Why should intimate partner violence prevention be integrated in sex education?

Moulin-Stożek, Maria

Why should intimate partner violence prevention be integrated in sex education?

Abstract

In the last half-century the primary aim of sex education has centred on sexual health and reducing the number of sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancies. However, this focus on the biological aspects of sex under the premise of the ‘value neutral’ transfer of knowledge has been criticised. Scholars have instead suggested integrating aspects of moral education into the sex education curriculum which should focus on the well-being of romantic partners and of society as a whole. Using the example of intimate partner violence (IPV) this article adds to ethical sex education scholarship by justifying the placing of moral and interdisciplinary content about IPV in curricula. It argues that as IPV is impossible to eradicate solely by the use of law, sex education is one of the best ways to tackle it.