SOME schools in Northern Ireland are teaching pupils that homosexuality is wrong, according to a new report.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has found that relationships and sexuality education in schools in the north does not meet human rights standards to which government is bound.
The report states that "many schools use language that shames and stigmatises young people" who had sex.
It also found that some schools told pupils that those who "engage in casual sex must bear the consequences of their actions".
The report comes just days after the UK government introduced legislation to ensure that school pupils in Northern Ireland receive age-appropriate information about access to contraception and abortion services.
The new regulations will make “age-appropriate, comprehensive and scientifically accurate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights, covering prevention of early pregnancy and access to abortion” a compulsory component of the curriculum for students.
The NIHRC investigated policies on the teaching of relationships and sex education (RSE) in schools.
But it found that most schools in the north are not providing "age-appropriate, comprehensive and scientifically accurate education on access to abortion services".
The report states that "some schools actively contributed to the shame and stigma surrounding unplanned pregnancy and abortion, by making statements such as 'abortion is not a means of contraception and those who knowingly engage in casual sex must bear the consequences of their actions".
It also said about two-thirds of post-primaries promoted abstinence in their sex education policies.
The majority of schools who submitted their RSE policy to the investigation, the NIHRC found, "still promoted the value of the 'sanctity of marriage'", and related terms, such as "permanent committed sexual relationship".
"In addition to this idealisation and promotion of abstinence, marriage, and monogamy, many schools use language that shames and stigmatises young people who do engage in sexual practices," the report stated.
The commission also said that while around two-thirds of post-primaries taught pupils about contraception, it was unclear if they offered accurate information.
The NIHRC has recommended that schools should be monitored to ensure sex education is taught in "an objective and non-judgemental manner".
That should include "detailed assessments of the content and delivery of lesson plans".
