Sex Education for Children: A Betterment Pathway for ASEAN Member States

Abstract

One of the main targets of ASEAN Cultural and Social Community (ACSC) 2025 is to improve education and training, especially in sex education, to enhance socio-economic development and gender equality in ASEAN. However, sex education in ASEAN nations is challenged by taboo and conservative cultural values. According to a recent global data conducted by UNICEF, child sexual abuse is experienced by one in every five females and one in every 11 males across the world. Besides, there are about 11–22% girls and three to 3–16.5% boys who are sexually abused and harassed in Southeast Asia. Other than that, UNICEF also reported that children who are exposed to sex education have fewer partners and become sexually active much later in life, than those without sex education. Therefore, it is important for ASEAN governments to set an explicit goal and political commitment in overcoming this problematic issue. Providing sex education to children is regarded as the best asset that any government can give to empower them for a better future. Hence, the present article aims to provide a comprehensive literature review of the existing sex education programs in selected Western countries (the United States of America, the United Kingdom) and in several ASEAN member states (Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam). The literature review reports observations and implications for sex education policy and practice, and recommendations for future research for youths are outlined.