By Seleoe Nonyane
The Sexual Health and Wellness Centre will next month hold a four-day workshop on sex education for children between the age of nine and 17 years.
The workshop is basically meant to help the children with how to handle pornography and unpack what happens post-exposure.
Talking to theReporter this week, the founder of the centre, ‘Maneo Makoetlane, said the workshop was prompted by reports of children being exposed to pornography from a young age on their phones, and reports of child pregnancies in the African region.
Makoetlane noted that a lot of children own mobile phones and faced the risk of coming across pornography. The workshop would help them better understand what pornography is and how to avoid and handle exposure if they encounter it.
She explained that they will also be tackling topics such as addiction and also interrogating the ‘feeling brain and the thinking brain’ and how the two work together.
“The thinking brain is the one that helps individuals make the right decision while the feeling brain is what makes you feel good.
“Feeling good is healthy and ok, but the concern is whether the source of this good feeling is correct.
“We will learn how the brain tricks the mind into addiction, and a practical plan in handling exposure to pornographic material,” Makoetlane said.
She added that when someone continuously watches pornography their brains become addicted to it, so it is important to understand how the two brains operate.
She emphasized that sexual education is very important as everyone has a brain and it develops until 25 years of age.
“Therefore, since the brain is developing, it is important what are feed it as it will help influence one’s decision making. It empowers them for future decisions and no one will take advantage of them sexually and do something to them without their consent because they know how to stand up for themselves.
“They (young people) can avoid early unplanned pregnancies or contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as they already have information about what these are and how they can avoid them,” Makoetlane said, adding that sex education also helps in delaying sexual intercourse.
It is important for children to be informed about what is sex and the realities that abound indulging in the activity.
Makoetlane also warned against exposure to violence, citing that once someone is familiar with it on video, they want to explore more.
“Young people may come across sexual content or videos where someone is being beaten up and this is portrayed as good. They then learn this and want to experience it themselves when in actual fact that is violence hiding behind that feel-good hormone that gives temporary gratification but long-time consequences when one is watching,” she said.
Children from nine to 12 years old will have a separate session while those aged between 13 and 17 will have their own.
“This is because we want the workshop to be sensitive to age. We want it to be age-appropriate information without exposing the children to topics that they are not ready to handle,” explained Makoetlane.
She encouraged parents to be their children’s source of sex information as it is better coming from them before getting it from outside. The workshop fee is M1200. Booking and inquiries can be made on +266 58887089 0r +266 63037089.
