Legislative Scrutiny: Children, Schools and Families Bill; other Bills

Legislative Scrutiny: Children, Schools and Families Bill; other Bills - Human Rights Joint Committee Contents

Memorandum submitted by Marie Stopes International

LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY PRIORITIES ITEM 6: MANDATORY SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION

MARIE STOPES INTERNATIONAL

1.1 Marie Stopes International (MSI) is a not-for-profit sexual and reproductive health organisation,[142] and one of the UK's leading providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare services. Over 100,000 men and women visit our nationwide network of sexual health clinics annually for sexual health services including: contraception counselling and provision; unplanned pregnancy counselling; abortion information, advice and services; health checks and screening; and other gynaecological services.

1.2 Via such service provision, MSI aims to prevent unintended pregnancies in the UK. To achieve this goal, MSI recognises the need to educate young people about sex, sexuality, sexual health, emotions and relationships in order to develop a culture of sexual responsibility. MSI engages in numerous sex and relationship education (SRE) campaigns. For example, MSI is the organisation behind www.likeitis.org, a sex education website aimed at 11-15 year olds, and producer of the "Zoom In!" SRE resource. MSI healthcare professionals deliver sex education lessons within schools and youth settings when possible, for which there is a high demand.

1.3 MSI therefore supports the provisions in the Children, Schools and Families Bill providing for mandatory sex and relationships education (SRE).

MANDATORY SRE: SUPPORTING CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

2.1 MSI strongly agrees that SRE should become a statutory part of the National Curriculum. This would ensure all young people have equal access to accurate information about safe sex and are empowered to make educated choices about their lives and futures, and would bring the UK in line with most of its European counterparts.

2.2 The Office for National Statistics conception figures reveal that the conception rate among women aged under-18 in England and Wales has risen for the first time since 2002[143] Dawn Primarolo's written answer to Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb revealed that the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in those under the age of 16 is also on the increase, rising from 2,474 cases in 2003 to 3,913 cases in 2007.[144] These statistics are of grave concern, and suggest that young people's educational needs in relation to sexual activity are not currently being met. Mandatory SRE is necessary to ensure all young people receive good quality, age-appropriate SRE delivered by trained professionals to meet their right to receive information important to their health.

2.3 Young people already receive information about sex via the internet, television, billboards and their friends. However, this information is often unregulated and may be sensationalist, misleading, or incorrect, and as a result young people may be approaching puberty with a lack of accurate information about what constitutes a healthy and desirable relationship, and ill-prepared to make an informed decision about whether or not to have a sexual relationship and how to protect themselves against unintended pregnancy and STIs. The provision of comprehensive SRE delivered in safe learning environments is needed to balance exposure to sensationalist sexual imagery with reliable and factual information. This would equip young people with:

— the knowledge, skills and resources they need to be able to make decisions about their own sexual health, to develop positive and healthy emotional relationships, to engage in sexual relationships responsibly and positively, and to build self-confidence to resist being pressured into sex, thereby assisting in the drive to decrease unintended teenage conceptions and STIs;

— the information they need to enable them to respect sexuality choices among their peers, which could contribute to reducing incidences of bullying on the grounds of sexuality;

— knowledge about the links between risky sexual behaviour and drug/alcohol abuse

2.4 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (which has been ratified by the UK government) states that children and young people have the right to access information which will allow them to make decisions about their health (Article 17) and that those professionals working with young people shall take appropriate measures to develop family planning education and services (Article 24).[145] Children and young people also have the right to education which will help them learn, develop and reach their full potential and prepare them to be understanding and tolerant to others (Article 29). Making SRE statutory therefore supports the realisation of children's rights by ensuring that every child is able to access healthcare information and family planning education, and is given information and skills to be able to understand and respect themselves and others.

2.5 High quality SRE may also ensure children's rights are safeguarding, by equipping young people with the information, skills and knowledge they need to identify inappropriate sexual behaviour, and to be able to resist pressure or coercion. In 2007 an international review of comprehensive SRE found nearly all programmes had a beneficial impact on young people's confidence to say "no" to unwanted sex.[146]

THE RIGHTS OF THE PARENT

3.1 MSI believes that introducing statutory SRE is compatible with the rights of parents to respect for their religious and philosophical convictions in the education of their children, since receiving factual and medically correct information about sex and relationships does not contrast to religious faith or belief.

3.2 MSI is aware through its conversations with healthcare professionals and young people that there are currently variations across the country in the quality of SRE that young people receive. Making SRE statutory is key to improving its provision and ensuring it is provided comprehensively across the country to all young people regardless of the area in which one lives, the religious beliefs of their friends and family, and the culture in which the child is bought up. A statutory programme of education with clear teaching guidance will also support teachers and professionals in delivering SRE.

3.3 MSI is also aware, through dialogue with schools and teachers that SRE is often taught within lessons on religious studies, placing SRE within a moral framework. Ofsted's report into SRE stated: "Schools almost always set their SRE programmes within an explicit moral framework governing relationships and behaviour… Where lessons are less effective, this is most often because the teacher talks about what is considered to be the right attitude without giving the pupils the opportunity to debate it, to make their own views known and to explore contradictions and disagreements".[147] Making SRE mandatory will mainstream SRE discussions, allowing delivery of factual, balanced and non-judgemental information in a variety of settings and contexts, to equip young people with the knowledge needed to be autonomous and to reach their own values on sex and relationships, whilst respecting the views of others. This is in support of the child's right to their own freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

3.4 In countries where comprehensive and consistent SRE starts from an early age, unintended teenage pregnancy and STI rates tend to be lower. However, abstinence driven education policies, often delivered inline with religious and philosophical convictions, have been shown to fail, as highlighted by the Centres for Disease Control for example. The CDC says that southern states of the United States of America, where there is often emphasis on abstinence and religion, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STIs[148].

3.5 As discussed above, the provision of SRE supports the realisation of children's rights. SRE should therefore be provided to every child and young person. Allowing parents the right to opt out their child if they are under the age of 15 opposes this principle, and therefore is not in the best interests of children. We welcome the fact that the Children, Schools and Families Bill provides an entitlement for young people to receive at least one year of SRE.

3.6 MSI believes that in order for SRE to be effective, parents and educators need to work together, and SRE needs to be taught in all settings including the home, community and educational settings. Creating school-parent partnerships to encourage parental involvement in the development of SRE policy and curriculum may enable parents to include their religious and philosophical convictions within classroom discussions.

3.7 Parents are supportive of statutory SRE. The MSI "Sexplanations" resource to assist parents in having sex-related conversations with young people was highly requested. In a survey conducted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in October 2009, 82% of parents agreed that all children and young people should attend mandatory SRE lessons.[149]

3.8 Mandatory SRE encourages parent-child dialogue on sexual health issues. In 2007 an international review of comprehensive SRE found nearly all programmes improved young people's communication with parents.[150]

January 2010