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Taboos smashed on China's sex education
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-10 08:52
China is working to break taboos on sex education for teenagers.
"Sexual and reproduction health of teenagers" was set as one of major topics
at the International Forum on Population and Development that opened Tuesday in
Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province.
Some two female
middle school students look at a board showing sex-related antiques at a
March Sex Knowledge Exhibition in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi
Province. [newsphoto/file photo] | Experts from different countries expressed their opinions and experience in
sex education. At the exhibition area, visitors can easily find well-printed
books, magazines and interesting videos involving sexual and reproduction
knowledge.
This conference represents a big change in attitude in a country where, just
a few years ago, sex-related contents were often forbidden in public.
Traditionally in Chinese culture, speaking about sex was a private matter for
only close friends - not for public discussion.
Unfortunately, this conservative attitude led to inadequate sexual education
for children. Most Chinese students about sex from their friends, forbidden
books and magazines and, more recently, the Internet, statistics show.
According to Population and Development Country Report published Tuesday,
during the past decade, the overall health of about 323 million Chinese young
people aged 10 to 24 has been improving steadily. However, they have experienced
an earlier age of sexual and psychological maturity.
Young people's sexual ethics are changing. Premarital pregnancies and induced
abortions among the young have continued to increase, said the report.
More and more experts worried about the lack of sex education for teenagers,
which has caused many negative results such as psychological problems. They
continuously call for teaching reforms to give teenagers proper facts about sex.
Chinese government agrees and is taking measures to change the situation.
In this April, a public consultant station on sexual diseases and AIDS
prevention was established in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu
Province. A sex-related book written by a middle school student was printed as a
textbook in southwest China 's Sichuan Province. The province also invited some
sexual experts to provide proper sexual education for students in different
grades.
A book named "Thoughts for Teenagers" was introduced as the textbook this
year in high schools in Ningbo of eastern China's Zhejiang province. Students'
opinions and requests were fully considered during the editing process of the
book dealing with issues like masturbation, homosexuality and contraception.
The sex education for teenagers is a complicated task. It integrates sexual
morality, psychology, ethics and law.
"The major purpose of the sex education for teenagers is to let them have a
correct and comprehensive understanding in sex, which will help them properly
control their sexual behaviors," said Professor Peng Xiaohui with Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, also famous Chinese sexologist.
In order to improve China's poor sex education, Peng said, governments should
pay much attention to two things: training more sex education teachers in
primary and middle schools while cultivating more professionals through opening
sexology majors in some universities.
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