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Sex education in schools delays the onset of sexual activity and helps young people defend themselves against HIV/AIDS, noted a World Health Organisation study conducted in 68 countries.
Research by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also showed that children's first sexual encounters are occurring at a younger age, and with it the risk of HIV infection. In Swaziland alone, nearly one-third of young people in secondary school have had sex by age 16. In South Africa, one in every tenth person aged between 15 and 24 is HIV-positive.
"Schools provide a crucial opportunity to reach children with prevention messages before they become sexually active, and if the opportunity is realized through well designed sexual and reproductive health education programmes, the protective impact of schooling can be considerably enhanced, said an Oxfam report on the impact of education on HIV/AIDS.
The sources also suggest that information received in the classroom about sex is especially important to girls, who are less likely than boys to have basic knowledge about how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions