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‘China has a national sexual illiteracy’: the challenges in the way of developing sex education in the country
- Demand for sex education is on the rise in China; however, deep-seated values could stand in the way of developing sex education despite a recent law change
- Many families do not believe teenagers should date before university and believe that the father should be the decision maker in a household
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Most Chinese children still do not receive sexuality education that meets international standards, and the recent passage of a law requiring schools and kindergartens to conduct sex education is unlikely to change that any time soon.
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The revised law on protecting minors, passed by China’s top legislative body on October 17, mandates “age-appropriate sex education”, but it is unclear how the Chinese government plans to implement it.
According to Unesco guidelines, “comprehensive sexuality education” should cover topics including relationships, gender equality, reproduction and sexual behaviour risks. But the law China recently passed, which comes into effect on International Children’s Day next year – June 1 – only mentions sexual abuse prevention.
In the absence of a national sexuality education curriculum, many students have a poor understanding of consent, contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections.
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“China has a national sexual illiteracy,” says Chen Jing, the founder of Evolving-I, a sexuality education company in Shanghai. “There is a shared ignorance about sex and an aversion towards talking about sex.”
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