LISTR OF AC ONYMS Figure 1: Number of countries with laws and policies in the categories AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome identified for this study . 14 CSE Comprehensive Sexuality Education Figure 2: Summary of frequencies of laws and policies in place in the 28 countries . 15 HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus Figure 3: Focus on sexuality education within national education sector HP2 HIV Prevention and Health Promotion Unit, UNESCO Bangkok policies . 20 MARYP Most-at-risk young people Figure 4: Country assessment of national strategies and plans . 24 MoE Ministry of Education Figure 5: Number of countries mentioning specific education strategies in NAC National AIDS Council their national HIV strategies and/or plans . 25 NCPI National Composite Policy Index Figure 6: Number of countries mentioning specific sexuality education NYP National Youth Policy interventions in their education sector strategic documents and plans . 29 PNG Papua New Guinea Figure 7: Status of sexuality education curricula in countries . 32 RH Reproductive Health Figure 8: Number of countries which offer sexuality education SHN School Health and Nutrition at various levels. 33 SRA Situation and Response Analysis SRH Sexual and Reproductive Health STI Sexually Transmitted Infection UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNGASS United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund YKAP Young Key Affected Population iv A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS This review was commissioned by the HIV Prevention and Health Promotion (HP2) Unit in the UNESCO Bangkok Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, and undertaken by Dr. Muriel Visser-Valfrey, specialist on HIV, sexuality education and school health issues. Justine Sass, HP2 Unit Chief and Regional HIV and AIDS Adviser for Asia and the Pacific, provided guidance on the methodology for the study, supported the data collection and verification process, and reviewed the drafts of the report. Rebecca Crawford, intern in the HP2 Unit, indentified and reviewed a significant number of documents for relevant content, and provided inputs into the report writing. UNESCO HIV Focal Points provides extensive assistance in relevant reports, reviewing the draft findings, and in some cases, providing content analysis of documents in local languages. This includes contributions by: Ahmed Afzal (UNESCO Jakarta), Manoj Bhat (UNESCO Kathmandu), Shankar Chowdury (UNESCO New Delhi), Zolzaya Demberel (UNESCO Beijing, based in Ulan Bataar), John Kian (UNESCO Port Moresby), Nguyen Tran Lam (UNESCO Hanoi), Hongyan Li (UNESCO Beijing), Amirreza Moradi (UNESCO Tehran), Raphaële Ng Tock Mine (UNESCO New Delhi), Tap Raj Pant (UNESCO Kathmandu), Andrew Peteru (UNESCO Apia), Mahfuza Rahman (UNESCO Dhaka), Polin Ung (UNESCO Phnom Penh), Susan Vize (UNESCO Apia), and Husain Ali Yousufi (UNESCO Kabul). Philips Loh, intern in the HIV Prevention and Health Promotion Unit, contributed by compiling the relevant epidemiological, demographic, and other statistical data used for the analysis. Previous interns in HP2, Giada Chitto and Martin Ølander, also contributed to the compilation of relevant documents. Finally, UNESCO would also like to acknowledge the work that was done prior to this analysis on strategic and policy frameworks in the Asia-Pacific region. This includes work by Peter Aggleton, David Clarke, Susan Kippax and Gary Smith which provided a strong analytical foundation for this report. v EU X C TIVE SUMMARY 3. Integration of sexuality education into curricula and training (at different levels). The study analyzed more than 335 national policies, laws, strategic Evidence demonstrates that sexuality education provides young people plans and related documents. Results were recorded in thematic tables with the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices about the initiation and relevant documents were content-analysed. A broad definition of of sex and sexual behaviours, can prevent negative sexual and reproductive sexuality education was employed for the study, encompassing a range health outcomes, and may provide an important platform for addressing of programmes and approaches such as life skills education, family life gender issues and promoting mutually respectful and non-violent education, and adolescent development education, which in the region relationships. With over 60 percent of people under 25 years of age living in may not specifically be designated as sexuality education. the developing world, ensuring access to sexuality education has become increasingly important. National policies and strategies are a critical framework to guide and implement the scale-up of sexuality education. F indings related to laws and policies This study, which was commissioned by UNESCO Bangkok, focuses on This review examined national laws and/or policies on HIV, population and national policies and strategies in 28 countries1 in the Asia-Pacific region. reproductive health, youth, and education. The study finds considerable The study builds on and expands two earlier analyses, and seeks to: variation in terms of the type of laws and policies in place. Of the 28 • Assess the status of policy and strategic frameworks for sexuality education; countries, 15 were found to have a full set of laws and policies under all of • Document the relevant content in existing policy and strategic the categories. frameworks; and Twenty countries have national HIV laws and/or policies, of which 13 • Analyse the policy and strategic documents, identifying gaps and explicitly mention education. However, the level of detail with which the opportunities. role of education is discussed varies considerably. Only six countries were The study was conducted through a desk review. Documentation on found to have included a detailed discussion of sexuality education in the following three broad themes was identified and analysed through a national HIV laws and/or policies (e.g. Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, systematic scan of relevant