Govt to Work on Sex Education Syllabus After Stats Show Students as Young as 13 Are ‘Active’

Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh broke the news today (11 Jan) that a sex education syllabus is in the works after statistics show that sexual activity amongst students is on the rise.

“It is alarming that 9% of students in Peralihan classes (typically aged 13) are sexually active,” she told The Star at a forum on the Increase in Child Abuse Cases on 10 January.

KPWKM, the ministry for Women, Family and Community Development, is working with the Education Ministry to draft a proposed sex education syllabus. Yeo mentioned that the subject would not be rolled out immediately given the time it’ll take to work out all the finer details.

“It is about time we overcome the taboo of sex education. If we don’t teach our children about sex education, then somebody else will, and they might teach the wrong things,” she said, hoping to reduce related child abuse cases by 20%.

“The data shows that they’re already sexually active when they’re 13, you would be in denial if you say don’t talk about sex.”

She’s not wrong. Misconceptions about sex are rife throughout Malaysia, with 35% of Malaysian girls believing that first-time sex cannot lead to pregnancy and 42% of youths believing “pulling out” is an effective way to avoid pregnancy, according to a survey by Durex.

Sex is a sensitive issue in Malaysia and consequently, people are reluctant to speak openly about it. But as Hannah mentioned, a lack of information and open communication allows misinformation and half-truths the opportunity to spread. This can lead to a host of devastating consequences on our society.

For example, Malaysia has an average of 18,000 teenage pregnancies per year, with 45 giving birth every day leading to deaths, unsafe abortions, and dumped babies. If that’s not bad enough, according to the reports by the Health Ministry, STI rates of syphilis doubled in the past decade. Statistics like these have experts calling for age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health education to be introduced into schools, that can teach people responsible and healthy sexual conduct, reducing societal ills and child abuse cases.

Yeoh asserts the responsibility of combating and preventing crimes against children did not rest solely on the police or her ministry, saying,

“It is the responsibility of all to be a child activist. Only together can we combat this menace effectively.”

Hannah closes with a call to urgency,

“We need to remove the taboo of sex in education and stop being in denial. If we do not teach properly, it will damage a generation.”

Isn’t it great that Malaysia is taking steps towards proper sex education? Where did you receive your sex ed? Was there anything you wish you were taught? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Also read: Survey: Over 31% of Malaysian Students Who Have Sexual Experience Did It Before 14 Years Old