Sex education and sexual rights

Sexual rights are human rights applied to sexuality: the right to make decisions about your own body, to equality, privacy and health, and to information and education. Sex education is one of these rights and also the tool that makes the others possible.

What sexual rights are

They are not new or special rights. They are long-established human rights (freedom, equality, dignity, health) applied to sexual and reproductive life. The World Health Organization (WHO) says sexual health depends on respect for rights such as equality, privacy and access to information, and that sexual rights "protect all people's rights to fulfil and express their sexuality". They are not only about sexual activity, but about the conditions needed to live your sexuality free from violence, coercion and discrimination.

The WAS Declaration: from Valencia to 2014

The key reference text is the Declaration of Sexual Rights of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). It was first proclaimed in 1997 in Valencia, Spain, at the 13th World Congress of Sexology, revised and approved by the WAS General Assembly in Hong Kong in 1999, and thoroughly revised in 2014. The current version lists 16 rights, including:

• Equality and freedom from discrimination.
• Autonomy and bodily integrity, including informed consent.
• Freedom from violence and coercion.
• Privacy.
• The highest attainable standard of health, including sexual health.
• Access to information and to the benefits of scientific progress.
• Education, including comprehensive sexuality education.
• Choosing whether to marry, and forming or ending a relationship with full and free consent.
• Deciding whether to have children, how many and when, with access to the means to do so.
• Access to justice and redress.

Reproductive rights

At the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, 179 governments adopted a Programme of Action that placed reproductive rights within human rights. They include freely deciding how many children to have and when, and access to information and contraception. According to WHO, in 2021 164 million women who wanted to avoid pregnancy had no access to a modern method. You can compare options in main contraceptive methods.

Sex education as a right

UNESCO published its International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education in 2009 and a revised edition in 2018, together with UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and WHO. Its approach is rights-based. The evidence review behind the guidance concludes that comprehensive sexuality education does not increase sexual activity, and helps delay first sex, increase condom and contraceptive use and reduce risk-taking. We explain more in comprehensive sexuality education and the history of sex education.

Autonomy and consent

Bodily autonomy is at the heart of sexual rights: each person decides about their own body. That is why consent matters so much. It must be free, informed and possible to withdraw. Autonomy also means respecting different choices about how to live your sexuality, form a relationship or have children, as long as there is mutual respect.

Equality, diversity and non-discrimination

Sexual rights protect everyone equally, whatever their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability or health status. This includes people living with HIV, older people and disabled people, who are often denied information or privacy. Tackling stigma and sexual violence is part of upholding these rights.

Common myths

• "Talking about sexual rights promotes sex." No: it is about health, safety and freedom to choose, including the freedom not to have sex.
• "Sex education makes young people start earlier." The evidence reviewed by UNESCO shows the opposite.
• "These rights are only for adults." Children and teenagers have a right to age-appropriate information and to protection from abuse.

What to do if your rights are violated

If you experience sexual violence, discrimination in a health service or are refused information, you can go to your GP, a victim support service or a sexual and reproductive rights organisation. In an emergency, call 999 in the UK or 112 in Europe.