Looking at twitter comments on the current issue, it seems many promoters of sex education may not fully understand what works (or does not work) in practice.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27824221/
Research finds that sex education programs do not reduce pregnancy and STIs among the young. In fact, they have no effect on adolescent pregnancy and STI rates.
Are our sexual predators a product of a lack of sex education? Or, the product of generations of protected miscreants?
We say in Sinhala – උඩ බලාගෙන කෙළ ගහනවා. This is repeatedly said by rape victims where the perpetrators are family members and those close to the family. This is the main reason why parents hush up the abused child in SL.
We have a culture of shoving inconvenient events under the carpet. and we are increasingly inept at teaching children the difference between right & wrong (maybe because parents’ actions cannot support the words). And so we expect schools to step in & fix the declining morals.
Evolutionarily, our brains are wired for morality. Young children provide comfort and assistance to other children & adults in emotional distress. For example, when they see their mothers in pain, 18-month-old toddlers show comforting behaviors (hugging, patting, and sharing toys).
But as we grow older, the culture we live in influences what we think is right & wrong. Young children are influenced by parents, then by peers (when in adolescence), & then again by parents (when adults). Parents’ role in moral education is crucial.
Moral education means facilitating a child’s progress through the stages of moral reasoning leading to the adoption of freely chosen moral values.This might not sound practical in the medium term in our current situation. But we do have other options.
Sex education need not become the be-all & end-all of controlling sexual misconduct if people make a conscious decision to reverse the pattern of moral decay in our society.
The Four Component Model is something we can implement in schools and workplaces. What are these 4 components?
1. Moral sensitivity: (interpreting the situation)
Awareness of how our actions affect other people. It involves being aware of the different possible lines of action and how each line of action could affect the parties concerned (including oneself).
2. Moral judgment: (judging which action is morally right or wrong)
Once a person is aware that various lines of action are possible, one must ask which line of action is more morally justified. (Piaget)
3. Moral motivation: (prioritizing moral values over other personal values)
People have many values (careers, affectional relationships, aesthetic preferences, institutional loyalties, hedonistic pleasures). Why place high priority on moral values over these other values?
4. Moral character: (having the strength of your convictions, courage, persisting, overcoming distractions, having implementing skills, having ego strength) A person may have the first 3 components but if they are lacking in Component 4, the person will wilt under pressure.
The Four component model is explained here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0013189X028004018
Varuni Fernando 