Refusing to teach children sex education is a disservice to them, not a matter of ‘morality’

I’m against anything that tries to stifle sexual liberation; from certain religious teachings to our very own education systems. Occasionally, we’ll see a report on the news about rising teenage pregnancy rates or sporadic STD pandemics. This leads to a sort of moral panic with the Church spear-heading the conversation, deeming all sexual acts as sinful and shutting down any further conversations on dealing with the important issue of adolescent sexual health.

I remember getting the sex talk somewhere between my transition from kindergarten to primary school. I was such a kamjuaji child and I happened to stumble across a Kamasutra-like book so my mother had no option but to educate me on what sex was. Over the years, we openly talked about sex but it was more along the lines of “saving myself for marriage.” Granted, my mother is a devout Christian so I applaud her for at least constantly giving me the sex talk, and more so for being open and judgement free even when I became sexually active and needed advice. Most people my age and younger did not get this kind of support from home.

Remember your days in primary and high school and think about the “sex education” classes, if there were even any, and compare them to your current sex life and just count how much you learned that you apply today. I’ve had the privilege of studying in 3 different education systems and across the board, international system or not, sexual health education is extremely pitiful, outdated or not covered at all. It’s better for a young woman know where to get emergency contraception in the event of unprotected sex, it’s better to know where to get tested for STDs or where to get free or subsidized condoms. Sex education is all about a healthy and safe sex life, which your children are ultimately going to live out as adults. Sex education is not just the embarrassing explanation of the birds and bees,  but also about consensual sex, safe sex and particularly in cases where toxic or abusive relationships, drugs and alcohol are concerned.

Most sexual health education programs in Kenya are based on the Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) method whose primary goal is to use abstinence to avoid sexual risk such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted illnesses. However, the problem with administering such a program in a society that is heavily influenced by the views of the church is that abstinence becomes the only method of risk avoidance that is taught. ‘Abstinence’ is not the only effective means of avoiding sexual risks and it becomes a responsibility to provide alternative options.

According to a report by PRB that was published in 2015, 18% of adolescent girls in Kenya are mothers. According to another report by the Population Council, about 27% of adolescent girls and 44% percent of adolescent boys who had engaged in sexual intercourse used protection. The fact that less than half of all sexually active teenagers use protection is quite worrying and shows that obviously the SRA programs that are in place are not doing their job. To top it all off, the report stated that majority of the places adolescents get info about sex is through the radio and print media like newspapers as opposed to health workers and community leaders.

When are we going to wake up and realize that sex is not the enemy here, rather it is the people who are trying to defeat efforts to protect and educate our youth? I’m not telling you to drop your faith and “come over to the dark side of non-religion” rather, I am asking you to use rational judgement and stop stamping on efforts to protect the youth in the name of protecting your Christian morals. Parents, you need to step up and overcome the supposed awkwardness of talking to your kids and teens about sex. Teachers, likewise, you have an obligation to provide a child with education that will help them build a better life. Otherwise, if you keep bible thumping and turning a blind eye to sexual health issues among adolescents, you are going to breed a society of ill-informed, unhealthy adults.