On Saturday, January 27, Feminist Workshop launched a series of lectures for parents and teens explaining how to talk to kids about sex and growing up.

The goal of the educational event for families is to raise awareness about the medical and legal aspects of sex ed for children according to UN standards. Coming to the lecture together removes the barriers and makes it easier for kids and parents to discuss complicated topics. In general, the format fosters trust and honesty in the family. 

The first part of the lecture focused on puberty. It was led by Liliya Mineralova, a board-certified doctor, ob-gyn, and fertility specialist with 24 years of professional experience. Participants learned of the different aspects of puberty in girls and boys. We discussed menstruation and contraception which are surrounded by taboos in the Ukrainian school context. The lecturer also emphasized the importance of stress management. 

 

«Chronic stress induced by war exhausts and destructively affects girls and boys. Because of that, they need to get enough sleep and limit the amount of sugar in the ration», the lecturer said.

The second part of the lecture focused on the legal aspects of sex ed for teens: sexual violence against children and the criminal liability for it, sexual consent, reproductive and sexual rights of teenagers, and combatting discrimination. It was presented by Hanna Chyr, Feminist Workshop’s lawyer specializing in gender issues.

«The cornerstone of sex education is the idea of consent, focusing on personal boundaries. Still, the school textbooks omit that matter. Teenagers need to remember 5 key elements of consent: silence is not consent. Only yes means yes. You may consent to one sexual activity, but not to another. Consent can be revoked at any time. Consent needs to be affirmative. Partners may not have a power imbalance», Hanna states. 

At the end of the workshop, parents got the opportunity to get private consultations with the doctor. They also received useful contacts in the sphere of medical care for children. One of the participants invited Feminist Workshop to organize sex ed lectures at her daughter’s school. 

Present at the lecture was a social worker with her ward and teachers who participated in the workshop «Teaching selected topics regarding reproductive health and sex education for school students». This time educators came as mothers willing to provide their teenage daughters with knowledge on sensible topics their school textbooks won’t tell them about. 

If you are willing to visit our lectures, contact us at office@femwork.org (places are limited).