If the purpose of sexual education programs is to promote a responsible sexual life among young people, such programs have failed in Colombia, say various experts.

“Practically none of the sexual education programs has been successfully in postponing the starting age of sexual relations, promoting the use of contraception methods, and reducing teen motherhood,” states Agustin Conde, Colombian gynecologist and consultant of the Pan American Health Organization.

This is one of the findings of a recent study by Colaboración Cochrane and released at the First Public Health Congress Comfenalco-Valle, held in Cali, Colombia.

In fact, in Colombia the percentage of women between 25 and 49 years old who have their first sexual relation before their fifteenth birthday increased from 8% in 2000 to 11% in 2005.

For Conde, the need for sexual education is not a moral matter, but a health matter, because the risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes in four times as high for adolescents under the age of 16 years old. Moreover, pregnant adolescents are more likely to have preterm or low birth-weight babies, and newborns of teenagers have higher rates of neonatal mortality.

In most Latin America and the Caribbean countries, in average 38% of women get pregnant before they reach 20 years old, and up to 15% to 25% of newborns are born to teen mothers.

In Colombia, from 1986 and 1995, the rate of teen motherhood increased from 70 to 89 per 1000 young women, and in 2005 it reached 90 teens per 1000.

Elvia Vargas, director of the “Family and Sexuality” research group at the Universidad de los Andes, not only believes that sexual education programs have failed in Colombia, but believes that such programs had a counterproductive impact.

Vargas based her opinion on the research carried out by “Family and Sexuality” on the sexual education programs implemented since 1993, which — according to the study — were focused on providing information related to contraception, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy and abortion.

The study concluded that such educational actions did not consider that sexual decisions processes are also influenced by social and cultural roles men and women are expected to play. And the information was provided without taking into account the needs of young people, such recognition, acceptance and reaffirmation. In addition, financial and human resources available were unstable across the different governments and institutions in charge its implementation.

Moreover, according to Vargas, sexual education programs were based in the idea that most of Colombians under 18 years old had sexual relations, which in reality only a third part of them had started their sexual lives.

At last, but not least, the research found that girls, boys and young Colombians do not have confidential and safe environments — family, school, health center — to express their doubts and questions regarding sexuality, because parents, teachers and health care staff face difficulties to bring timely, accurate and scientific answers — since they also lack sexual education.

This study is likely to be the most comprehensive one, since it analyzed 55 studies carried out from 1997 to 2004 on teen motherhood and sexual education, and developed various quantitative evaluations plus surveys.

However, for some hands-on practioners, such as Profamilia, a private health care provider and pioneer of sexual and reproductive health in Colombia, sexual education programs have not failed but the institutions and organizations responsible for developing it — that is to say to educational institutions, public health system and families.

Profamilia, which carry out a program for youth, focused in counseling and access to contraception methods, defends their programs underlying that Profamilia brings technical advisory — based in sexual rights — to public educational institutions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, the body who directed a sexual education policy which seems to have failed, supports Profamilia’s strategy as a complementary project to sexual education programs, which have to be developed by the educational community.

Currently, the Ministry of Education is implementing a pilot pedagogic methodology called Education for Sexuality and Citizenship Building in a number of cities. This curriculum is a transversal program based on civil rights, and covers sexuality, and reproductive and sexual health. Teachers are being trained to develop innovative ways to develop this transversal program. If this program brings successful outcomes, it could be used not only for the rest of Colombia but throughout Latin America.

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