Scottish Catholic Observer

Michael McGrath made the comments after the Scottish Government surveyed secondary school children about their knowledge of sexual health—the results of which highlighted some of the disturbing views on sex held by Scottish teenagers. “We should not be surprised that young people’s attitudes and sexual behaviour have been significantly affected by the sexualisation of our culture—through advertising, TV and the internet—and by the ready availability of pornography,” he said. “This is affecting children from a young age and is destroying childhood innocence and respect for the human body.”

The SCES director emphasised that ‘it is important that all schools provide relationships education which helps young people to be respectful, responsible and loving.’

“However, the first ‘school’ where children acquire their values and moral understanding is the family home,” Mr McGrath said. “Parents need to ensure that their children are not exposed to unhealthy and unwholesome influences and attitudes. Catholic schools can support them with the programmes that they offer.”

The IPSOS Mori survey of more than 1000 pupils in S3-S6 representing 59 Scottish secondary schools found that 27 per cent of those surveyed believe that when a girl refuses to consent to sex she does not always mean it.

While more than 80 per cent of children recalled being taught about the risks of illegal drugs, contraception and avoiding sexually transmitted infections, just over two-thirds recalled being taught a ‘few’ or ‘many’ times about how to say ‘no’ to sex and how to avoid catching infections.

Laura Tomson, senior development officer at Zero Tolerance, said the charity’s soon-to-be-published research showed that sex education in schools was failing to keep pace with the amount of information available about sex elsewhere.

Sex education is provided for pupils in Scottish Catholic schools in accordance with Church teaching on sex and relationships.

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—This story ran in full in the November 8 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.