Most Chinese children still do not receive sexuality education that meets international standards, and the recent passage of a law requiring schools and kindergartens to conduct sex education is unlikely to change that any time soon.

The revised law on protecting minors, passed by China’s top legislative body on October 17, mandates “age-appropriate sex education”, but it is unclear how the Chinese government plans to implement it.

According to Unesco guidelines, “comprehensive sexuality education” should cover topics including relationships, gender equality, reproduction and sexual behaviour risks. But the law China recently passed, which comes into effect on International Children’s Day next year – June 1 – only mentions sexual abuse prevention.

In the absence of a national sexuality education curriculum, many students have a poor understanding of consent, contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections. “China has a national sexual illiteracy,” says Chen Jing, the founder of Evolving-I, a sexuality education company in Shanghai. “There is a shared ignorance about sex and an aversion towards talking about sex.”

Survey results published this year by the China Family Planning Association and Tsinghua University found 52 per cent of the 54,580 university students polled had received sex education. However, in a survey with nine basic questions about sexual health, fewer than one-third of the students were able to answer six or more questions correctly. More than 8 per cent answered every question incorrectly. Read more via SCMP