From the article :
“Goedele Liekens, a Belgian UN goodwill ambassador for sexual health, has waded into the UK’s debate about whether sex education should be compulsory with a new TV programme campaigning for a mandatory GCSE in sexual health. She believes teenagers should be taught about pornography, sexual pleasure and sexual agency, issues that she argues are sadly omitted from British children’s education in contrast to some other European countries.
Liekens is seeking government support for her ideas, and spent two weeks making the documentary, Sex in Class at Hollins Technology College in Accrington, Lancashire. Unsurprisingly, it has attracted some sensational headlines…..
Whether we agree or not this should take the form of a GCSE, the broad premises of her campaign are admirable and necessary. Girls should be provided with knowledge of their own anatomy and sexual pleasure. Boys and girls should be given critical skills to reflect upon the narratives and tropes of porn. The empowerment of girls to negotiate and express their own desires and sexual boundaries will bring about healthier and less exploitative sexual relations for both sexes.
Those who argue that this kind of education sexualises young people need to confront the sexual reality for the majority of the nation’s children. The widespread availability and consumption of internet pornography is sexualising adolescents. Liekens’ ideas could be a counter-force to this. Her approach is necessary because adults both value pornography as a democratic freedom and use it in vast numbers, making its availability to children ubiquitous and inevitable.”
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