Masha Foundation teams up with Olena Pinchuk Foundation and EdEra to improve sex education in Ukraine

Masha Foundation, Olena Pinchuk Foundation, and online education studio EdEra held an open dialogue on the problems of sex education in Ukraine.

Rubryka informs about this.

Every year, the topic of sex education among teenagers and young people becomes more and more relevant.

According to UNICEF data, Ukraine is the leader in Europe in terms of the number of people infected with HIV.

Additionally, the average age of the beginning of sexual life for boys is 14.4 years, and for girls – 15.1.

More and more minors are becoming mothers.

In particular, more than 5,700 girls gave birth between the ages of 15 and 17. Despite this, sex education is not part of the curriculum in Ukrainian schools. It is studied only partially in other disciplines.

"In our country, the level of awareness of the topic of sex education is very low, while in Sweden, the Netherlands, or Great Britain, children start talking about it in kindergartens when they are 3-4 years old. Even progressive, educated people with whom I interacted at our events stigmatize the topic of sex and sexuality, taboo it in their families. And sex education is treated as something that will encourage their children to start a sexual life. And this is absolutely not the case! — says the co-founder of the Masha Foundation, Mariia Yefrosinina. — Therefore, developing a program for children and adolescents in schools is a crucial step. Masha Foundation decided to become one of the co-initiators of this project. We have extensive experience in the field of sex education and expertise."

The data from the UN Population Fund confirms low awareness in society about sex education.

In particular, 33% of the surveyed teachers believe that homosexual people should be treated, and another 33% of teachers are against abortion.

62% of teachers think that girls in short skirts and with make-up provoke boys.

To address this issue, it is essential to devise methods and guidelines from the Ministry of Education and Culture. This initiative has the backing of 58% of teachers.

Considering the level of awareness amongst Ukrainian teachers regarding sex education, the introduction of this topic in Ukraine should start with engaging them while also simultaneously involving parents and children.

"According to UNESCO data, teaching sex education in schools postpones the age of starting sexual life, reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections, and the number of cases of unwanted pregnancy decreases, – believes CEO of EdEra Illia Filipov. – It is important for us to work well with teachers, parents, and children. A separate educational program on the topic of sexual education and sexual upbringing should be developed for each of the groups."

As a result of the meeting, a program for reforming sexual education in schools will be developed, and an expert group will be created to work on its implementation.

For reference:

As previously reported, the absolute majority of parents and teachers agree that sex education should be taught in schools. Still, not all teachers are confident in their abilities, and many of them have a number of prejudices.