Kathmandu, August 29

Speakers at a programme today suggested that adolescent boys and girls should be provided with sexuality education at school and also at home.

Speaking at the ‘Comprehensive Sexuality Education Mela’ organised at Paknajol, Vice-president of National Youth Council under the Ministry of Youth and Sports Madhab Prasad Dhungel said many adolescents rely on internet to find information about their sexual and reproductive health. But most of them end up having inaccurate information about their sexuality.

“The authorities concerned, including teachers and parents, should teach adolescents about sexuality so that it will help boost students’ confidence, and make them feel empowered,” said Dhungel, also the chief guest at the event.

The programme was organised to promote comprehensive sexuality education through a series of activities that included a flash mob, inter-generational dialogue, counselling, information corners, games and a futsal tournament by Y-PEER

Nepal and Sunaulo Parivar with tsupport from DFAT and UNFPA.

Students from eight community schools — Padma Kanya Vidyashram Secondary School, Shree Bal Byabasayee Kendra Secondary School, Ratna Rajya Higher Secondary School, Samata Siksha Niketan, Chamunda Higher Secondary School, Krishna Secondary School, Gamvir Samudra Setu Secondary School and Mahendra Bhrikuti Secondary School — attended the event.

Teachers, parents and adults have a great role to play teaching young people the basic facts of their body and social relationships, said the National Youth Council chief, adding that the government was doing all it could do to promote participation of young people in decision-making processes.

Also speaking at the programme, UNFPA Representative for Nepal Lubna Baqi said that many young people in Nepal still lacked access to youth-friendly health services putting adolescent girls at risk of unplanned pregnancies and complications during childbirth.

“An increasing number of early marriages are self-initiated by young people themselves often as a result of lack of information and guidance on how to

responsibly handle intimate relations with a partner,” she said.