Country's first sex-ed exhibition opens
An exhibition on healthy sexuality for Vietnamese adolescents and young people, the first of its kind, has opened at the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi.
Entitled As We Grow Up, the exhibition is a joint effort of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the museum and the United Nations organisation in Hanoi.
Addressing the event's opening on November 1, UNESCO Representative to Hanoi Katherine Meuller-Marin emphasised that "all Vietnamese children and young people should have access to comprehensive and age-appropriate sexuality education from an early age."
"Teachers and parents should be open to communicate with children and young people about sexual matters to ensure that they receive accurate sexuality-related information," she urged.
Puberty, friendship-love, and safe sex come into sharp focus at the six-month exhibition, which is brought to life by real stories and experiences shared by Vietnamese adolescents, their parents and teachers.
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Highlighting the importance of such a practical story-telling manner, UN Resident Co-ordinator Pratibha Mehta said "This exhibition is powerful in the way that it delivers critical and sensitive information in a youth-friendly way. It's designed to help equip young people to handle life's most serious decisions."
Young people aged 10-29 make up nearly 40% of Hanoi's total population. Yet, studies show that one-third of them continue to face barriers when trying to access reproductive health information and services. According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010, there is a growing need for contraception among unmarried young people.
In addition to the photos, stories and art works displayed, the exhibition also features peer-to-peer interactive activities and hands-on information to address sensitive issues, as well as monthly in-depth discussions on related-sexual and reproductive health issues.
One of the innovations of the exhibition is the young people's active involvement in the preparation process from planning, designing, creating contents and collecting information to develop interactive activities. A group of 15 students participated in the preparing the exhibition, while 60 other young volunteers will assist with the interactive activities, providing consultation and answering questions from visitors during the exhibition.
The exhibition runs until the end of next April at the Hanoi Museum of Ethnology, Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District.