Sexuality Education in Europe and Central Asia

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a vital necessity for supporting children and young people in their sexual and general development. It enables them to increase their knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to develop their skills in decision-making, communication, and risk-reduction, as well as positive and responsible attitudes toward sexuality and relationships.

The BZgA and the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF EN) jointly initiated an analysis of the status of sexuality education in 25 countries of the WHO European Region.

That analysis showed that the quality of sexuality education and the degree of its implementation vary greatly in the WHO European Region, which includes countries in Europe and Central Asia, though most countries do teach the basic elements of sexuality education in schools. Curriculum development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation processes differ across the region as well as within individual countries.

The analysis resulted in various publications:

1.  a comprehensive report, including key findings, conclusions, and recommendations;
2.  a summary brief;
3.  factsheets for each country surveyed (25 in total);
4.  various scientific articles published in different journals.

Key findings of the analysis include:

• In most surveyed countries (21 out of 25), there is a legal framework for sexuality education in the school system: 18 countries have a respective law, 2 countries have adopted a policy, and 1 a strategy.
• Sexuality education is mandatory in less than half of the countries (11 out of 25); in the remaining countries, it is either optional or mandatory in some regions or in particular schools.
• In most countries, sexuality education is integrated into broader subjects, such as biology, religion, life-skills education, or social sciences. It can also be taught as a workshop/”advisory hour” outside regular school hours.
• Teacher training to deliver sexuality education is a challenge in many countries. Only a handful of countries (e.g., Estonia and Finland) have strengthened their teachers’ competencies and skills by making the teaching of sexuality education part of the teacher-training curriculum at colleges and universities.