Will it change? Japan's "sex education" October 6, 15:34

Do you remember having "sex education" at school?

There is some debate about what "sex education" is, but sexual activity and contraception are rarely dealt with in Japanese elementary and junior high school classes.

However, with a series of sexual injuries and sexual violence, the country is about to start a new education in April next year.

Think about why you need it now, the challenges, and what happens to sex education abroad.

* This content will be explained in detail in the special feature at 7:00 am on Wednesday, 7th, "Good Morning Japan".

Unwanted pregnancy Lack of knowledge of sexuality

This spring, I met a woman who had an abortion.

I'm Aya (a pseudonym), an office worker in her 20s who lives in Kansai.

I was told that I was pregnant at the obstetrics and gynecology department where I felt a change in my physical condition.

"Pregnancy" was suddenly announced without any mental preparation.

It is said that his body trembled due to the agitation, and he inadvertently crumpled the echo picture given by the doctor.

Aya went through an abortion operation by herself without being able to organize her mind and consult with her parents and dating partner.

He thought he was contraceptive to each other with the man he was dating, but as a result, he found that the method did not result in proper contraception.

Aya said she wanted her to teach her the right knowledge about sex at school.

Aya-san

"I didn't know the concept of protecting myself, and I wasn't taught. I blamed myself for being life-threatening."

Don't you know this?

"Smaruna" is an app that allows midwives and other specialists to receive free sexual consultations via chat on the app.

The number of app downloads has skyrocketed since March due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, and is still about four times the number before Corona, reaching 40,000 per month.

However, the person in charge is surprised that the younger generation lacks much knowledge about sex.

For example, it is said that such a question has been asked.

"You're not pregnant because you're outside (external ejaculation), right?"

"

Is

it okay to wash my vagina because I failed in contraception?"

Delay in sex education Why?

It is not well known that Japanese junior high school health and physical education classes teach little specific methods of contraception.

In the first year of junior high school, how will the bodies of men and women mature as they grow up?

Learn how fertilized human eggs grow in the womb.

However, the textbook does not mention the premise of sexual activity.

The reality is that we hardly teach contraceptive methods.

The basis for this is the phrase "the course of pregnancy will not be dealt with", which has been stated in the national curriculum guidelines since 1998.

Commonly known as the "stop rule".

A country that raises a heavy waist

However, the country is finally trying to lift its weight due to the constant sexual damage caused by SNS and the spread of flower demos protesting the damage of sexual violence.

From April next year, we plan to start a new education called "safety education for life" from kindergarten to elementary, junior high and high schools, and universities.

We are currently discussing what kind of communication should be done at the national expert meeting, but we are discussing specific risks related to sex such as hiding in swimsuits, so-called private zones not being shown to people and dating DV. It is a policy to teach.

However, some people find it unfavorable to go too far into teaching sexual knowledge to children, so the policy of not dealing with sexual activity or contraception remains unchanged.

Educational site where the search continues

Under these circumstances, some schools have begun to seek to teach children sexual risks ahead of the rest of the country.

This is Tajima Junior High School in Osaka City.

From April this year, we introduced new education to prevent the birth of sexual victims and perpetrators.

In the first year of junior high school, you will learn how to deal with changes in the body and brain of adolescents and emotional wounds, and in the second year of junior high school, you will learn how to deal with "dating DV" that can lead to sexual violence from romantic relationships.

However, even in this class, which goes one step further, we do not teach sexual activity or contraception.

It is said that teachers also feel a dilemma as to how much knowledge they can convey to their children.

Teachers

"I want to convey what I can convey, but I do not say sexual intercourse or sexual contact in class. That is ambiguous."

"You should teach properly at school, but the method of dealing with it is in the course of

study.

Not

Germany to convey without hiding

How do you conduct sex education overseas?

Let's take the example of Germany.

In September, I covered a public school in the east.

The theme that Japanese first-year junior high school students were learning in the biology class was "contraception."

The learning is practical.

Various contraceptives and contraceptives are placed on the desk, and the students observe them directly by hand.

There was also practice of attaching the condom to a model of a wooden penis, and I was careful not to put air in the tip of the condom so as not to make a mistake on the front and back.

What is the reaction of the students?

What impressed me was that the students did not show any giggling gestures, and both boys and girls exchanged opinions and questions with serious expressions.

By treating the relationship of trust between teachers and students as well as objectively as biology, I felt that the erotic aspects that tend to accompany sexual themes have been removed.

A 12-year-old girl student

"I didn't talk at home, so I only knew about contraception for the first time.

I'll be involved with myself, so I need to know."

A 12-year-old boy

"Practicing using a condom was a good experience. I'm glad I learned how to contracept girls."

Accurate knowledge

In Germany, the curriculum of education varies from state to state, but each state is united in providing comprehensive sex education such as biological content, contraceptive methods, and sexual violence.

In the textbooks used by the students, not only condoms and pills, but also contraceptives used in the uterus and chicks were introduced in detail with pictures.

The biology teacher who taught the lesson says that it is important to convey the correct knowledge without hiding it.

Biological teacher Fairstella

"We need to take a closer look at the changes that are happening in our students' bodies. Masturbation and sexual activity, growing interest in the opposite sex, and unintentional erections are all normal. I want to tell you. It's a shame to get the wrong information without being clear. "

The parents of the students also take it positively.

Mr. Gunzel

"I agree that children have the right attitude and know more about it so that they don't panic. It's a sensitive theme, so if you look it up yourself, you tend to go in the wrong direction. That's why. , At school, you should learn from reliable sources. "

Sex education in Taiwan

In-depth sex education is also being conducted in Taiwan.

The impetus was the "Gender Equality Education Law" enacted in 2004.

In Taiwan, sex education is conducted under the name of "gender equality education" and covers a wide range of issues such as the importance of gender equality and the elimination of stereotypes such as "masculinity" and "femininity."

From the second year of junior high school, we will learn about "contraceptive methods" based on the reality that there are students who have sexual intercourse even in junior high school students, not whether sexual activity in junior high school students is appropriate or inappropriate.

This is to protect yourself from unexpected pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

You will also learn the importance of consent, such as saying NO if you are reluctant during sexual activity.

Sex education is "basic human rights"

Overseas, guaranteeing sex education is an important part of "sexual rights," and is therefore widely recognized as an important part of basic human rights.

In 2009, the UNESCO-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization released the "International Sexuality Education Guidance", which shows the framework of comprehensive sex education, and Taiwan and other countries in Europe and Asia based on this guidance. We have a policy for sex education.

It must be said that education in Japan is still behind compared to those, but Japan will also take a small but important step to "protect itself" and "take good care of the other person".

Through this interview, I felt that it is first necessary for each of us to look at what we have tried not to see.

Keiho Izumitani

, a

reporter for the Osaka Broadcasting Station,

joined the

station in

2000.

After working at the Yamaguchi station, the international department, and the Washington branch, he has

been interviewing

since 2017,

focusing on child-rearing and education.

Berlin Bureau Chief

Yoshi Yamaguchi

Joined in 2008

After working at Hakodate Bureau, Sapporo Bureau, and International Affairs Department, he is currently affiliated.

International Department Reporter

Hiroko Matsuzaki

Joined in 2012

After working at the Nagoya Bureau,

we interviewed mainly about the current state of the world regarding gender.