Cambodian Sex Education

From no knowledge to basic knowledge – reproductive health awareness is slowly working its way into Cambodia. Words by Dorine Schreiner.

"I didn't know what was going on, I thought I was going to die and completely panicked", says a young Khmer woman about the first time she menstruated. Nobody had told her about the menstrual cycle. Another woman says the only reason she knew what was happening, was because she happened to have an older sister who had told her about it.



A little more than half of the world's population deals with this natural occurrence monthly for the majority of their lifetime. However, in a country where speaking about gender related topics and sexual issues are in most cases taboo, it is a challenge to educate youth about reproductive health, let alone the risks of unprotected sexual activity.



Rotana Heng says she learned about sexually transmitted diseases a few years ago, while watching a TV-show produced by an NGO. A few months earlier, she had read an article in a magazine about pregnancy. “There was a limitation on publications about reproductive health, many words in the article were unknown to me, so it wasn’t very clear”.

The only other sexual education she received was from an NGO that gave a lesson at her high school in Kandal province. "There was no sexual education in the curriculum, but our biology teacher would talk about how to avoid pregnancy by using a condom or having sex according to the girl’s menstrual cycle". 



In many cases, the boys are taken to separate classrooms for other school subjects when girls are taught about the menstrual cycle and avoiding pregnancy. Soth Chanleakena, who went to high school in Phnom Penh, believes that this separation should occur when reproductive health is being taught. She feels more comfortable discussing these issues with only females present. "I get very shy when men are in the room and I am scared to ask questions. Boys and girls should both learn about the same things, but not while being in the same classroom".

Within the last decade, there have been some improvements when it comes to reproductive health education in Cambodian schools. The government has been trying to incorporate basic knowledge of reproductive health into the National Curriculum, however, this is still not smoothly accepted by society. It remains a challenge for both genders to discuss the subject and there is not much to work with.

Soth Sithouen, teacher and Vice Principal of Dormtkau High School in Phnom Penh, believes that reproductive health education needs to be improved. “Our students will soon be adults and they need to learn how to protect themselves and stay safe and healthy. If it would be a more common subject, then students and adults can ask questions and talk about it more openly. This way sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies can be avoided.”

Biology books at the school contain information about sperm, ovaries and the uterus, but nothing is taught about intercourse or fertilization. Plenty of books are available in English about the subject. But, since Khmer is the main language at Cambodian schools, is it impossible to find good resources to make it easier for teachers to teach sexual education.



"The culture of each family affects how much shame there is when it comes to talking about reproductive health. However, gradually we see that communities and the society are more open to talk about sexual issues. Schools and parents are key players in some families, but media, NGO's and friends are also important sources of information.” Says Alice Levisay, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund. She adds "The term sexuality and sexual health are still not widely used, but relevant content is included under Reproductive Health".

Although the road to proper education about reproductive health is still developing, the increasing sexual awareness and the modernisation of the younger generations promises hope for the future.