A bill passed in Victoria’s Youth Parliament this week calls for compulsory sexual education that deals with emotional aspects of relationships, in addition to biological details.
Altona North resident Ali Noura is among six members of the Centre for Multicultural Youth’s team proposing the Fostering Positive Relationships Bill in the YMCA Victoria Youth Parliament.
“It’s an educational bill that’s intended to complement pre-existing sexual education curriculum already provided for the youth,” he said.
He said the proposed program would cover mental health, abuse and consent.
“Even derogatory language, stigma and culture,” Mr Noura said. “For example, the trophy culture among young men versus the culture of shaming experienced by many women, particularly young women.”
Another team member, Sunshine’s Nyajimma Koang, said the bill described different sorts of consent and delved into cultural aspects.
She is of South Sudanese ethnicity and, like all the team members, of refugee/migrant background.
“I think when they are teaching consent in schools, it’s so broad and so open-ended so girls don’t understand the extent of what consent is,” Ms Koang said. “Boys, too. Culturally, where I come from, relationships are not something that’s really discussed.”
The other team members are Swathi Shanmukhasundaram, Bayu Pratama, Sasha Mozhnya and Arshdeep Cheema.
The bill was passed and will now be considered by the relevant Victorian government minister.
More than 25 bills originating in Youth Parliament have become legislation, including mandatory bike helmets, gun reforms, roadside drug testing and the over-the-counter morning after pill.
