Debate contribution: Relationships and Sexuality Education

Debate contribution by Ms Connie Egan on 22 April 2024.

MLA

Ms Connie Egan

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

22 April 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Relationships and Sexuality Education

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4484842

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I support the motion and the amendment tabled by the SDLP, and I thank that party for tabling it. I also associate myself with Ms Hunter's remarks that, if we want to let kids be kids, the best thing that we can do is to stop them being abused. My colleagues have already outlined the reasoning for bringing the motion to the House today, and I want to speak on the importance of RSE in preventing violence against women and girls, domestic and sexual abuse and child abuse. The Executive recently produced a draft strategic framework for ending violence against women and girls. Outcome 2 of that is "healthy, respectful relationships" as a prevention of gender-based violence. Education is the most important factor in ensuring that young people have the right knowledge and skills to have fulfilling and safe relationships throughout their lives. That strategy was co-designed by 50 partners, including educationalists, women's sector advocates, those working with victims and survivors of domestic abuse, the youth sector and the faith sector. They produced recommendations on the education of our children and young people, including:

"working together with young people and the education sector to strengthen and mainstream education on strong and healthy relationships throughout the curriculum for all ages and learning needs".

and:

"further developing, in collaboration with young people, the design of relationship and sexuality education which is accessible, inclusive, and age and developmentally appropriate".

It is recognised across society and our community that high-quality, age-appropriate RSE is essential in tackling gender-based violence. We also see that in the Gillen review of the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland. Sir John Gillen could not have been clearer when he stated that his:

"firm conviction is that it is crucial that the RSE curriculum includes"

the areas in his review of serious sexual offences and that:

"It is not enough to leave Boards of Governors to pick up these points."

He continued:

"the Department of Education, has a duty to play a positive role in addressing the justice gap that exists in our approach to serious sexual offences. I strongly recommend that the Department of Education draw up a plan to exhort all schools to include these matters within their curriculum and, if that proves ineffective, to be the subject of legislation mandating such education."

Those are the words of Sir John Gillen. I strongly urge the Minister of Education to take a more proactive approach than his predecessors in working with the Minister of Justice and implementing the recommendations in the Gillen review that relate to our education sector. In the last fortnight, I have spoken to Barnardo's and the NSPCC, both of which, as leading children's organisations, support the approach in this motion on RSE. Those organisations and others recognise that RSE plays a huge role in child safeguarding. The NSPCC specifically states that a comprehensive and inclusive approach to RSE has the potential to prevent harm to children by supporting them to recognise abuse, know how and where they can ask for help and understand consent and healthy relationships. It also highlights that it will enable more adults to identify concerning behaviour and know what to do if a disclosure is made. Barnardo's emphasises the dangers that we see when young people do not receive high-quality RSE. Without guidance and information from a trusted adult, many children will find information elsewhere — for example, online, where information can be misleading or even dangerous. That is backed up by research done by the Belfast Youth Forum. It is a stark finding that the most common source of information on sex and relationships for young people is their friends. The second most common is social media. Only the third is lessons at school. We are failing our young people. Without access to a standardised, high-quality curriculum, they are turning to online sources, porn and their peers' advice. That is information that should be given by a trained and safeguarded adult in a position of trust.

In the words of your colleagues, "No, thank you". I also want to point out that the Department of Education's inspectorate — the ETI — published a report in May 2023 that found that RSE in schools is not good enough and that almost half of schools in Northern Ireland teach little or nothing on sexual consent. The ETI in the Minister's Department is telling us that this is not good enough. RSE is a key tool to prevent gender-based violence and abuse and is a safeguarding measure for children and young people. I take the opportunity to thank all the organisations in Northern Ireland that are doing brilliant work on this. That includes Barnardo's; the Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY); the Northern Ireland mental health champion; Informing Choices; human trafficking charity Invisible Traffick; Common Youth; White Ribbon NI; and Positive Life. There are many, many more. Young people in the SSUNI and the Northern Ireland Youth Forum are telling us that they need more on RSE, and there is an extensive evidence base on the matter from human rights and women's and children's organisations. We are not asking for anything new. High-quality RSE is delivered in schools in Northern Ireland, and every young person should have access to that curriculum.

883 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:01 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification