How do foreign schools "draw paths for deer to run"?

Candice Jalili, reporter atElite Daily, attended Catholic school. There, she and her classmates were taught that sex outside of marriage was wrong and that this wrong behavior could land them in hell.

However, very soon after, Candice realizes that she seems to be the only girl in school who does not have physical relationships with others.

She still believes that as people become more open about sex, the number of high school students having sex will increase. But the reality is completely opposite.

"Draw a path for the deer to run"

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2005 and 2015, the rate of high school students having sex decreased from 47% to 41%.

Teen pregnancy has also been on a steady decline over the past 20 years, down 67% since 1991.

It is worth mentioning that parents and teachers do not prohibit and society does not advise minors to avoid sexual behavior. Instead, they guide them to ensure safety and have the right awareness about sex.

America, like many European countries, places great emphasis on sex education. In this country, comprehensive education programs have gradually proven to be effective and are becoming more popular than education that prohibits premarital sex.

Basically, sex education focuses on helping children understand gender identity, sexual health, avoiding infectious diseases and contraception. The program also helps students orient their sexual orientation.

Sex education is taught in junior high school. However, today, most schools begin teaching it in elementary school.

In the UK, it starts even earlier. From the age of five, children are taught about gender differences and how to protect themselves from sexual behaviour.

Meanwhile, schools in Sweden teach children about contraception from the age of 7.

Canada is also a leader in sex education, with the government working to introduce safe sex education to students as early as possible, despite opposition and accusations of pornography from some parent groups.

In 2015, they implemented a revised sex education curriculum, in which first graders learn the names of body parts and how to read nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and tone of voice.

Second graders learn about developmental stages, body changes, and some verbal and physical acts of violence. Third graders learn about same-sex relationships.

Knowledge about puberty, which was taught in grade 5, is now moved to grade 4.

Sixth graders learn about masturbation and "sexual expression." The 7th and 8th grade curriculum covers contraception, oral and anal sex, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Additionally, in some states in the US, schools provide condoms to students to prevent unsafe sex and unwanted pregnancies.

Some Asian countries such as the Philippines and South Korea also take similar actions, although this approach does not receive the consensus of many parents.

Parents talk frankly about sex

In addition to school programs, Western parents also openly talk to their children about sex, although they are quite embarrassed when it comes to this sensitive issue.

For them, guiding their children to become more mature when thinking about "adult matters" is much more effective than letting them satisfy their curiosity through obscene publications.

The number of minors watching pornography is considered a worrying sign, although Elizabeth Schroeder, executive director of Answer Sex Education at Rutgers University, USA, asserts that most children watch pornography. This is inevitable.

Therefore, instead of preventing their children from watching sex movies, many parents openly discuss with their children their curiosities about gender and sexuality.

Laura Widman, a psychology lecturer at the University of North Carolina, USA, said parents do not need to have a lot of knowledge about sexual health to talk to their children.

Importantly, they help children feel listened to, shared, and understand that sex is not a sin, it comes from love and the person involved must be responsible for themselves and their other half.

Meanwhile, many parents believe that talking to their children about sex will cause them to misunderstand this as tacit consent for them to do adult things.

Explaining this concern, Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, professor at New York University, affirmed that when talking with parents, adolescents form mature thoughts, and usually have sex later than those who do not receive attention from their parents.

In addition, experts also give advice to parents when their teenage children get pregnant unexpectedly. This is certainly a difficult experience for parents when their children fall into a dilemma.

Kate Walker, a woman in her 30s in England, was shocked to learn that she was about to become a grandmother. She felt ashamed, but most of all, she felt heartbroken when she saw her daughter Susan's tears of remorse.

After the initial shock, she talked to her son about the father and their relationship. Like her daughter, he was too young to take on this responsibility. They were faced with a difficult choice.

Before making the decision, the couple saw a psychologist and realized that life does not end with teenage pregnancy and that the child was worth welcoming into the world.

She decided to follow the advice and help her child through the darkest days. She took Susan to see an obstetrician and together with her child, they made a plan to maintain the pregnancy because she was too young. They also met the child's father's family and discussed the child's care plan.

The expert advised her to pay more attention to Susan so that she would not feel abandoned. She also did not allow her child to skip school and often invited her close friends over to play.

"In September 2012, Susan gave birth to her child. In 2015, she received her associate's degree in Business Administration. She still lives with the child's father. Both husband and wife work to raise the child. However, life goes on," the young grandmother said.