Report recommends better sex education for youth

Date: July 14, 1999
Time: 12:03 pm

"Schools must be part of a continuing, community-wide response to HIV/AIDS," said Paul Ramsey, chair of the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada (CMEC) and minister of education for British Columbia. "They can teach students about the risks, help them make responsible choices and ensure that all of our young people benefit from a safe, supportive environment.

The researchers who prepared the report for CMEC and Health Canada examined sexual education programs offered in schools or through public health authorities. They found that the current curriculum focuses too narrowly on sexual diseases and could be more broadly based. The authors also recommend more youth-friendly sexual-health services and more parental involvement, as well as increased emphasis on sexual risk-taking behaviours among young people.

"This report will inform education and health authorities about the status of their efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Paul Cappon, director-general of CMEC. Health Canada says it is working with community organizations to develop a national youth-awareness campaign about HIV and sexual health.

According to the World Health Organization, there are 333 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted diseases. More than 5.2 million people are infected with HIV each year, over half of them are under age 24.

"Young people especially, as they embark upon their sexual and reproductive lives must be able to protect themselves from disease, abuse and exploitation," said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the WHO director-general, in a recent speech.

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