In 1998,
Ecuador's new constitution introduced protections against discrimination based
on sexual orientation. In 1999, Chile
decriminalized same-sex intercourse. Rio de Janeiro's state legislature banned
sexual-orientation discrimination in public and private establishments in 2000.
In 2002, Buenos Aires
guaranteed all couples, regardless of gender, the right to register civil
unions.
The policy changes just kept coming. In 2003, Mexico passed a
federal antidiscrimination law that included sexual orientation. A year later,
the government of Brazil
initiated "Brasil sem homofobia" (Brazil without homophobia), a
program with nongovernmental organizations to change social attitudes toward sexuality.
In 2006, Mexico City
approved the Societal Cohabitation Law, granting same-sex couples marital
rights identical to those for common-law relationships between a man and a woman.
Uruguay
passed a 2007 law granting access to health benefits, inheritance, parenting,
and pension rights to all couples who have cohabited for at least five years. In
2008, Nicaragua
reformed its penal code to decriminalize same-sex relations. Even Cuba's authoritarian
new president, Raúl Castro, has allowed free sex-change operations for
qualifying citizen
Elizabeth Hughes on 15 Sep 09Many countries-Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba-are considering it mandatory to teach sexual education in primary schools. Many believe that the exclusion of sexual education has impacted the number of cases of sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage pregnancies. The goal is to bring awareness to these issues in hopes of decreasing the rates and to teach children how to make choices responsibly.
Almost all of Latin America is required to provide sexual education classes for their students, however, these laws are widely ignored. Many children do not receive the proper knowledge about sex until the age of 12 or 13, even though a study conducted in Cuba shows that this is the age children are becoming sexual active. Without the knowledge of the issues of sex it leads to an increase in sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and many abandoned babies. The article also states that children in Argentina do not receive sexual education at all because of the conservative sectors in the area. Many committees and groups are lobbying to help make sexual education more prevalent in students education.
This article discusses the role of sexual education and how it affects the prevention of STDs, unplanned pregnancies, sexual abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Many countries in Latin America have laws stating that sexual education must be taught at schools, however in many of these countries this is not happening. Studies have shown that because these children are not receiving sexual education there are higher rates of unplanned pregnancy, STDs, sexual assault, and earlier ages of engaging in dangerous sexual activities.
