The Ghanaian government plans to introduce Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools. As usual Ghanaians are looking at the negative and the narrative this time is that it is promoting a “Gay Agenda”. I am not going to speak on the gay agenda, my God told me that I should love my neighbour and if I am going to get angry at anything evil and sinful it is going to be aimed at the people who are taking away innocent lives through knife and gun crimes. I am angry at those people who are hateful to others just because there skin is of a darker hue. I am angry at the people who are taking advantage of others whether it be financially, sexually or physically but educating on sex, I can’t be offended by this topic.

Maybe it was the word “sexuality” that got my brethren up in arms but I decided to actually read on this topic. From what I read, it teaches children about their reproductive organs, sexual health, violence, relationship and it does touch on diversity. I believe at every stage from child to young adult it touches on different topics so I didn’t see them talking about diversity and relationships at age 4, it is more during the teenage years where let’s face it, some children are starting to get to grips with their hormones.

According to UNICEF, 17% of women between 20 – 24 gave birth before the age of 18 in 2018 and 2,200 adolescents between 15 – 19 are reported to be living with HIV. While teenage pregnancies and HIV are not isolated to Ghana or Africa, we do need to educate our children especially when they are at the age where they are going to be curious so that they are more responsible.

Now let’s talk about sexual abuse. It happens, you open the daily graphic and there is always a case of how an older gentleman has “defiled” a young child, some for ritual purposes, some because they foolishly believe it will heal them, whatever their reasons, the truth is they are paedophiles. The unfortunate thing is that for every case that makes it into the newspaper there are probably another 10 children suffering in silence. I read an article yesterday whereby a journalist was molested as a child and subsequently raped. It took her 67 years to tell her story. She went through this horrific ordeal and did not speak of this for 67 years. Why, because lets face it, in our society it is the victim that would likely be blamed.

We as Ghanaians are very good about book education, we are very good when it comes to reading, writing and arithmetic, but there is a big wide ugly world out there and while we think we are protecting our children, trust me ignorance is a lot more dangerous.

Now I may be missing something in this CSE uproar, forgive me if I am but I see nothing wrong with education in this matter especially in this world we live in. It would be so lovely to cover a child in cotton wool until they are 18, but let’s face facts, I am a product of Ghanaian parents who as educated as they were didn’t give me much of an education (apart from to say that I shouldn’t bring a baby into the house until I am old enough to take care of one). Not every child’s parent has the capacity to get this education but it is definitely needed so best place “the schools”.

In my opinion, a lot of our adults need educating too.

On my final point, and some people may not want to hear this but there are gay people everywhere, even in Africa and last time I heard, you can’t push “gayism” onto anyone that does not feel that they are gay.