A 15-year-old girl and her boyfriend are studying alone together on a hot summer day when she removes her jacket and clings to his shoulder. What should he do?
In Hong Kong, authorities advise the young man to continue studying or to seek a diversion, including badminton, to avoid premarital sex and other “intimate behaviours.”
Critics, including lawmakers and sex educators, say the new sex education materials are regressive.But officials are not backing down, and the standoff is getting awkward.
Hong Kong teenagers find it all pretty amusing. A few said on social media that the officials behind the policy have their “heads in the clouds.” Others have worked it into sexual slang, talking about “friends with badminton” instead of “friends with benefits.”
The materials were published last week by the education bureau in a 70-page document that includes worksheets for adolescents and guidance for teachers. The document emphasises the lessons are not designed to encourage students to “start dating or having sexual behaviours early in life.” It advises people in a “love relationship” to fill out a form setting limits of their intimacy.
“It is normal for people to have sexual fantasies and desires, but we must recognise that we are the masters of our desires and should think twice before acting, and control our desires instead of being controlled by them,” it says.
It also recommends exercise and other activities that “draw attention away from undesirable activities,” and warns students to dress appropriately and avoid wearing “sexy clothing” that could lead to “visual stimulation.”
Critics are wary, saying the guidelines are irresponsible. Diana Kwok, professor of gender studies at Education University of Hong Kong, told South China Morning Post authorities should not emphasise the need to control sexual development, but instead teach young people how to face or understand it.
Officials aren’t flinching. Christine Choi, the education secretary, framed the guidance as a kind of moral imperative and a way of protecting young people. “We should teach them to take responsibility for themselves correctly, to understand how to take care of themselves and respect others. When they grow up, they will face a more complex society.”
John Lee, Hong Kong’s leader, described the materials as good for the territory’s long-term future. “I think social culture has to be created collectively,” he said.
In Hong Kong, authorities advise the young man to continue studying or to seek a diversion, including badminton, to avoid premarital sex and other “intimate behaviours.”
Critics, including lawmakers and sex educators, say the new sex education materials are regressive.But officials are not backing down, and the standoff is getting awkward.
Hong Kong teenagers find it all pretty amusing. A few said on social media that the officials behind the policy have their “heads in the clouds.” Others have worked it into sexual slang, talking about “friends with badminton” instead of “friends with benefits.”
The materials were published last week by the education bureau in a 70-page document that includes worksheets for adolescents and guidance for teachers. The document emphasises the lessons are not designed to encourage students to “start dating or having sexual behaviours early in life.” It advises people in a “love relationship” to fill out a form setting limits of their intimacy.
“It is normal for people to have sexual fantasies and desires, but we must recognise that we are the masters of our desires and should think twice before acting, and control our desires instead of being controlled by them,” it says.
It also recommends exercise and other activities that “draw attention away from undesirable activities,” and warns students to dress appropriately and avoid wearing “sexy clothing” that could lead to “visual stimulation.”
Critics are wary, saying the guidelines are irresponsible. Diana Kwok, professor of gender studies at Education University of Hong Kong, told South China Morning Post authorities should not emphasise the need to control sexual development, but instead teach young people how to face or understand it.
Officials aren’t flinching. Christine Choi, the education secretary, framed the guidance as a kind of moral imperative and a way of protecting young people. “We should teach them to take responsibility for themselves correctly, to understand how to take care of themselves and respect others. When they grow up, they will face a more complex society.”
John Lee, Hong Kong’s leader, described the materials as good for the territory’s long-term future. “I think social culture has to be created collectively,” he said.