Will Egypt’s schools break sex education taboo?
Egyptian NGOs launch a series of campaigns to combat violence against women by including sex education in school curricula.
CAIRO — On the first day of the UN Women’s annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence campaign that began Nov. 25, a school-based sex education effort titled “Sexual education: a need, not a luxury” was launched to serve as an introduction to address violence against women in particular, in light of the misconceptions in Egyptian society where sex education is equated with teaching young men to have sex.
Some obstacles may hinder the campaign, however, such as Egyptian laws that do not provide real guarantees for comprehensive sex education or the lack of adequate information on the subject, according to a report issued by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in January 2013.
The campaign — launched by the Cairo Center for Development and Tadwein — uses the hashtag #NotAshame, indicating that it is not a shame to protect girls from female genital mutilation, educate children going through puberty and protect women from domestic violence. These slogans represented the basis of the campaign, which aims to raise awareness on the importance of sex education.
The United Nations Population Fund defines sexuality education as “a process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs and values about identity, relationships and intimacy. It encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image and gender roles.”
