China, it’s time for ‘the talk’: sex education urged for children as adults balk at babies
Years after Beijing called for ‘age-appropriate sex education for minors’, a national curriculum remains absent as China’s demographic crisis worsens
To reverse a worrisome trend of deaths outpacing births in China, central authorities are being urged to look beyond merely trying to convince adults to procreate – the attention, leaders are now being told, should be on educating children.
A top political adviser and leading demographer has proposed that China take action to protect fertility from the earliest stages of a person’s development, by making sexual-health education mandatory for school kids amid a demographic crisis that has far-reaching social and economic ramifications.
Her call came as the central government said it was planning to subsidise families with children later this year – the first pledge of the kind at the national level, despite subsidies being offered by many local governments in recent years.
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He, who is also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said taking more steps to safeguard the population’s fertility will “directly affect the final number of children a couple has”.
In her proposal to the top political advisory body, as reported by the China Youth Daily, He warned that there is a mismatch between sexual maturity and understanding among teenagers, as well as a prevalence of early sexual activity, unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
“These issues bring many hidden dangers to future reproductive ability and the physical and mental health of young people,” she said.
The head of the National Health Commission, Lei Haichao, said it was working with other departments to iron out the details for the nationwide birth-subsidy plan, during a meeting with delegates at the two sessions on Friday.