Sexuality Education: Nurturing Better Humans 性教育は人間を育てるための教育

In the last part of the series, Rina highlights the important points of sexuality education and how it is part of human rights education.

By Rina Minami / Translated by Hanae Matsumura

Sexuality education is not just teaching about reproduction; it nurtures humanity. It covers a broad range of important topics such as building relationships with family/friends/partners, human rights, gender issues, sexual violence, sexual consent, communication with others, and media literacy (UNESCO, 2018).

It starts from babies

The first step to sex education is to teach children about the importance of protecting their bodies and that “no one except you can possess, control, or play with your body.” Start with asking your child for permission when you touch them, even if they are still infants, like “Can I take your clothes off, sweetie?” “Honey, can I hold your hand?” or “Can I wipe your bottom?” Asking like this gives the children a sense of importance about their bodies, which can protect them from sex-related offenses in the future.

Let’s talk with the whole family

I heard that many families started talking about sex only when their children developed secondary sex characteristics, such as first menstruation or ejaculation. It was awkward to have those conversations when kids were at that adolescent age if the family had never discussed similar topics in the past. Hence talking about it from a young age may help. Parents can begin with teaching the difference between a child’s body and an adult’s body during bath time, reading books about sex/sexuality education together, and having a safe environment to talk about sex and sexuality. Involving male and female parents would make sex education during adolescence much easier. 

When your kids get older, you will have more opportunities for sex education, including when watching TV. For example, when characters kiss, you can say, “He/she didn’t ask if they could kiss, right? I don’t think it’s good.” (Remember, you need to do it casually and naturally!) Don’t judge and deny right away, but encourage your kids to think on their own by telling how you felt and asking how they felt.

Respect every individual

These days, more and more people recognize, accept, and respect the diversity of sexual orientation. For example, the acronym “LGBTQ” has become widely known, and human rights for sexual minorities are getting public attention. More recently, we have often heard “SOGI,” which stands for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Everyone, including LGBTQ people, have their own SOGI. According to the statistics, approximately one or two kids in a classroom are in the category of LGBTQ and they often become anxious about their own sexualities. Society needs education for all SOGI to be accepted and respected.　

Other important topics are sexual consent and sexual violence. Disregarding other people’s willingness, including his/her partner, means violation of human rights, and such sexual violence is a crime. We must let children learn about this from an early age. To protect your children from committing sexual violence, parents should learn about it together with the children and let them know that parents are their all-time supporters.

Like traffic accidents, anyone can be a victim of sexual violence. This is what to do when an accident occurs:

1) Find someone to help; 

2) Call the police;

3) Visit a hospital.

How can we adults prepare for such cases? One thing is to tell your children that only the offender is to blame and the victim is the innocent one. Another thing is to make a safe environment where the victim can talk about the accident without any hesitation.

Every one of us is so precious and valuable with different but important roles in this world. Respect each person and their body, acknowledge the diversity of sexualities, and have full ownership of our own sexuality. All these are part of one thing: human rights.

References/Further Reading

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) (2018) International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An evidence-informed approach. 

性教育は人間を育てるための教育

性教育シリーズ最終回の今回は、これまでのまとめと人権教育としての性教育について、ワークショップ講師を務める美並りながお届けします。

文：美並　りな

「性教育は、生殖の教育にとどまらず、人間を育てる教育」と言われています。家族・友人・恋人との関係性の築き方、人権について、ジェンダー、性暴力、性的同意、コミュニケーションのとり方、メディアリテラシーなど、性教育は様々な分野を包摂しているのです※。  

赤ちゃんから始める性教育

性教育の第一歩は、子どもに自分の身を守ることの大切さ、「あなたの身体はあなただけのもので、誰も自由にすることはできない」ことを教えることです。「〇〇ちゃん、お洋服脱がせてもいい？」「〇〇ちゃん、手をつないでもいい？」「おしりを拭いてもいい？」など、身体を触る際に子どもの同意をとる声かけを赤ちゃんの頃から行っていくことで、自然と「自分の身体はとても大切」という感覚が身につき、将来の防犯にもつながります。  

家族で性の話をしよう！

お子さんの第二次性徴（生理や精通など）をきっかけに性の話を始めようとしたけど、ハードルが高くて悩んでいる、というご家庭が多いと聞きます。小さい頃から、お風呂で自分の身体と大人の身体の違いを理解したり、性教育の本を一緒に読んだり、パパを巻き込んでみんなで話したりして環境を整えておくと、思春期からの性教育が楽になりますよ。  

年齢が上がってきたら、家族でテレビを見るときも性教育のチャンスです。例えば、キスシーンが出てきた際、「キスしていい？って聞いてないよね。ママは、よくないと思うな～」などとつぶやいてみる（さりげなさがポイントです）とか。頭ごなしに否定せず、「自分はこう思うよ！あなたはどう感じた？」と子どもが自分で考えられるよう促してください。  

一人ひとりを尊重する

今、人々の性についての考え方が柔軟になってきています。

例えば、LGBTQという言葉は今では広く認知され、性的マイノリティの方の人権も大切にしようという考えが浸透し始めました。最近では、”SOGI”という言葉がよく使われています。SOGIはSexual Orientation and Gender Identity、つまり性的嗜好と性自認という意味で、LGBTQを含む全ての人にそれぞれのSOGIがあります。LGBTQは統計的にはクラスに1～2人の割合であり、悩んでいる子どもも少なくないと言われています。どのようなSOGIであっても受け入れ、大切にする教育の必要性が叫ばれています。  

性的同意に関しても、相手の意思の尊重をしないのは、人権侵害にあたり、犯罪になるということを子供の頃からしっかりと考えさせていかなければなりません。子どもたちが加害者にならないためにも、性教育を親も子も一緒に学び、親は子どもの絶対的な味方でいてあげてください。

交通事故のように、誰もが性被害に遭う可能性があります。その時必要なことは、①誰かに助けを求める②警察を呼ぶ③病院に行く。大人は、悪いのは加害者であり被害者は決して悪くないことを教え、すぐに信頼できる誰かに相談できる環境を作りましょう。　

私たちは、それぞれがとても大切な存在であり、大切な役割を持って生まれてきました。一人ひとりを身体を含めて尊重すること、多様な性を受け入れ、性について主体性を持つことは、全てつながっているのです。

Photos courtesy of the author

About the Author

A mother of two boys, Rina used to work at hospice and obstetrics & gynecology in Japan. Then she moved to Shanghai, where she started baby food seminars and workshops for new mothers in 2012. During her stay in Bangkok, Rina guides parents and children as a sex education instructor.

男の子2人のママです。日本のホスピス、産婦人科にて勤務後、上海へ。2012年より、離乳食教室・母親教室などを開催。バンコクでは性教育のワークショップを開催しています。★みなえみインスタグラム（ https://www.instagram.com/minaemi2011　またはminaemi2011で検索)

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