The Sunday Mail
Dr Christine Peta Disability Issues —
Some people hold the fallacious belief that talking about sexuality education is indecent and those who research on the subject may be regarded as morally suspect.
In most African contexts, sexuality is regarded as a sacred, personal, private matter that should be kept out of the public domain. As a result, very few young people receive adequate education on sexuality and many of them become vulnerable to coercion, abuse and exploitation, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV (UNESCO, 2009).
In November this year, local media reported that 4 500 Grade Seven pupils in Zimbabwe had dropped out of school this year (2016), and most of them were girls who had either been impregnated or gotten married.
During the month of October, 2016 a Grade 7 pupil at Murongwe Primary School in Mberengwa East had reportedly experienced labour pains during school examinations and was taken home where she gave birth.
I estimate that such pupils could on average be between the ages of twelve and thirteen and the reason of being impregnated at such an early age could be in part, a lack of adequate sexuality education on the part of both the girls and boys involved; assuming that the girls were impregnated by boys of a similar age group.
Reflecting on the above demographics, I wonder about the location of the disabled girl on such a sexual terrain, in a context where disability appears to add another layer of vulnerability.
Recent research (Peta, 2016) has indicated that disabled girls are often denied both formal and traditional sexuality education, alongside a skewed belief that they are asexual beings who do not require any information on abstinence, abortion, contraceptives, STIs and HIV, and yet the reverse is true.
The UNFPA (2015) affirms the impartation of sexuality education as a human right and works with governments to achieve the same.
However, some scholars (Makinwa-Adebusoye & Tiemoko, 2007; Ndanga, 2007) note that sexuality education is a highly contested area which is fraught with power struggles and controversy because of the different views that come with it.
Those who support sexuality education argue that it is a necessary exercise of equipping young people with skills and knowledge to foster healthy and responsible sexuality; in a scenario where boys and girls make informed decisions about what to do or what not to do with their bodies and how and where and when.
Critics argue that the best thing is to keep the subject hidden, so as to avoid awakening the sexual feelings of young people, particularly those with disabilities.
Referring to teenagers with mental disabilities, Mirfin-Veitch (2003) argues that there is no such thing as “awakening” feelings, because the feelings are already present in all disabled and non-disabled beings.
The argument that talking openly about the subject of sexuality will plant sexual ideas in the minds of disabled boys and girls has therefore been dismissed by some scholars as absolute nonsense; the sexuality of all human beings needs to be acknowledged in healthcare, because no human being is asexual.
The findings of a recent study carried out in Zimbabwe (Peta, 2016) indicate that parents, and in particular mothers, are reluctant to discuss issues of sexual maturation with girls who have congenital (from birth) disability or girls who acquire disability before they reach the age of adolescence.
Combined with a skewed belief which takes a paradigm of “innocence” which regards young people with disabilities as “angels” who do not engage in love relationships, there is also a common belief that it is unAfrican for parents to openly discuss issues of sexuality with their children (Mungwini & Matereke, 2010).
From pre-colonial times, the responsibility of imparting sexuality education to young women in Zimbabwe has always rested with aunts (father’s sisters).
However, the arrival of modernism and the resultant increase in rural-urban migration in post-colonial Zimbabwe has seen a breakdown of the family lineage bonds (Banda, 2012).
As families move to different parts of the nation and even beyond the borders of the country in search of economic opportunities, it has become difficult for aunts to play their role in the upbringing of young women and in particular in the nurturing of the young women’s sexual development.
Disability makes a difference because with or without the aunts, disabled girls are usually isolated from both traditional and formal sexuality education.
The most reported adult responses to the sexual maturation of disabled young people are embedded with practices that result in total silence, adult indifference and misinformation about their sexual growth.
The scenario can be attributed to the fact that parents prefer to confine their disabled offspring to infinite childhood (Hall, 2011), hence they often struggle to embrace the fact that their disabled children whom they see as “damaged” bodies and minds may grow into adulthood.
Whilst it is true that people can learn about sexuality through school programmes and friends, it may not be easy for children with disabilities to make friends, particularly children who do not get a chance to attend school.
Disability stereotypes may prevent such children from experiencing normal interactions with others hence sexuality education which stems from home becomes necessary.
As noted by Boehning (2006), effective sexuality education begins at home with the informal impartation of basic information that teach skills that are necessary for one to make decisions pertaining to their sexual well-being.
Way forward
At the beginning of this year, the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe ruled against the marriage of children who are under the age of eighteen.
However, as various sectors role out awareness campaigns to this effect, it is critical to ensure that young people with disabilities and their parents are included in all discussions concerning sexuality education.
Such education could take a broad approach to include many aspects of sexuality such as anatomy, health, personal hygiene, reproduction, relationships, the sexual response cycle, religion and expression of love (Boehning 2006).
As noted by Boehning, leaving boys and girls with disabilities to figure out sexuality on their own can lead them down challenging, dangerous, and sometimes deadly pathways.
Whether we like it or not, disabled girls and boys are also growing into adulthood, hence the provision of comprehensive sexuality education both at home and at school is a necessity which enables them to make wise decisions that prevent disease and unwanted pregnancies and empowers them to exercise agency in negotiating love and relationships (Chappell, 2014).
Some parents prefer to hand over their role in sexuality education to the school and teachers but a study carried out in Kenya revealed that children often rank their parents as one of their primary sources of information on sexuality, with the result that such parent-child communication can decrease risky behaviour (Nganda, 2007).
Considering that some children with disabilities may struggle to understand certain concepts depending on the nature of their impairments, it may be useful for parents to use stories or to talk about their own personal life experiences, thereby providing their disabled children with appropriate sexuality education and support.
Parents play a critical role in shaping the way we understand our sexual and social identities, hence they need to inform and equip young people with the knowledge and skills that enable them to make responsible decisions about relationships, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (UNESCO, 2009).
That is not to say that the offering of compulsory and comprehensive sexuality education in schools is insignificant, but it is to say that educators and parents need to work together to reduce the risk of teenage pregnancies and STIs. Special efforts need to be made to reach disabled boys and girls who may be out of school and who are the most vulnerable to misinformation and exploitation.
Dr Christine Peta is a Public Health Care Practitioner who among other qualifications holds a PhD in Disability Studies. Be part of the international debate on how best to nurture a society which is more accessible, supportive and inclusive of disabled people. Partner with Disability Centre for Africa (DCFA): WhatsApp; 0773-699-229, Website; www.dcfafrica.com; E-mail; [email protected]
