Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of Persons With Disabilities

The World Health Organization estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population have a disability and that a higher prevalence of disability occurs among people in lower-income countries. Persons with disabilities can have widely varying needs and experiences, depending on factors such as whether they have experienced their disability from birth or later in life, or if they live independently or not. However, all have sexual and reproductive health needs and rights, yet it is an area that can be neglected in health and development policy, and the barriers preventing access to these rights can be widespread. It is therefore crucial to recognise and challenge these barriers in order to provide essential sexual and reproductive education that not only includes disease prevention, but also relationships, fertility desires, and pleasure

Sex Education in the Digital Era - Notes on Contributors

This is the notes on contributors section of IDS Bulletin 48.1, 'Sex Education in the Digital Era'

Affective Engagement with Research Evidence about Young People’s Sex Education in Kenya

Sex and relationships have a big impact on young people’s lives. For most young people in the world getting information about sexual pleasure, apart from pornography, can be difficult. And it’s even harder if you live in parts of the world where you often aren’t able to decide who to date or marry, or how many children you want to have. For this reason online information on sexuality is hugely popular. Research suggests that young people are arriving at sex education sites mostly through campaigns on social media. As not all young people are using these sites it is essential to find creative ways to engage with them in a way that strengthens and builds on existing online sex education. Our recent study used affective engagement as part of a multi-layered and multi-me- thod participatory action research process on online sex education for young Kenyans online. We worked with a group of students from the Sauti music academy, to explore the meaning and relevance of themes that emerged from analysis of online behaviour on the Love Matters sex education platform and off-line research on gender roles and sexuality by young people. Young musicians wrote songs based on the research analysis and recorded these on YouTube. We found that the issues raised by young people using online platforms were also relevant to Kenyan offline non-users. Interpersonal exchange between the young people directly involved in the study, the sexual health experts and international creative team were key to stimulating critical reflection on meanings of sex and love, and creativity in the production of the 15 original songs that were produced during the project. The musicians involved said they had learned how to communicate effectively about sexuality, expectations and affection. Participants also learned how to use their own experiences to connect with people, and most said they realized their responsibility and potential as artists to make progressive social change. Learning on reaching audiences was one of the main unintended benefits for the artists of this project

Local Engagement in Ebola Outbreaks and Beyond in Sierra Leone

Containment strategies for Ebola rupture fundamental features of social, political and religious life. Control efforts that involve local people and appreciate their perspectives, social structures and institutions are therefore vital. Unfortunately such approaches have not been widespread in West Africa where response strategies have been predominantly top-down. Authoritarian tactics have had questionable effect, potentially worsening the epidemic and contributing to social and economic burdens. Failure to involve local people and their concerns is often justified by budgetary and practical restraints such as lack of time and resources. However, some of the current Ebola responses reflect problematic assumptions about local ignorance and capability. These sentiments are deeply rooted, having evolved with unequal power dynamics over long periods of time. The emerging evidence on successful local responses suggests that local populations can learn rapidly to adjust high-risk traditional practices and reduce transmission in conjunction with solid public health measures. Recognising and supporting local resilience will be essential in successfully and sustainably engaging populations in effective Ebola responses.UK Department for International Developmen

Affective Engagement: Teaching Young Kenyans about Safe and Healthy Sex

Research suggests that young people are arriving at sex education sites mostly through campaigns on social media and paid sites. Whilst not everyone is accessing porn, it is essential to find creative ways to engage with young people to strengthen and build on existing online sex education. In this study, a team of researchers, international project staff, musicians and multimedia artist worked effectively together on mobilising audiences based on research evidence on sex education for young Kenyans. The approach taken was innovative but it was also rooted in high-quality research evidence. This article focuses on two areas of learning from the programme – how research can support a creative team to discuss sexuality in a radically open fashion and how to remain focused when working in multidisciplinary teams

Patterns and Dynamics of Bonded Labour and Child Labour in the Spinning Mills of Tamil Nadu: Findings From Life Story Analysis

This is a report of the analysis of multiple life stories collected across the Freedom Fund bonded labour hotspot in Tamil Nadu. They were analysed by NGO fieldwork staff and community representatives at the Collective Story Analysis workshop, 18-22 April 2016. Where appropriate, we add reinforcing material from the scoping study conducted 2-11 December 2015. We outline the major findings and key system dynamics that emerged. The life story collection and analysis process is the first of three research components in the IDS research on the Freedom Fund bonded labour hotspots. Alongside the life story work, a parallel participatory statistics process has been carried out. These two components will generate action research groups which will collect further data, generate solutions and test these in community, NGO and policy domains. The life-story collection and analysis method used for this research is a systematic approach to understanding the context in which Freedom Fund partners are working, but it does not allow us to generalise beyond these participating communities, which have been selected because local civil society organisations believe that workers and their families in these areas are in greatest need. It does not allow us to make inferences about the overall conditions in the industry, though it does show the severity of problems occurring in these selected areas. All real names in this document have been replaced by codes that will be pseudonyms in the final report.Freedom Fun

Is Porn the New Sex Education?

Over the past 15 years, internet pornography has become the predominant channel through which young people learn about sex, not just in the developed world, but increasingly in developing countries too. In many developing countries, traditional gatekeepers of sex education, such as governments, religious leaders and parents, still attempt to keep sexuality out of the public sphere. But they are mainly effective only at preventing sex education in the classroom, leaving young people to learn about sex online. There, genuine sex educators compete for their audience against widespread amateur and professional pornography and the new gatekeepers such as Facebook enforcing self-determined censorship, banning even simple information including guides to breast self-examination. To develop a comprehensive sex education strategy for young people that aims to reduce maternal and child mortality, unwanted pregnancy, sexual violence and includes the realities of sex and pleasure, policymakers and sex educators need to engage with new and traditional gatekeepers, porn distributors and young people themselves

Sex Education in the Digital Era

Exploring sex and sexual relationships is an important part of adolescence, and therefore sex education should have a central role in adolescent emotional development as well as dealing with crucial public-health issues. Good sex education reduces maternal and child mortality by helping to prevent unwanted, early and risky pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, yet in many parts of the world unmarried teenagers are excluded from receiving information and sexual health services because – according to unrealistic and conservative religious and socio-cultural norms – they are not supposed to be sexually active. Much of the research on sexuality in the digital era is moralistic and slanted, so for those working on sexual/reproductive health and youth/digital development issues, learning more about the subject is a major challenge. There has never been a collection of scholarly work on this topic for a mixed audience of researchers, policymakers and practitioners until this issue of the IDS Bulletin. A collaboration between Love Matters and IDS, articles discuss experiences with digital sex education in many countries and in a range of settings. The issues confronted are diverse, yet the common themes encountered are often as striking as the differences. Young people need help in critically examining the sexual messages they receive, as well as access to new types of digital sex education environments that are realistic, emotionally attuned, non-judgemental and open to the messages they themselves create. Contributions in this IDS Bulletin suggest an urgency for academics and practitioners to understand and develop digital literacy skills in order to help build such environments