Resumen
Over the last few decades, there has been increasing recognition and evidence that teaching about the cognitive, emotional, social and physical aspects of sexuality can have positive impacts on children and young people’s sexual and reproductive health. Emerging evidence also suggests that delivering sexuality education programmes to children and young people at school can have a positive effect on larger societal issues, such as gender equality, human rights, and the well-being and safety of children and young people. According to UNESCO, effective sexuality education should adopt a comprehensive approach: a curriculumbased process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality. Sexuality education programmes can tackle a wide range of topics, including sexual and reproductive health (including sexually transmitted diseases and youth pregnancy), relationships, sexual orientation and gender roles. International bodies – including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other agencies of the United Nations (UN) – have set out various targets and standards around sexuality education that European Union Member States, amongst others, are expected to meet. However, as education remains a Member State competence, there are considerable differences in its content, delivery and organisation between Member States. As a result, children across the European Union are likely to receive very different messages and information from each other about these important topics, depending on how different Member States interpret and implement these international targets and standards. Sexuality education is, and always has been, a sensitive topic. Views differ on what should be taught and at what age, the role that schools and parents should play, and how it should be taught. There has been little comprehensive mapping of nature of sexuality education that children and young people across the European Union receive. Using sexuality education as a guiding term, this policy memo provides an overview of the existing evidence and research in this area. The memo then draws on a variety of data-collection efforts to summarise the current state-of-play of school-based sexuality education in EU Member States, and gives an indication of the variety of practice that exists for policymakers, decision-makers and practitioners.