Children need to be taught importance of sexual health warns charity

Sexual health lessons should be made compulsory in Scots schools a leading charity has urged.

Children are lacking consistent information about sexual health, HIV Scotland said.

It is calling for HIV awareness to be included in lessons about relationships and sex education.

It stated in a report: “Education is the fundamental tool in equipping young people with the information they need to reduce their risk of HIV infection, and a means of combating the stigmatising attitudes towards people living with HIV that continue to prevail within society."

Sexual health lessons in Scotland were not compulsory it said and that inconsistencies exist across Scotland's 32 local authorities on how lessons are taught, the resources that are used and the level of content related to HIV.

Lessons need to be improved urgently and the report issued various recommendations for change.

Further and higher education minister Shirley-Anne Somerville said the Scottish government would carefully consider the report.

She said: "Relationships, sexual health and parenthood education is an integral part of the health and wellbeing curriculum and it is for local authorities and schools to decide how best to deliver the curriculum based on local needs.

"As well as working with the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) Campaign to improve the inclusive approach to sex and relationships education, we are undertaking a national review of personal and social education."