Based on presentation delivered at the Advocacy for Comprehensive Sexuality Education meeting, October 2015, Washington D.C.
While advocates bemoan the frequently changing political contexts and funding constraints, the truth is that, in advocacy, these are the only constants. We must accept that this is the framework in which advocates work.
In Latin America, the movement for CSE started with civil society, and these actors have remained central to pushing the agenda forward. Latin America has a strong history of working within a human rights framework, and the creation of an accessible rights-based discourse has contributed greatly to its strong, sustained success.
In the context of Mexico, investments in training for teachers have been essential to the professionalization of CSE programmes and the creation of a sizable pool of experts – to date, there are nearly 1,000 well-trained experts who have continued to advocate to the Ministry of Education for the advancement of CSE. Alliances were also built among a range of stakeholders, linking CSE advocacy with initiatives to reduce HIV infection rates and with the work of women’s and girls’ rights movements, youth rights movements and others.
CSE in the formal education sector moved from being integrated within the science curriculum to becoming a part of the civic and ethical education curriculum, signalling a major philosophical shift for the framing and sustainability of CSE.
Key lessons learned from the advocacy in Mexico included recognizing that politics and state governments may change, but civil society is the lifeblood of change, and even when suppressed, it continues to exist and find inroads for change. Meaningful, systematic participation and investment in civil society is essential and provides long term results. On this note, participants considered the possibility of establishing an international CSE association or federation, which would make the crucial networking links between civil society movements for CSE around the world.