Chong Liu, postgraduate researcher, quoted in The Japan Times
The article summaries the ongoing debates around sexuality education sparked by a law amendment in China that will make sex education mandatory starting next year.
On 17 October 2020 “the National People’s Congress Standing Committee declared that schools, including kindergartens, should conduct age-appropriate sex education for minors, increasing their awareness and ability to protect themselves against sexual abuse and sexual harassment” states the article.
The article explains that the government in China have issued policies on sex education, however, the content is based on outdated science and the implementation of such policies has been limited, despite being in place for decades. There has also been a call for sex education in China to go beyond the biological facts and help educate students on how to navigate relationships and sexuality.
The new law comes into effect on 1 June 2021 yet it remains unclear how exactly it will be implemented. Chong Liu explains “there is discussion around whether international guidelines should be adopted, or if there should be a form of sexuality education with Chinese characteristics”.
