CYPRUS may be the island of Aphrodite, but sexual awareness among the island’s teenagers is woefully poor, the House Education Committee heard yesterday.
The overwhelming majority of Cypriots know very little about their reproductive systems, Medical Association Chairman Antonis Vassiliou told deputies.
The Committee was discussing Education Ministry plans to introduce sex education in secondary schools by the next academic year (2001-2002).
Vassiliou, who backs the government’s proposal which is pending House approval, told the Committee: “Many people do not even use the word ‘penis’ when they have a discussion with their doctor, but use euphemisms instead. There are pregnant women who do not know that the embryo is in their womb. They believe it is somewhere (else) in their belly.”
Vassiliou said pupils should be properly educated in sexual matters so that at least future generations know the bare essentials.
“A large number of teenagers are dangerously ignorant about sex. Some do not even know what sex is, others are unaware of the possible consequences of having sex, such as pregnancy or catching a sexually transmitted disease such as AIDS,” he warned.
Welcoming the ministry’s proposal, members of the Committee attributed ignorance about sex to inadequate education and the fact that parents were too narrow-minded or embarrassed to teach them about the facts of life.
Currently, children only learn about sex through biology and anthropology classes, or through general health education provided at high school level.
“But there is a very broad spectrum of sexual issues related to social trends, values, human behaviour, medical problems and needs, which young people need to reflect on in order to build healthy relationships and form strong families,” said KISOS deputy Takis Hadjidemetriou.
A special committee set up by the Education Ministry in co-operation with the Family Planning Services and the Cyprus Medical Association is making the necessary preparations so that sex education is included in the high school syllabus by next year. The committee is providing training for of a number of teachers, and it also hopes to distribute a 150-page illustrated sex-education book published in Greece.
“We plan to introduce high school students to a new class to address serious matters and finally answer with honesty and professionalism all those burning questions that children die to ask but do not have the chance to ask,” ministry official Andreas Christou told the Committee.
“Issues such as sexual orientation, unwanted pregnancies, contraception, masturbation, sex offences and crimes and romantic relationships should be discussed in the class. Our objective is to educate youngsters sexually and socially, so that in relating with each other they respect both themselves and their partners and can make the right decisions.”.
The Committee concluded that “Cypriot adults and teenagers are the least educated in Europe in the field of sex”. It will resume its discussions on the topic in a fortnight.
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