Review Policies On Sexual Education, Reproductive Health, Coalition Urges Lawmakers

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has appealed to the National Assembly to review policies and educational programmes relating to sexual education and reproductive health.

The coalition led by the Centre for African Policy Research and Advisory (CAFPRA) expressed concern over what it described as the growing influence of foreign interests on policies and programmes, affecting Nigerian children’s sexual orientation and overall development.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, the CSOs asked lawmakers to scrutinise bills, policy documents and educational materials dealing with sexuality education, particularly those affecting children.

The CAFPRA executive director, Dr Segun Adebayo, said policies affecting Nigerian children should reflect the country’s social and cultural realities and should not be adopted without adequate consultation with parents, educators, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

“We are dedicated to policies of the land, to be sure that the policies of government in Africa are consistent with the realities of Africa,” Adebayo said.

He alleged that some international organisations and foreign interests were seeking to influence public opinion in African countries as part of efforts to promote policy frameworks on sexuality, gender and reproductive health.

Also speaking, human rights lawyer and public affairs analyst with CAFPRA, Sonnie Ekwowusi, said public opinion was increasingly becoming an important factor in determining whether controversial policies eventually gain legislative acceptance.

“Public opinion change is currently where they are going, because if public opinion does not change, it will never be passed as a law,” Ekwowusi said.

He disclosed that the organisation had written to the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly to raise its concerns, adding that it planned to engage relevant committees of the legislature and circulate its policy recommendations to lawmakers.

Also, a policy researcher and media personality speaking for CAFPRA, Gold Boms, said the organisation was examining legislative proposals and policies to determine whether they were consistent with Nigeria’s social realities.

“We are making sure that all the bills being passed, we are looking at them and saying, look, this is not aligned with our social reality,” Boms said.

The group also called for greater scrutiny of the content of sexuality education materials being used in schools, particularly those targeted at children and vulnerable communities.

For his part, Chris Yama, described the issue as an important conversation because of its potential implications for children and families.

“It is a very important conversation. It is on a topic that affects your children and your grandchildren. It is comprehensive sexuality education,” Yama said.

He argued that the current debate extends beyond conventional health education and requires closer examination of concepts associated with comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Yama expressed concerns over terms such as “bodily autonomy”, “sexual rights” and “gender identity”, arguing that lawmakers and the public should examine how such concepts are defined and applied in policies and educational materials.

A child rights advocate with InnerCity Missions for Children,

Jane Chukwu said the organisation’s experience working with vulnerable children had reinforced its concerns about the kind of information children encounter.

“We are a solution-based organisation. We don’t theorise about child protection. We believe it is every day; our team walks to the streets of Nigerian cities. We pick up children who already lost what today’s briefing is talking about,” Chukwu said.

She said the organisation was establishing a free school in Abuja for children from vulnerable backgrounds and had also operated educational and vocational programmes aimed at helping young people rebuild their lives.

The speakers cited developments in countries including Liberia and Zimbabwe, alleging that similar policy initiatives had attracted external support and urging Nigerian lawmakers to examine the origin, funding and implementation of programmes introduced in the country.

However, the claims concerning specific foreign organisations, funding arrangements and the alleged content of some educational materials were not independently substantiated at the briefing.

CAFPRA said its broader objective was to encourage African governments to formulate policies based on their own social and cultural realities.

The organisation also disclosed plans to present an African charter on family values and sovereignty to the National Assembly, saying it could provide an additional framework for protecting national policy interests.

“We are going to bring that charter to our National Assembly,” Adebayo said.

The coalition urged lawmakers to subject policies affecting children and education to broader public scrutiny before adoption, while calling on the media to investigate the origin, funding and implementation of programmes relating to sexuality education and reproductive health.

CAFPRA said it would continue engaging the National Assembly and other relevant institutions as part of efforts to influence policy discussions and ensure that policies affecting Nigerian children reflect the country’s social realities.