[Ukraine] Prohibited Topic: Why are Ukrainian parents afraid to talk with their children about sex?

Ukranian parents prefer to avoid talking about sex with their children, and schools don’t provide satisfactory sex education either. Many educators and parents think that the longer this subject remains undiscussed, the longer the child will wait to become sexually active. However, statistics indicate otherwise: Ukraine has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and incidence of sexually transmitted infections in Europe.

The USSRs policy was “there is no sex”, while Western countries introduced sex education as early as the 1950s.

Nowadays, parents tend to think children can find all they need to know on the internet, but in reality, information found online can be misleading, especially porn, which, by its implausibility, leads to complexes. On the other hand, the internet is a useful tool for parents to educate themselves on how to talk about these things with their child.
According to an online survey, sexual knowledge was obtained mainly through the internet and social media (more than 87%).

What is sex education?

Sex education is not only about intercourse. It is also about

• Understanding boundaries
• The ability to say “no”
• How to protect oneself
• Understanding the consequences of risky sexual behaviour
• Safety and hygiene.
• Discussing violence
• Understanding what is acceptable and what is not
• How to act in dangerous situations

For older children:

• Mutual consent.
• Consequences of one’s actions.

Even if parents don’t actively discuss sex, their behaviour is the first example their children see. The relationship between the mother and father forms the child’s attitude towards members of the opposite sex.

What should sex education look like (in Ukraine):

• The concept of sex education should be clearly defined
• Teaching these subjects instead of intimidating children with the problems that can result from early sexual intercourse 
• The topics of sexual pleasure, sexual orientation, human rights and sexuality should be covered
• Sex education should be as basic as teaching children how to write and read
• Always adjust the level of education to the age of the child
• Between the ages of 11 and 13, children should be taught about puberty, pregnancy, contraceptives, HIV and other STIs

Good examples

• In Sweden, sex education has been a compulsory subject since the 1950s and is still considered one of the most progressive as it covers various aspects
• In Finland, Scotland, Germany and France, sex education is part of the curriculum
• Norway launched sexual education in 1971, and today they have one of the lowest teenage pregnancy rates in the world. Lessons start at the age of 4.
• Although the case is a bit more complicated, the Catholic Church in Poland denies sex education in schools, but “Education for Family Life” is being studied. The lessons are mainly held by priests or teachers of religious studies.