Views

Girls have the right to learn about consensual sex and healthy relationships, including disabled girls

Access to inclusive and comprehensive sex and relationships education is a fundamental right for all children and young people, as stated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) education plays a critical role in preventing abuse by providing young people with essential knowledge about consent, healthy relationships, and bodily autonomy.

However, disabled girls in Scotland face unique and significant barriers to realising their right to RSHP. They are often denied access to this crucial information due to misconceptions about their ability to understand or benefit from it, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

We advocate for a gender-sensitive and transformative approach to Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) education, especially for marginalised groups such as disabled girls. A gender transformative approach means addressing the root causes of gender-based inequities and considering ways to transform harmful gender norms, roles, and relations (Nevens and Hutchison, 2024). Having a comprehensive gender transformative programme is a vital preventative measure in ending men’s violence against women and girls by encouraging young people to question gender norms and stereotypes and develop gender equitable attitudes (Tutty, 2014). This means not always treating children the same way but intervening to actively counteract stereotypes when necessary.

All children have the right to an education that prepares them for life’s challenges and ensuring that all children have equal access to RSHP education is crucial for their personal development, wellbeing, and protection.

Disabled girls, especially those with learning disabilities, have a heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence. Research from the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD) has shown that women with learning disabilities are at particularly high risk of “severe, frequent, and repeated” gender-based violence (SCLD, 2023: 88). Disabled girls are often targeted by abusers because of their intersecting vulnerabilities — gender, disability, and youth — making access to RSHP education not only a right but a necessity for their protection.

‘Disabled women are often viewed as ‘asexual’. As a result, disabled women do not receive the same access to sex education as their nondisabled peers (Hague et al., 2011; Shakespeare, 2014). Disabled teenagers face barriers to accessing social and cultural spaces where other teenagers develop an understanding of appropriate and inappropriate sexual activity (Thiara et al., 2011).’ (Zero Tolerance, 2024)

Women with learning disabilities themselves have cited RSHP education as an essential preventative measure against abuse (SCLD, 2023: 89). By empowering disabled girls with knowledge about their rights, RSHP can equip them to better navigate relationships and advocate for themselves, and make them less vulnerable to abuse. Schools and teachers must therefore ensure that disabled girls are given the support they need to fully participate in RSHP lessons.

Last year Zero Tolerance responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on draft RSHP guidance. We recommended emphasising the importance of providing tailored support to disabled girls, ensuring that they are not excluded from vital discussions about consent and relationships. We highlighted the need for educators to be proactive in making RSHP content accessible to all students, regardless of their impairments or health conditions. We are still waiting for the Scottish Government to respond to the input given in the consultation.

Disabled girls in Scotland must be granted equal access to comprehensive RSHP education. A gender-transformative, intersectional approach is essential for ensuring that all girls, particularly those with disabilities, have the knowledge they need to navigate relationships, understand consent, and protect themselves from harm. By making RSHP education accessible to disabled girls, Scotland can take an important step toward safeguarding their rights and wellbeing, and in the process, contribute to the prevention of violence against women and girls.

To read more about men’s violence against disabled women, read the report ‘It’s all about control’.

To find out more about girls’ human rights, read the report or listed to the podcast ‘Girls’ Rights Are Human Rights!’  

References

Nevens, K., and Hutchison, E., 2024. ‘Falling between the cracks: girls’ rights are human rights,’ Zero Tolerance. Available online: https://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/news/news-events/were-failing-girls-heres-what-to-do-about-it/ (Accessed 4 October 2024)

CLD (2023) ‘UNEQUAL, UNHEARD, UNJUST: BUT NOT HIDDEN ANYMORE. Women with Learning Disabilities’ Experience of Gender-Based Violence in Scotland.’ Available online: https://www.scld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Unheard-Unequal-Unjust%E2%80%93-But-not-Hidden.pdf (Accessed 8 November 2023)

Tutty, L. (2014) ‘Does gender matter in violence prevention programmes?’ in Ellis, J. and Thiara, R. K. (2014) Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls: Educational work with children and young people, Policy Press, Bristol.

Zero Tolerance (2024) ‘It’s all about control: men’s violence against disabled women.’ Available online: https://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/resources/Its-all-about-control---mens-violence-against-disabled-women-1.pdf (Accessed 6 September 2024)