ERIC Number: EJ1254772
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1468-1811
EISSN: N/A
Abstinence versus Harm Reduction Approaches to Sexual Health Education: Views of Key Stakeholders in Saudi Arabia
Horanieh, Nour; Macdowall, Wendy; Wellings, Kaye
Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, v20 n4 p425-440 2020
This study elicited views of key stakeholders on the need for adolescent sex education and the appropriate model to adopt in Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 28 stakeholders: policy-makers; social and healthcare providers; teachers and school staff; and religious scholars. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify emerging themes. Stakeholders saw the need to provide sex education. Opinions fell across a spectrum of model preference: abstinence-only or harm reduction. The conceptualisation of harm incorporated social risks. Silences and avoidance marked the boundaries between what was permitted and what was prohibited. In determining the form of any sex education curriculum in Saudi Arabia, caution is needed in assuming the ready transferability of Western-based models of sex education since in Saudi Arabia harm is conceptualised as damaging personal reputation, social structure and physical health. Religious doctrine and scientific evidence are perceived as non-conflicting sources for formulating a culturally sensitive programme. Local idiom characterised by indirectness and ambiguity offers challenges and possibilities for conveying sensitive messages. Findings from this study can be useful for communities with similar religious beliefs or social traditions intending to formulate an acceptable sex education programme.
Descriptors: Sexuality, Sex Education, Teacher Attitudes, Clergy, Preferences, Social Structure, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Religious Factors, Figurative Language, Reputation, Physical Health, Risk, Health Services, Cultural Context, Second Language Learning, Islam, Cultural Awareness, Barriers, Semitic Languages, Physicians, Public Officials, Secondary School Teachers, Counselor Attitudes, English (Second Language)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Saudi Arabia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A