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Sex education under threat from community health budget cuts

More than 500 schools could lose their sex education services as a result of budget cuts in the healthcare sector.

The Community Health Service (Gemeenschappelijke Gezondheidsdienst/GGD) for the mid-Netherlands is considering the drastic measure as it needs to cut more than €1 million from its budget.

But sexual health experts warn that the move will lead to an increase in teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among young people.

The service provides sex education to secondary schoolchildren in 25 communities around Utrecht and Amersfoort.

The wider impact is unclear, as local authorities still have to comply with a legal obligation to take action against the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

The GGD proposal also includes ending its work identifying and advising the partners of people who attend STD clinics.

Ton Coenen, of Soa [STD] Aids Nederland and the Aids Foundation (Aids Fonds) told De Volkskrant that reducing sex education in schools would be a backward step.

He said:  “Every year 200,000 young people become sexually active for the first time. They need to be informed and a lot of them don’t want to hear it from their parents.

“Moreover, this is not just about preventing STIs: it’s about self-protection. A quarter of girls have had sexual contact that they didn’t want.”

In a statement GGD Midden-Nederland said no decision had been made, but budget proposals would be put before the board on December 8.

“Local authorities have to make savings as a result of the financial crisis that they find themselves in. That includes looking at services and provision in the community.

“The services of GGD Midden-Nederland, as a communal arrangement of the 25 councils in and around Utrecht, are not exempt from these considerations.”

Source: GGD staakt seksuele voorlichting op school

Photo by Ross Griff

See also: GGD Midden-Nederland (in Dutch)