Implementing comprehensive sexuality education in Sri Lanka: A Bird's eye view from a forensic practitioner

Abstract

Background: Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) gives young people accurate, age-appropriate information about sexuality and their sexual and reproductive health, which is critical for their health and survival. Teenage pregnancies and unintended pregnancies can be avoided by implementing CSE. Case study: Case 1: An 11-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital with nonspecific abdominal pain. The child was treated for functional constipation and discharged again; she was admitted with the same kind of pain. During her second admission, she underwent an abdominal scan and was found to have an intrauterine pregnancy. The child revealed that she knew that her uncle behaved inappropriately, but she was not aware of the consequences of that. Case 2: A 15-year-old girl came to a maternity hospital as her abdominal size was increasing. In the hospital, she was found to be 21 weeks pregnant. She was sexually abused by her biological brother. Following the abuse, she did not have her menstruation. So, she went to a pharmacy where the child was asked to check urine, and the child was reassured there that there was nothing to worry about. Case 3: A 17-year-old girl consented to sex at school with the same class 3 batchmates, including her boyfriend, but she insisted on using a condom. At the time, the boyfriend told her that all three of them had male contraceptive pills, so there was no need for additional contraception. Finally, she ended up with a pregnancy and decided to discontinue her advanced-level studies. In Sri Lanka, due to cultural restraints, discussing sex is limited. Conclusion: These cases highlighted the early implementation of CSE in the study curriculum so that all children would acquire knowledge.