Draft:Sex education in the Philippines
Prior to 1969, sex education in the Philippines was non-existent. Instructions were limited only to discussions on pregnancy and childcare within the confines of the family unit, specifically between female members of the home. Outside the family or the home setting, available informal information – in the form of television and radio programs, illegal adult or sex publications, and the like – was imprecise, flawed, or deficient.[1]
Sex education and access to contraceptives is considered a taboo in the Roman Catholic-majority country.[2][3]
History
[edit]1960s
[edit]After the World Health Organization and the Philippine government's introduction of programs on family planning and birth/conception control in 1969, suburban and rural Philippine communities received training in these programs, with instructions on basic biology, pregnancy, and contraception that focused on the use of birth control pills. This program was clandestinely sustained by the Roman Catholic Church to "reduce the family's burden of child rearing because of poverty".[1]
1970s
[edit]In 1970, Philippine high schools and colleges began to include teachings related to public health, sexually transmitted diseases, and limited information on human reproduction and human sexuality in the curriculum for science courses, such as biology. The limitation was truncated by the Filipino tradition of not explicitly mentioning or showing images of the male and female sex organs even for educational purposes.[1]
In 1972, the government of Ferdinand Marcos formally offered sexual education programs at all levels of education.[1] Human sexual development and population were topics in science and biology subjects in elementary schools.[1]
High school students received elementary and basic-level of biological information and family planning, with emphasis that separation and divorce are illegal in the Philippines.[1] Information about legal separation or de facto separation were also taught in Philippine public schools due to its high incidence of occurrence in lower-class families.[1]
1980s
[edit]During the 1980s, seminars and international conferences were held by schools of medicine as an addition to ongoing courses on human sexuality.[1]
2010s
[edit]In 2018, the Department of Education issued Memorandum No. 31 which integrates "age and development-appropriate" comprehensive sex education in public and private schools in the Philippines[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Florante, Jose J. Sexual Knowledge and Education Archived May 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, (see also: Interpersonal Heterosexual Behaviors (Adolescents section) ), www2.hu-berlin.de
- ^ "Comprehensive Sex Education Remains Controversial in the Philippines". Voice of America. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Yamat, Kristel; Hernandez, Jian Karlos; Salas, Kent Mathew; Soliman, Kristina Bianca; Delos Reyes, Rod Charlie (15 August 2023). "Should sex education in the Philippines remain taboo?" (PDF). Journal of Social Health. 5 (2): 45–49. doi:10.61072/j.osh.2023.524. ISSN 2651-6837. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Ombay, Giselle (20 January 2025). "EXPLAINER: What is Comprehensive Sexuality Education?". GMA News Online. Retrieved 23 January 2025.