On April 3rd, Minister for Education Richard Bruton TD announced a major review of the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) curriculum. Minister Bruton has requested the National Council on Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to conduct the review, taking into account a number of areas but specifically:
- Consent, what it means and its importance;
- Developments in contraception;
- Healthy, positive sexual expression and relationships;
- Safe use of the internet;
- Social media and its effects on relationships and self-esteem;
- LGBTQ+ matters.
Key facts on sexual health in the Republic of Ireland:
- 38% of 17-24 year olds have had sexual intercourse with multiple partners in the past 12 months.1
- The legal age of consent for boys and girls is 17.2
- 37% of men and 26% of women aged between 18 and 25 had first sexual intercourse before the age of 17; in a school-based survey with 15–17 year olds, 31% of boys and 23% of girls said they had had sex.2
- Those who had sex before 17 years were less likely to have used contraception at first intercourse and were 70% more likely to experience crisis pregnancy later in life.2
- Over 20% of young people had taken alcohol or drugs when they first had sex.2
In 2015, IPH contributed to the development of the National Sexual Health Strategy 2015-2020 – a strategy developed under the Healthy Ireland Framework.
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