Can the subject of sexual education in schools prevent sexual violence in Kosovo?

Touched by a case of sexual abuse at school in 2021, Jora Zeneli of Pristina, at the time high school student, along with several other young people, has launched a campaign to introduce sexual education courses into school curriculums.

According to her, basic acquaintances would serve their children later in life.

Even though the campaign supported by the U. NICEF had good reactions, it failed to achieve the goal.

“Sexual education is a very sensitive topic and must constantly be discussed so that there is no lack of information on this topic, especially from the relevant parties [instruction, parents and media]”, Jora says of Radio Free Europe.

She believes that the introduction of this subject in the curriculum would also help reduce cases of sexual abuse in schools and that students “could see this matter with a different perspective and become aware of goods and evils in this direction”.

According to the World Health Organization, sexual education aims to develop relationships, sexuality, and emotional and physical health.

Studies in some European countries have shown that long - term sexual education in school programs has led to teen pregnancy and abortions and has led to a decline in levels of sexually transmitted infections and HIV infections in persons aged 15 to 24.

Sexual education in Kosovo does not exist as a particular subject, in the core curriculum is involved in the framework of biology and human and nature. In the book Human School and Nature for Third Class is a special chapter “Sexual Education”, in which it is only about family dynamics and the emotional part among family members.

While the book Biology 8, is taught about the function of human reproductive organs, the tools and methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy, as well as sexually transmitted diseases.

The lack of sexual education in schools and inadequate access by parents, considering this a taboo theme, has negatively affected Kosovo society, causing cases of sexual abuse to rise in the country.

So at least you find sociologist Flaka Ymer, who says that the lack of sex education in school has also led to a lack of social conscience by encroaching on another's right.

“What appears to be the need to raise this issue and to have it as an education at primary or middle education level, has emerged as a need for insufficient noncommunication within the family, more precisely within the parents, considering a taboo subject without wanting to include the entire layer of our society... this is probably not enough awareness of the damage or sexual desires or failure to control feelings has caused more violations to take place in the past” REL's Yimer sociologist.

Based on data from the Kosovo Police Information System, over the past five years, 2018-2022 have reported 287 sexual assaults, and 235 sexual harassment in Kosovo.

In the last five years, there is an apparent increase in cases where 92 cases of sexual harassment have been recorded in 2022 alone.

On February 24th, it became known that the Pristina Court has sentenced four accused -- three of them minors -- to 40 years in prison because of the case of violating an 11-year-old girl on August 27th, 2022. In December 2022, the Founding Prosecutor in Pristina had filed charges against eight adults.

Teuta Cacaj-Sadiku, a psychologist, also stresses the urgency of introducing this subject to school curriculum as well as the importance of playing the tutor's role in this regard by parent or guardian factor.

Among other things, she adds that the ideal way children are educated is through formal education that can be done through a legitimacy of teaching programs for those subjects.

It's obvious that many problems in the country have to do with sexual harassment and rape, and all of this doesn't seem to come from the lack of awareness of our young people”, she says.

Cicaj Sadiku says he does not suspect that <x0... success will be to cut back on such cases of harassment, rape, sexually transmitted diseases at the moment we become aware that sexual education is not something immoral, but must be understood as a real education of the” generation.

Among other things, educational programs on the basis of sexual education should address a wider range of subjects, including sexual and reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, relationships, sexual orientation, and gender roles.

Sexual education allows you to know yourself, your whole body, by respecting your image, your sexual orientation, your values, that means that you want to raise awareness about who you are, what your sexual orientation is, what your own image of having accepted and you want to present it to society”, explains RELnia psychologist Tetacay-Saiku.

On the other hand, the chairman of the Council of Parents in Kosovo, Jeton Demi, in responding to Radio Free Europe, says that kurricla, including sex education, should adapt to children's lifestyle.

“Yes, we [Parent Council] appreciate that there must be [sexual education], because children also expose themselves to content from a variety of backgrounds, even having knowledge of everything that affects their lives... but professionally and adequate content for them”, says Demi.

Lawmaker and researcher at the University of Pristina Philological Faculty “Hasan Pristina”, who is at the same time mother of two children, Life Abazi-Gashi, tells Radio Free Europe of how the parent would like to know more about the content container if he had entered the curriculum.

The first child gets into the family. And [the word] parent not only means mother but receives them from father and mother. However, there are some positive aspects of developments that parents now speak more openly to their children about questions, and this does not stand out on the basis of gender...”, she says.

Even the director of the lower and elementary school “dania” in Pristina, Isak Bregaj, agrees with the introduction of this subject in the curriculum.

Anything that's good is good for my school too, I agree and support this idea”, says Breaday for REL.

In Kosovo, teaching programs are being prepared for each classroom class class class.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation prepares and approves curriculum.

REL has asked THE AugustY on this issue, but until the publication of this text, there is no answer.

Otherwise, the ministry through the Kosovo Agency for Currica, Standard and Rating (AKKSV) drafts the Kosovo Curicla Framework and substances through a regular process of discussion with representatives of teachers and municipalities, with community representatives, as well as with local and international experts. Sexual education is essential to preventing and combating sexual abuse of children, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation”.

Under the law on textbooks, THE AugustY publishes on an annual basis the plan for publishing textbooks, textbooks and school tools according to the Kurdish/lerical areas of learning, classes and levels of pre-university education.

According to Dunja Mijatovic, human rights expert and activist, simultaneously and commissionary of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, sweeping sexual education is a powerful tool to combat violence, abuse and discrimination and promote respect for diversity.

Sexual education is essential to preventing and combating sexual abuse of children, sexual violence and sexual exploitation... Likewise, sexual education is essential to preventing gender-based violence and discrimination against women”, the expert writes.

According to the U.S. Information and Education Council (SIECUS), sexual education helps young people develop strong, respectable, healthy relationships and talk openly about role dynamics in relations to feed more equality in relationships a key strategy for preventing sexual assault.

“Landa [sexual education] has the potential to prevent sexual assault, especially when it is inclusive. Sexual education can help prevent sexual assault by addressing sexual assault, teaching sexual rejection skills, treating violence at meetings, and fostering healthy relations”, says a SIECUS report.

While, according to a research carried out by the European Commission, called sexual education in member states of the European Union, international mechanisms, including the World Health Organisation (OBSH) and other UN agencies (OKB) have set various objectives and standards about sexual education that EU member states, among other things, are expected to meet.

However, since education remains a competence of the member state, there are considerable differences in its content, delivery and organisation among member states.

The Information and Education Council for Sexuality in the United States, since August 2020, says that only 29 countries and the District of Colombia mandate sexual education, and only 15 states require sexual education to be medically accurate. / REL