What Works for Women and Girls

Some countries have scaled up sexuality education. In Brazil, more than 60% of schoolsprovide HIV/AIDS prevention activities, with 43% of these schools having trained teachersand 18% of the high schools with HIV/AIDS prevention activities also distributing condoms.Brazil’s goal is to reach more than 40 million children and adolescents in public schools (Doniniet al., 2008) and has had success in increasing condom use, with a 2008 study showing 81%of adolescents in some schools using condoms during sexual intercourse (Bretas et al., 2008).Clearly, young people need access to correct information on sex and its consequences andmeans of protection so that they can make responsible decisions when they do start having sex.Effective Sex and HIV Education Programs Have Key CharacteristicsThe evidence shows that key characteristics of effective sex education programs involve expertsin research on human sexuality; assess the reproductive health needs and behaviors of thoseyoung people who get the education programs; specify health goals, types of behavior affectingthese goals, the risk and protective factors affecting the types of behavior, and activities thatchange the risk and protective factors; design activities that are sensitive to community valuesand consistent with available resources; pilot test the program and obtain on-going feedback;focus on clear goals of prevention HIV; address situations that might lead to unwanted orunprotected intercourse and how to avoid these and how to get out of them; focus on knowledge,values, norms, attitudes and skills; employ participatory teaching methods; providescientifically accurate information about the risk of unprotected sexual intercourse and theeffectiveness of different methods of protection; address perceptions of risk; address personalvalues and norms; address peer norms; and address skills and self-efficacy (UNESCO, 2009).In addition, discussion of gender norms that can put both male and female adolescents at riskis also critical to successful efforts (Pulerwitz et al., 2006; Barker, 2009; Peacock, 2009).If school-based sexuality education is to have maximum impact, however, it must be taughtby trained teachers (UNESCO, 2009). Young people also want sexuality education programsto address issues of importance to them. A review of research conducted in 13 African countriespresenting child and adolescent (ages 7 to 19 years) perspectives on HIV prevention,together with programmatic work by Save the Children Sweden and the Swedish Associationfor Sexuality Education, found that sexuality education as taught in schools fails to addressissues of concern, such as love, relationships, and how to negotiate safe sex, as well as the needfor easier access to confidential health services. Some young people prefer to get informationabout sexuality from “younger people and those who discuss sexuality in a positive, non-judgmentalway… They found the sexuality education provided in schools and communities to betoo technical, negative and moralistic” (Thompson and Nordfjell, 2008).Effective Sex and HIV Education Programs Should Be Scaled UpYoung people who do not have access to accurate sexuality information and education areat increased risk of HIV acquisition (Toole et al., 2008). Gender norms dictate that boys areexpected to be sexually aware. In many settings, girls equate sex with love and lack of condomuse a sign of love and trust in a relationship (Machel, 2001; Vuttanont et al., 2006). Youth needWHAT WORKS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS117