BOX 6. COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION: PROMOTING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY The ICPD Programme of Action stresses the need for sustainable and appropriate information and education on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.16 The Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education in his 2010 report to the United Nations General Assembly17 interprets ICPD to mean, “states must ensure that they do not restrict individuals’ access to appropriate services and necessary information and must remove social and regulatory barriers to information on sexual and reproductive health and health care”. It is through education that populations can learn more about their rights and how to access them; this includes reproductive rights. As set out in the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, sexuality is an aspect inherent in all human beings and includes various personal and social factors. Nonetheless, sexuality is many times kept hidden due to religion, ideology or culture. These reasons are often connected to patriarchy, which is a system of social order imposing the supremacy of men over women and determining strict roles for men and women. This system causes and perpetuates serious and systematic human rights violations, such as violence and discrimination against women. Education is a main tool in combating patriarchy, promoting equality between individuals and advancing reproductive rights. States must guarantee that all persons receive sufficient education to prepare them to claim their rights, including reproductive rights, and support gender equality; this kind of education acts as a guarantor of a democratic and pluralistic environment. A comprehensive sexuality education from the outset of schooling and through the educational process will enable individuals to look after their own health responsibly and respectfully, allowing men and women to claim their reproductive rights and respect other persons’ reproductive rights. A comprehensive sexuality education will also consider and challenge stereotypical gender roles. It will not only look into women’s issues, but will also involve men, who can benefit from less rigid roles and more egalitarian relationships. Sexuality education must be adapted to different age groups and cultures.18 Furthermore, teaching methodologies must take the differences between boys and girls into account. Sexuality education is extremely important in the view of the threat of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, especially for vulnerable groups, such as women and girls exposed to sexual violence and children living on the street. Enjoyment of the right to sexuality education plays a crucial preventive role and may be a question of life or death. 16 See e.g. Chapters 7 and 11 17 A/65/162 Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, 23 July 2010. 18 See UNESCO. International Guidelines on Sexuality Education: An evidence informed approach to effective sex, relationships and HIV/STI education, 2009. 67