Comprehensive Sexuality Education
1. Context and background
Gabon has recently demonstrated its commitment to women's rights through legal framework revisions and the observing of the ‘Decade of Women in Gabon’, 2015-2025. However, young people in Gabon continue to have limited access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information. Adolescent birth rates, as well as maternal and neonatal death rates, are particularly high.
In Gabon, initiatives, programmes and policies for the inclusion of sexual education in schools have been developed. Nevertheless, there is no curriculum or programme for sexual education in the school setting.
2. Terminology
In Gabon, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is known as Sexual and Reproductive Health Education (SRHE).
3. Laws and policies
3.1. Relevant international/regional agreements to which the country is a signatory
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INTERNATIONAL |
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Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Ratification date: 1983 |
Acknowledges the need to guarantee sexuality education free from discrimination and stereotypes, conveying gender equality values. |
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Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Ratification date: 1994 |
Commits to the right to access appropriate health-related information. |
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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Ratification date: 2007 |
Commits to the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities. |
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International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Ratification date: 1983 |
Acknowledges that the right to sexual and reproductive health is an integral part of the right to health. |
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At the regional level, the Education Plus initiative is a political advocacy drive to accelerate actions and investments to prevent HIV. It is centered on empowering adolescent girls and young women and achieving gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa – with secondary education as the strategic entry point. Gabon also signed the 2008 and adheres to the Maputo Protocol.
3.2. Relevant national laws and policies mandating comprehensive sexuality education
Law No. 21/2011 on the general direction of education, training and research dictates that curricula shall include training in social, civic and environmental citizenship, in accordance with grade levels.
In 2000, the government passed Law No. 001/08/2000, which promotes information and education on family planning and liberalizes the use of contraception.
The Sectoral Action Plan for the Fight Against STIs and HIV/AIDS (2002-2005) emphasizes the importance of addressing SRH issues in educational settings and integrating SRH issues into more academic subjects in the national curricula.
The National Health Development Plan 2017-2021 seeks to reduce the prevalence of STIs and early pregnancies mong adolescents and young people, and promote greater use of modern contraception methods among adolescents and young people.
The 2020 Strategy for the Promotion of Women's Rights and the Reduction of Gender Inequalities in Gabon proposes strengthening sexual education in schools.
The Decade of Women in Gabon 2015-2025 is a ten-year plan that aims to: reduce the prevalence of STIs, HIV, early and unintended pregnancies; to expand women's access to health information and quality health services and care; expand women's access to health information and quality health services; and create a new sexual education curriculum. As part of this strategy, on 19 March 2022 in Libreville, the Ministry of Education launched an awareness-raising campaign for parents of learners on sexual education.
3.3. Curricula
Model of delivery
In schools there is no official Sexual and Reproductive Health Education curriculum. Some components of CSE are included in the basic courses of the national curriculum. SRH education themes are included in life science and land, civic education, French, English, Spanish, the arts, and home economics classes. The Capacity Building for Youth Employability and Social Protection Improvement Project aims to equip pupils, students, parents, and supervisory and support staff in technical and vocational education with skills and values that enable them to make responsible choices about their sexual and social relationships in a world affected by HIV and COVID-19. This includes the promotion of information, education and communication activities on STIs, HIV and adolescent SRH. This project aims to integrate these topics into technical and vocational education and training. In September 2022, the Gabon Equality initiative ran an awareness-raising travelling caravan campaign on contraception for young people. As part of this initiative, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education are offering contraception and menstrual hygiene services and free consultations to learners in public and private schools in Greater Libreville. The aim is to remove taboos and the stigma relating to menstruation, to raise awareness about menstrual precariousness and the importance of good intimate hygiene and health, and to distribute at least 5,000 packets of menstrual hygiene products.
Comprehensiveness of content
No information was found.
Learning resources
Clap Santé de Gabon is a platform dedicated to the sexual education of young Gabonese and African people. It aims to reduce early and unintended pregnancies and to promote sexual dialogue between parents and children. According to the Sectoral Action Plan | For The Fight Against STIs And HIV/AIDS (2002-2005), teaching materials are available for teachers to teach SRH with their respective syllabus. The Plan also proposed for the development and distribution of additional supporting material on SRH in relation to instructions and the appropriate methodological approaches to address SRH issues and HIV in the classroom.
3.4. Teachers
In March-April 2022, a training seminar on sexuality and reproduction education for teachers was held at the Lycée National Léon Mba in Libreville. In 2021, UNESCO, the African Development Bank, the Ministry in charge of vocational training, and the Ministry of National Education organized a series of training sessions for teachers, parents, supervisory staff and young leaders on CSE. Approximately 38 guidance counsellors, psychologists, social workers and medical staff from the infirmaries of the 13 schools in the Estuaire province were trained in CSE in 2021, through an initiative supported by the Ministry of Education at Mont Bouet 1 public school in Libreville. The programme, which has been implemented since 2018, also has the technical and financial support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) seventh periodic report of Gabon (CEDAW/C/GAB/7), education and training programmes for teachers in primary and secondary schools on SRH have been strengthened, particularly the focus on early pregnancy. The Sectoral Action Plan | For The Fight Against STIs And HIV/AIDS (2002-2005) mentions that since the year 2000 teacher training in EMP/EVF has been conducted and proposes the necessity to integrate EMP/EVF in schools for teacher training.
3.5. Schools
The United Nations Human Rights Office seventh periodic report of Gabon (CEDAW/C/GAB/7) calls for the psychological and social care of pupils and other educational staff through the specialized services present in secondary establishments led by social workers and guidance counsellors and psychologists.
4. Governance
4.1 Responsible ministries
The Ministry of National Education is responsible for implementing educational programmes related to CSE. However, important public stakeholders include the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs. For instance, as part of the government's Gabon Equality programme, these ministries together with the Ministry of Education (responsible for civic education) are collaborating on a travelling caravan campaign to raise awareness about SRH in schools.
4.2. Government budget allocation
No information was found on the budget allocated to comprehensive sexuality education in Gabon.
5. Monitoring and reporting
The Women’s Decade in Gabon 2015-2025 proposes indicators to regularly monitor the extent to which the objectives in relation to gender equity are being met. It also proposes the assessment of the impact of sexual education programmes in schools.
