The article linked to "Human Capital Investments: Comprehensive sexuality education to empower adolescents in Lao PDR for realizing their full potential (1)"
So what is the CSE content?
Knowing their bodies and self-awareness: students learn about the human body and how to protect it. They learn their sexual and reproductive wellbeing and rights, including, puberty, body image, and recognition of self, desires, and dislikes. Most importantly, they learn skills for managing their health and well-being.
Sexual and reproductive health: students learn about reproduction, how male and female bodies differ and react differently. They also learn about pregnancy and pregnancy prevention and understanding, recognizing and reducing the risk of STIs including HIV.
Relationships, gender, and empathy: They learn about positive and negative relationships, power in relationships. They learn about respect within family, friends, and intimate partners. They are sensitized on the social construct of gender and gender norms, gender equality, and gender-based violence. Mutual respect between boys and girls, boys are taught to be supportive of women, and girls and girls are empowered. The confidence acquired or not during adolescence can determine lifelong consequences for boys and especially girls.
Critical thinking: to analyze information and experiences in an objective manner. To recognize and assess the factors that influence attitudes and behavior, such as values, peer pressure, community social norms, and the information in the media. This competency strengthens their ability to form opinions and take positions on matters.
Decision making Adolescents learn about their rights and assess the options available to them and how to make effective decisions. The contents include child rights, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights such as choosing when and with whom to marry, choosing whether, when and how many children to have and deciding the choice of contraception.
Interpersonal communication skills help adolescents relate in positive ways with people they interact within their everyday lives such as parents, peers, men, and women in the society and leaders in the community. Learning how to express different points of view, to persuade, to discuss difficult topics. Effective communication tactics can help the foster debate, acceptance of differing points of view, ability to address and engage against harmful practices to break negative norms and practices.
The government of Lao PDR committed at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 to fully integrate CSE in school curriculums nationwide by 2030 and the MOES and UNFPA are working together to ensure Lao PDR commitments to the ICPD and SDGs are met.
For more information, please visit www.lao.unfpa.org
