Perspective Chapter: Sexual health interventions for adolescents

Abstract

Comprehensive sexual education emphasizes a holistic approach to human development and sexuality. The goal is to equip adolescents with competencies and values that should enable them to make responsible well-informed decisions about their sexual and social relationships in a world driven by sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sexual education programmes provide mitigating effects on the sustained information adolescents receive from various unsubstantiated sources about their sexuality and gender, which often is contradictory and confusing. It has been widely recognized that sexual education is alone not adequate to empower adolescents for developing positive norms about themselves, relationships, and their sexual health if the component of human rights is overlooked. This chapter hence adopts a rights-based approach to comprehensive sexuality education. Advocacy is on availing opportunities for adolescents to acquire essential life skills and develop positive attitudes and values on their sexuality. The chapter addresses the following contemporary cross cutting issues prevalent among adolescents: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; Sexuality Education; Prevention of sexually transmitted infections; Provision of family planning and prevention of unwanted pregnancies; Prevention of Gender Based Violence. Suggestions on contextualized approaches for effective adolescent sexual education are provided in each section.