PROBLEMS OF SEXUAL SOCIALIZATION OF STUDENT YOUTH IN THE LIGHT OF “STANDARDS OF SEXUAL EDUCATION IN EUROPE”

Abstract

In the late 20-th – early 21-st centuries in society under the influence of globalization and informatization there were dramatic changes in the field of sexual values of domestic youth: pluralism and tolerance in relation to sexual life; autonomization of adolescent and youthful sexuality from external forms of control; commercialization of sex (prostitution, pornography, eroticization of advertising, etc.); rehabilitation of unproductive forms of sexuality; legalization of same-sex love; etc. There was a need to radically improve the theoretical and practical solution to the problems of sexual socialization. The first step towards the implementation of this goal was the adoption by the European Union in 2010 of the “Standards of Sexual Education in Europe”, which marked the beginning of the creation of a regulatory framework for sexual socialization of pupils and was to promote a holistic system of sexual education and provide children and young people with objective, scientifically reliable information about all aspects of sexuality. The aim of the article: Based on the analysis of “Standards of Sexual Education in Europe” to prove the need and relevance of the introduction in educational institutions of Ukraine sexual socialization of the school children, to indicate the main steps in the implementation of the best foreign experience in light of the recommendations of this document. The article points out the Standards’ emphasis on the mistakes of traditional sexual socialization, which tried to misgive the youth associative relationship between sex and danger, focusing on the potential risks of sexuality. The article on a large array of research material shows the low level of sexual education and sexual culture of Ukrainian schoolchildren, noted factors that hinder the introduction of sexual education courses recommended by WHO for all European countries. The article on the experience of educational systems of the European Union emphasizes the positive aspects of the introduction of systematic courses of sexual education into the domestic education system. A detailed study of the “Standards of Sexual Education in Europe” and the study of the staging of sexual socialization in foreign countries gave the authors the opportunity to justify the need to use a number of elements of foreign experience in Ukraine. The article defines criteria for assessing the successful implementation of sexual socialization: sexual issues are considered and discussed openly as a positive, integrative part of health; sexual education programs must be adapted to the specific needs and realities of the respective country; there is state support for measures on sexual socialization; sexual socialization takes into account the gender aspect; mandatory linkage of sexual socialization to premarital training of schoolchildren and responsible parenthood; partnership of schools and families, government and non-governmental organizations, various consulting centers in solving the problems of sexual socialization of schoolchildren, etc.