Jakarta (ANTARA) - Sex education for children is not taboo, as it is not just about relationships but also about the health of reproductive organs, according to the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN).

BKKBN Head, Hasto Wardoyo, said that people should know that 12 sexual and reproductive health rights are protected by an international regulation.

"Many people are planning to get pregnant but are unaware what the process of pregnancy is like," he said in a statement from BKKBN on Sunday.

During the third episode of the Pre-Marriage Class held online on Friday, Wardoyo said that the rights to life and sexual and reproductive health are rights that need protection.

He said that people often mistake sex education as being only about how to have sex.

"It is important to understand that sex education is not just teaching how to have sex but rather focuses on providing reproductive health knowledge to prevent sexual problems from occurring," he said.

Based on data from the National Commission on Violence Against Women in 2019, there were 2,341 cases of violence against young women, 770 cases of incest, 571 cases of sexual violence, 536 cases of physical violence, 319 cases of psychological violence, and 145 cases of economic violence.

For this reason, Wardoyo advised people not to marry too young because there are a lot of risks in being pregnant at a young age, such as tearing, bleeding, and long-term impacts, including cervical cancer and bone loss during menopause.

In addition, couples need to spend time discussing important things such as finances, intimacy, relationships between in-laws, partner habits, parenting, and listening to each other well.

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Translator: Lintang P, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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