Sex & Relationships – Introduction

Directed to 7 to 11 year olds

Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) at GTR is a graduated, age appropriate which teaches children and young adults about sex, sexuality, emotions, relationships and sexual health. It is based around the three main elements of attitudes and values, personal and social skills, and knowledge and understanding. It aims to be age appropriate, and topics covered may include:

• marriage and stable relationships
• how to avoid teenage pregnancy
• how to recognise and avoid abuse and exploitation
• skills to avoid being pressured into unwanted or unprotected sex
• the benefits of delaying sexual activity and avoiding risky behaviour
• the importance of safer sex

While it includes the teaching of sex, sexuality and sexual health, it does not promote sexual activity, or any particular sexual orientation.

Before your 11th birthday you should have knowledge and understanding of the physical, emotional and mental changes that will affect you. We are facing these now well in advance so that when these changes do take place they will be one less subject to be worried about.  This should take away the pressure and stress while going through the changes and not having to learn what these changes mean at the same time. When I was teenager I felt there was just too many things going on in my life in such a short period we had to fit in too much information.

GTR continues to campaign for schools to introduce a fully comprehensive SRE earlier enough to prevent experimental sex. Most importantly to discourage seeking or starting sexual activities until individually ready and prepared within a meaningful relationship.

There is very little point in expecting you to digest raw issues when you are too young. However, we wish there was no such thing as child sex abuse, but  in order that we can prevent and prepare a child. As we now have to tackle this subject to prevent or stop children engaging in this activity at the earliest possible age. This could be as young as 5 years of age.

Child sex prevention – Learning what is good or bad touching and the dangers of secret activities is our first approach to Sex & Relationship learning.

It is very common in children who are sexually abused that until someone raises the issue what is sexual abuse can they respond and do something about it. To some it may feel normal and what goes on in every family as a secret. The issue if it is right or wrong does appear to go unnoticed by some for years.

Sexual abuse – Sexual abuse is when a child or young person is pressurised, forced or tricked into taking part in any kind of sexual activity with an adult or young person. This can include kissing, touching the young person’s genitals or breasts, intercourse or oral sex. Encouraging a child to look at pornographic magazines, videos or sexual acts is also sexual abuse.

Good & Bad touching – Only you are allowed to touch your private parts (Males penis or Females vagina) while you are a child. Your parent/s or who they may give permission to someone to wash you is the only time this could happen until you are 7 years of age. You should by then have learnt how to bath, shower or wash yourself correctly alone in privacy. If someone touches your private parts or bottom with their hands. Just by saying No! can be all it takes to stop the abuser.  Just say no and move away to a safe place e.g. a toilet with a locked door and wait for help. Tell someone you can trust, your teacher or parent if they are not responsible for sexual abuse. They should be able to stop the abuse being repeated and help you.

Secrets - However much a person tries to encourage you not to tell, you must destroy this secret and tell someone. Do not even think about understanding why the person is doing this just put your self first. Telling on the abuser in the long run will help them. There should never be secrets to cover up sexual activities.

In the future you are likely to discover a healthy interest in sexually stimulating yourself in the privacy of your own bedroom or toilet or bathroom. This should never be in public. Besides being a new discovery it serves to make sure things are working.

A summary of what we have covered

• We should know and understand what is sexual abuse
• Bad touching is sexual abuse and should never happen to children
• If you are sexually abused you must tell someone who can help you and stop the abuse.
• Secrets should not be used to hide sexual abuse

Complete the test