Vulnerable Subjects and Autonomous Actors: Children with Disabilities and the Right to Sex Education



Daly, AC ORCID: 0000-0002-4005-9803, Heah, Rachel and Liddiard, Kirsty
(2019) Vulnerable Subjects and Autonomous Actors: Children with Disabilities and the Right to Sex Education. Global Studies of Childhood, 9 (3). pp. 235-248.

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Abstract

International human rights standards are clear that children and young people have a right to sexuality education. Nevertheless, the delivery of such education is often considered questionable, particularly for groups of children perceived as more ‘vulnerable’. In this article, the example of the right to access sexuality education for disabled children is used to explore the autonomy/vulnerability dynamic. Historically, sexuality education has been denied to disabled children, ostensibly to protect them from information and activities perceived as inappropriate due to their (perceived) greater vulnerabilities. It is argued, however, that discourses of sexual vulnerability can actually be dangerous in themselves. Sexuality education, rather than being a threat to disabled under-18s, serves as a way to increase their autonomy by equipping them with tools of knowledge around sex and relationships. This case study demonstrates how the autonomy of under-18s is not something inherent in them but something which can be enhanced through recognition of rights such as education and information, as well as recognition of adult responsibilities to facilitate this.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: children’s autonomy, disabled children, sexuality education, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,, vulnerability
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 28 May 2019 08:40
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:42
DOI: 10.1177/2043610619860997
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3043223