www.healthclick.co.nz
It’s time to take the lead in talking about sex
• Annette Milligan
• Health Click
• www.healthclick.co.nz
www.healthclick.co.nz
Annette Milligan
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Family – brother, nephew
Culture
Trained teacher
CCS
Registered Nurse
INP Medical Clinic
Health Click
SAATS
Safeguarding Children Initiative
www.healthclick.co.nz
Barriers to Sexuality Education
• Cultural barriers – very difficult to talk about sexuality in many
cultures: e.g. English-speaking, Pacifica, Asian
• Personal barriers – high rates of sexual abuse & sexual assault in
NZ
• Legislative until 1991
• Curriculum – sexuality education/PE
• Resourcing – still not given high priority in budgets
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Reasons for Vulnerability
• Impaired judgment & understanding
• Lack of inter-personal skills
• Lack of education – informal & formal
• Communication difficulties
• Live in high risk environments
• Frequent contact with unscrupulous care-givers, transport providers,
friends, family
• Abusers are attracted to their environment
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Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Sexual abuse
• Compelling evidence that people with intellectual disabilities are
abused alarmingly high rates
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Sexual abuse
• Compelling evidence that people with intellectual disabilities are
abused alarmingly high rates
• More than 90% will experience some sexual abuse in their lifetime
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Sexual abuse
• Compelling evidence that people with intellectual disabilities are
abused alarmingly high rates
• More than 90% will experience some sexual abuse in their lifetime
• 80% sexually abused more than once
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Sexual abuse
• Compelling evidence that people with intellectual disabilities are
abused alarmingly high rates
• More than 90% will experience some sexual abuse in their lifetime
• 80% sexually abused more than once
• 49% will experience 10 or more abusive incidents
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Sexual abuse
• Compelling evidence that people with intellectual disabilities are
abused alarmingly high rates
• More than 90% will experience some sexual abuse in their lifetime
• 80% sexually abused more than once
• 49% will experience 10 or more abusive incidents
• Alarmingly apparent lack of action & resources to address the problem
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Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
• Other studies suggest 68% of girls with developmental disabilities
and 30% of boys with developmental disabilities will be sexually
abused before their eighteenth birthday. According to research
15,000 to 19,000 people with developmental disabilities are
raped each year in the United States
Sosbey, Dick 1994
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Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Prevention of future perpetrators
• Abusers are always those who have been abused
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Prevention of future perpetrators
• Abusers are always those who have been abused
• Intellectually disabled people who are the victims of sexual abuse
themselves learn aberrant patterns of sexuality
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
Prevention of future perpetrators
• Abusers are always those who have been abused
• Intellectually disabled people who are the victims of sexual abuse
themselves learn aberrant patterns of sexuality
• If we want to protect people in the future, we have to start now
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Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
It’s a human right
• To have knowledge
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Education works
• It is of great significance in reducing vulnerability to sexual assault
to note the research finding that sex education for people with an
intellectual disability is negatively correlated with the incidence of
sexual abuse (McCabe 1992). That is, those with more knowledge
about sexual behavior are less likely to be victimised.
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
It’s a human right
• To have knowledge
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Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
It’s a human right
• To have knowledge
• To be safe
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Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
It’s a human right
• To have knowledge
• To be safe
• To have a fulfilled life
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
It’s a human right
• To have knowledge
• To be safe
• To have a fulfilled life
• To have a sexual life
www.healthclick.co.nz
Why should we take the lead
in talking about sex?
It’s a human right
• To have knowledge
• To be safe
• To have a fulfilled life
• To have a sexual life
• To reach personal potential
www.healthclick.co.nz
What is sexuality?
• Sexuality is the lens of being a male or female through which a
person views and responds to the world. There are biological,
genetic, medical, social, educational, psychological, spiritual,
cultural and legal aspects to sexuality and these differ depending
upon where, when and how you live, who is raising you and what
is personally important to each individual.
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What is sexuality?
• Gender
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What is sexuality?
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
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What is sexuality?
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Behaviour - what we do
- how we dress
- how we move
- who we choose to be with
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Can we take the lead?
• Yes we can
• If we
• See the problem
• Learn what to do
• Grasp the nettle
• Just do it!
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Start with the young
• Begin with using the correct words
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Start with the young
• Begin with using the correct words
• Start before the child or young person understands your
embarrassment
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Start with the young
• Begin with using the correct words
• Start before the child or young person understands your
embarrassment
• Keep the learning at pace with development
www.healthclick.co.nz
Start with the young
• Begin with using the correct words
• Start before the child or young person understands your
embarrassment
• Keep the learning at pace with development
• Make sure that everyone is consistent
www.healthclick.co.nz
Start with the young
• Begin with using the correct words
• Start before the child or young person understands your
embarrassment
• Keep the learning at pace with development
• Make sure that everyone is consistent
• Never ignore inappropriate behaviour – set the boundaries early
in life
www.healthclick.co.nz
You don’t have to do this alone
• There is help
• Psychologists
• Claire Ryan - Diversity Works
• Family Planning Association
• “Me”
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Questions?
Thank you