Clinical psychologists and child’s rights activists say sex education in childhood reduces risky sexual behaviours among young people and also protects them from sexual abuse
Citing the importance of sex education, the experts advised parents to introduce sex education to their children as early as three years so that outsiders would not feed them with wrong information about who they are.
According to the World Health Organisation, sex education is giving young people age-appropriate information about sexuality, and sexual and reproductive health, which is important for their health and survival.
The global health body insisted that children and adolescents have the right to be educated about who they are.
A child’s rights activist, Josephine Okei-Odumakin, affirmed that sex education reduces risky sexual behaviours in young people.
“Early childhood sex education has a positive impact on them. Children who received early child sex education turn out to be disciplined in life.
“One can then confidently affirm that sex education to young people helps in molding disciplined young adults. This belief stays with them till they become adults and remain thereafter,” she said.
Also, “It provides knowledge on sexual activity, reduces the rate of intercourse, and the number of sexual partners. It reduces the frequency of unprotected sex that may result in Human Immunodeficiency Virus transmission.”
Responding to the argument that sex education exposes children to early sexual intercourse, Okei-Odumakin, who is also the President of the human rights groups, Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy said it is not true.
She said, “Sex education programs do not increase sexual activity among children and young people. It increases knowledge about human sexuality. To be effective, sex education needs to provide unbiased and scientifically based information; and explain the various practices and methods that can reduce the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection during intercourse.
“It discusses values, perceptions, and norms; and uses the right methods and behavioural-change science to build the skills that adolescents, and young people need to make responsible decisions about their sexual behaviour and follow through with those decisions.
“Every human being is a sexual product; therefore sex education must be properly organized by parents and in schools.”
Also, a Clinical and Abnormal Psychologist, Dr. Oluronke Ajayi said sex education has to do with an education that has a curriculum where several topics are discussed over a term or sessions.
She said, “For me, I advocate that sex education starts from younger years, possibly from the age of two or three, when they can start to identify their sex organs. I saw a video of children of about two to three years indulging in inappropriate sexual activities.
“If such children were introduced to these topics in schools, such sexual behaviors would not have started from that age. Some of the topics would have possibly dealt with sexual exposure in one way or the other.
“When a child observes an adult engage in such, they are curious and will want to practice it. Curiosity is the beginning of all these. But if they have powerful information, then it would help them to get involved in appropriate ways of sexual behavior as they grow up to teenage age and into youthful age.
“I have some clients, children who were exposed as young as five years, and they became addicted to porn at nine years. They were not aware and they are being harassed and molested in school, possibly by their teachers or seniors.
“But if they are aware, they will know what is happening at any time and will be able to speak up for help. It teaches them to know themselves, their body image, and satisfaction.
“I had a lot of teenage girls who were presented with psychosis just because some of their classmates were harassing them about their body type and body image. Oh, you are too thin, you don’t have breasts; you don’t have bom-bom unlike others, who are early bloomers.
“Harassment of these young ones led to psychosis. With all of these inculcated into sex education, it would increase their self-esteem. This will enable them to speak up and prevent unwanted pregnancies or boys impregnating young girls.
“I would end by saying that early sex education is important. It helps with their curiosity, it empowers them on how they would adapt to the body type they have if they are late bloomers.”
The WHO further said sexuality education is a lifelong process.
“Sometimes begins earlier, at home, with trusted caregivers. It is gradual in that what is taught at the earliest ages is different from what is taught during puberty and adolescence.
“With younger learners, teaching about sexuality does not necessarily mean teaching about sex. For younger age groups, it may help children learn about their bodies and to recognize their feelings and emotions.
“It could mean discussing family life and different types of relationships, decision-making, basic principles of consent, and what to do if violence, bullying, or abuse occurred. This type of learning establishes the foundation for healthy relationships throughout life”, it said.
In a study published in the National Library of Medicine, titled, ‘Effect of sex education program on the at-risk sexual behaviour of school-going adolescents in Ilorin, Nigeria,’ the author, Mary Esere, said adolescents display sexual behaviors that place them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.
Speaking with a Students Union Government executive in one of Nigerian tertiary institutions, a witheld named female comrade discussed the effects of sexual intercourse among the students on campus "Many Students are very free for the first time of their lives in school which make them exercise the freedom by going to parties they should not have gone for, having unprotected sex which results to unwanted pregnancy that stops many from proceeding in their education"
Furthermore, she told All Campus Show correspondence that "Early childhood sex education is not enough but friendly relationship between the parents and their children as they grow matter most, it is unhealthy to scare children about everything especially sexually, there is a case study of a 100 level girl who was pregnated by same level mate, we asked her to go home but refused, she decided to stay off campus in her boyfriend's house, having more knacking and get more expose to danger, we called the parent when the Students nearly die."
"Therefore, we must be friendly with the children if we want the sex education to have a positive impact in their lives." She concluded.