Tuesday 30 March 2021
Green Party NI leader Clare Bailey MLA has welcomed the findings of a report from the Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskgroup (NIACT).
Clare Bailey MLA said: "It's worth noting that this report comes at a time when services are being denied to women despite the legal framework for abortion services having been published last year.
"However, this report details a positive vision for how education and healthcare providers can support sexual and reproductive health.
"The report recommends that all children and young people should be provided with a high-quality education that teaches them about healthy relationships, consent, sexuality, and the ability to decide when, and if, to start a family.
"This echoes the longstanding Green Party NI call for mandatory and comprehensive Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in all Northern Ireland schools. At present, the provision of RSE is patchy and inconsistent. Many schools teach RSE on the basis of their ethos and its commonplace for external organisations to come into schools and teach on the basis of abstinence and without provision for same sex relationships.
"The Gillen review and the findings of a 2018 CEDAW report made similar recommendations around the provision of RSE, yet the Executive has failed to act. Women are being failed again - it's time for the Executive to commit itself to addressing the scourge of violence against women and girls and bring NI in line with international human rights standards."
ENDS
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