IPPF recognizes and believes that all persons have the right to education and, in particular, to specific educational information to ensure the health and well-being of persons and families including information and advice on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and, therefore, commits itself to the following:1

6.1 All persons have the right of access to education and correct information related to their sexual and reproductive health, rights and responsibilities that is gender-sensitive, free from stereotypes, and presented in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner.

6.2 All persons have the right to sufficient education and information to ensure that any decisions they make related to their sexual and reproductive life are made with full, free and informed consent.

6.3 All persons have the right to full information as to the relative benefits, risks and effectiveness of all methods of fertility regulation and the prevention of unplanned pregnancies.

Notes
1. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979, Art. 10: “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education and in particular to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women: (h) Access to specific educational information to help to ensure the health and well-being of families, including information and advice on family planning.”
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Art. 26.1: “Everyone has the right to education.”

The right can be used to address issues relating to:

• Access for young people to full, objective and balanced information on sexual and reproductive health, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections
• Information that is gender-sensitive, pluralistic and free from stereotypes
• Provision of information on potentially harmful side-effects of fertility regulation methods
• Access for all to a guaranteed minimum level of education
• Discrimination against pregnant girls in education

Facts & figures

• A World Health Organization review showed that the most effective sex education programmes were those that taught about contraception, sexually transmitted infections and abstinence, rather than abstinenceonly programmes.1
• In 2000, India approved a population policy containing provisions on sexuality education and services for adolescents.2
• Venezuela’s 2002 National Youth Law guarantees young people the right to health care, information and education about sexual and reproductive 11 health, responsible and voluntary parenthood without risk, and access to health services for sexually transmitted infections.2
• A recent study of 107 countries found that 44 did not include AIDS education in their school curricula.3 
• In a Kenyan study, 71 per cent of parents reported having talked with their children about school work in the past year but only 28 per cent had talked with them about sexual behaviour.4

1Siecuswww.siecus.org/policy/SReport/srep0003.html
2 Boland in UNFPA (2003) State of World Population p42
3 Population Reference Bureau in UNFPA (2003) State of World Population p31
4 Kiragu, K. in UNFPA (2000) The State of World Population p20