Resources

Sexuality and relationships education is a vital tool for promoting gender equality and preventing gender-based violence among young people and within our societies more broadly. School environments are in a privileged position to reach young people and facilitate the development of fundamental life skills, attitudes, knowledge, and values. In particular, during compulsory schooling, there is a window of opportunity for schools to make a strong contribution to building students' skills and awareness of social inequalities and discrimination and empowering them with knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their lives. In 2022, IPPF EN commissioned a baseline study to assess knowledge, attitudes and comfort relating to gender equality and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) among students, parents and teachers in northern Portugal. The findings of the baseline study can be downloaded below, together with a 1-page summary of the project.   We will continue to build on this study over the coming 3 years, measuring the impact of our gender transformative sexuality education programme delivered in school settings in Portugal. Going beyond the traditional focus on health outcomes of sexuality education, we aim to study the immediate and long-term effect on young people’s knowledge, attitudes and values regarding gender equality. The evidence we intend to provide is that that gender transformative sex and relationships education is key to the prevention of SGBV.

This is the Safe from sexual and gender-based violence (SfSGBV) toolkit. Its main purpose is to guide the delivery of sexuality education sessions that support young people at risk of marginalization to recognize and protect themselves from SGBV. The toolkit is designed for the use of experienced sexuality education educators. Equally, it is a valuable resource for young people interested to learn more about prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.   You can learn from the toolkit either through our interactive website or by downloading the resource below.

This film is about the partnership between Sex og Politikk and Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) - IPPF members - during the roll-out of the "Implementing Sexuality Education for Teens (I’MSET)" project. The project is a great example of how sharing knowledge on sexuality education can lead to successful results. The main outcome was a manual on sexuality education to be used in middle schools across Cyprus.  After the inclusion of the manual in the curriculum, Sex og Politikk travelled to Cyprus to document the project. The short documentary film is the result of this trip. Sex og Politikk interviewed the partners from CFPA and other actors involved in the project. The focus was talking to young people who have received comprehensive sexuality education with the help of the manual and to teachers who have used the materials.Young people expressed the need for comprehensive sexuality education in Cyprus, where sexuality has been a taboo for a long time. The I’MSET material inspired them to reflect on changing harmful stereotypes and traditional gender norms. We hope the documentary can inspire future partnerships and exchanges on comprehensive sexuality education. Sexuality education is a human rights based approach aimed at equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values required to make informed decisions and enjoy their sexuality physically, emotionally, individually, and in their relationships. It approaches sexuality holistically and within the frame of emotional and social development. As one of the Cypriot youth expressed: “Don’t demonize sex. Don’t make us afraid of it!” To learn more about the project and to download the manual see sexualityeducation.com.cy