SCRIPT FOR CAMPAIGN ABOUT SEX EDUCATION

CLARENCE: STDs

PAULA: Teenage pregnancy

CHLOE: Risk of sexual harrassment

MJ: At risk sexual behavior

NICKI: Blurred boundaries

CLARENCE: They say that the implementation of Sex Education would increase sexual
relations, would become a motivation for engaging sexual behavior, and would result to
tainted modesty for teenagers. Adults may believe that if adolescents obtain sex education,
they will try sex since sex education is viewed as a motivator for sexual knowledge. Adults who
oppose this implementation prefer to rely on their children's parents to teach them about
reproductive health. However, in the Philippines, many families are either unprepared or
unwilling to discuss the matter with their children directly. This is why we believe that
teaching Sex Education in schools is important.

But first, what is the exact definition of Sex Education? According to the Advocates for
YOUTH Organization, Sex Education is defined as “the provision of information about bodily
development, sex, sexuality, and relationships, along with skills-building to help young
people communicate about and make informed decisions regarding sex and their sexual
health.”

PAULA: The Philippines has recorded a total of 180,916 live births among adolescents aged
10 to 19 in 2019, the figure is equivalent to 495 live births per day in the 10 to 19 age group.

As part of our advocacy campaign, here are the reasons why Sexual Health Education is
important to young people’s health and well-being:

1. Avoid negative health consequences. Around 750,000 teenagers become pregnant in the
United States each year, with up to 82 percent of those pregnancies being unwanted.
Young individuals aged 15 to 24 account for 25% of all new HIV infections in the United
States and over half of the over 19 million new STD infections that occur each year in the
United States. Young people are taught the tools they need to defend themselves through
sex education.

2. Communicate about sexuality and sexual health. People discuss sexuality with their
parents, friends, and intimate partners throughout their lives. Young people's health is
protected throughout their life when they learn to freely discuss contraception and
condoms, as well as activities they are not ready for. Allow them to wait until they are
ready for sexual initiation. Abstinence is taught as the only 100% effective technique of
preventing HIV, STIs, and unwanted pregnancy, as well as a valid decision that everyone
 has the right to make. Hundreds of sex education programs have been proved to assist
young people delay or reduce their sexual activity.

CHLOE:
3. Understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. Maintaining a healthy relationship
involves skills that many young people are never taught, such as positive communication,
dispute resolution, and negotiating sexual activity decisions. A lack of these abilities can
lead to unhealthy and even violent relationships among teenagers: one out of every ten
high school students has been physically assaulted by a dating partner in the previous
year. Understanding and identifying good and harmful relationship patterns, as well as
efficient techniques to communicate relationship needs and handle conflict, and strategies
to avoid or exit an unhealthy relationship, should all be part of sex education.

4. Understand, value, and feel autonomy over their bodies. Comprehensive sexual health
education educates young people not only the fundamentals of puberty and development,
but also that they have the choice to choose what behaviors they engage in and to refuse
unwelcome sexual activity. Furthermore, sex education aids young people in examining
the factors that influence their body image, whether favorable or negative.

MJ:
5. Respect others’ right to bodily autonomy. Eight percent of high school students say
they were forced to engage in sexual activity, and one in ten say they have engaged in
sexual assault. Sexual education educates young people what constitutes sexual violence,
why it is wrong, and how to get help if they have been sexually abused.

6. Teaches youth to be responsible about sex. The act of having sex affects more than just
the person who is having it; it also affects other people's health and overall quality of life.
It may not force children to use contraception or engage in sexual activity, but it does
require them to think first. Education offers us the ability to think about the
consequences, costs, and rewards of our activities. Sex education will not result in a
moral breakdown, but rather an awakening to our humanity and responsibility for the
future.

7. Shows dignity and respect for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender
identity. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have made huge strides
toward equality in the last few decades. Despite this, LGBT youth continue to endure
prejudice and harassment. 82 percent of LGBT students have been harassed because of
their sexual orientation, and 38% have been physically harassed.

NICKI:
8. Protect the students’ academic success. Academic success might be influenced by a
student's sexual health. Students who do not engage in health risk behaviors obtain higher
grades than students who do engage in health risk behaviors, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Absenteeism and dropout can be caused by a
variety of factors, including health issues and unexpected pregnancies.
 9. Teaches students how to recognise abuse. It teaches them to respect their own and
others' bodies while also discussing limits and emotional well-being. It even includes
discussions about personal skills and communication, gender roles, and media portrayal
of sex and gender on various platforms.

A 2012 research of 66 comprehensive sexual risk reduction programs found them to be a

Sex education should take place at all levels of a student's education, with knowledge suited
to the student's development and cultural context. Puberty and reproduction, abstinence,
contraception, condoms, relationships, sexual assault prevention, body image, gender identity,
and sexual orientation should all be covered. It should be taught by professionals. Sex education
should be based on scientific knowledge of what works best to prevent unintended pregnancy
and sexually transmitted illnesses, but it should also respect young people's access to accurate
information. Sexual development should be treated as a normal, natural element of human
development in sex education.

CLARENCE: Young people have the right to be healthy, happy, and achieve their full potential.
They deserve to grow up in a society where Comprehensive Sex Education is considerably less
frightening, confusing, and dangerous than one where it is not. Teachers and parents must take
immediate action. Comprehensive sexuality education is part of every young person's journey to
adulthood no matter where in the world they live.

CLARENCE: I am John Clarence Maitim.

PAULA: Paula Angela Santos

CHLOE: Chloe Dimaranan

MJ: Mary Josephine Sartin

NICKI: Trinity Nicole Policarpio

CLARENCE: And we believe that we should, “Sex educate, before it’s too late.”

https://borgenproject.org/sex-education-in-the-philippines/
https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/resources/fact-sheets/sexuality-education-2/