Sabrina Espinal

Aisha- Sidibe

November 4, 2018

FIQWS 101

Title: Dominican Republic and Sex Education

Abstract:  I believe that adolescence in general is a very important period for the development of the individual and their country, and for this reason I find necessary that the Dominican youth should receive a high quality education that includes classes regarding to sexual and mental education. I believe as well that the Dominican Republic Educational System is lacking and it is in need of a program that offers a realistic and reliable health and reproductive education to the youth due to the lack of awareness of the consequences of having unsafe and unprepared intimate relations, and because of the country’s high rates of teenage pregnancy, regional and world-wide viewed.

Introduction: Teenage pregnancy in the Dominican Republic is between 25 and 30 percent, in 2013 around 105 out of 1,000 girls got pregnant between 15-19 years. The problem behind all of this is that parents and educational institutions are not educating teens about how to protect themselves from not just unexpected pregnancies, but about their mental, sexual and physical health.  In 2017, the Dominican Republic posses 34% of teenage pregnancies, which is the higher rate compared to the average for Latin America and the Caribbean countries , double the world’s average and triple in the United States.

Research Question:  Why does in the Dominican Republic sex education remains as a taboo  and teens are hardly taught about it if it is something that is clearly that is affecting them?  Does the Dominican Republic social and cultural perception of sexuality influences the way sexual education is talked about?

Thesis: Many parents in the Dominican Republic say that kids are too young to be focusing and taught about sexuality and it is better to maintain them abstinent. However, The Dominican Republic has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy of Latin America. Explaining the importance of addressing sexual and reproductive health to young and adults will guide them to make advised and prepared decisions for their present and future life choices.

Research Methodology: I would use government  and organization sites, timelines and videos that include testimonies of experts and teenagers/students.

Bibliography: 

“Experts call the Dominican teen pregnancy alarming”. San Diego Union Tribune: Hoy. September 26. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/hoy-san-diego

Escobar, Emma and Roffe, Jessica. “Theology and Sex Education with Hispanics/ Latinos”. Boston University of Theology.  http://www.bu.edu/shaw/theology-and-sex-education-with-hispanicslatinos/

“70% of students in Latin America do not have access to comprehensive access to sexual education”. Plataforma Regional: América Latina y el Caribe. April 03. https://plataformalac.org/en/2017/04/70-of-students-in-latin-america-do-not-have-comprehensive-access-to-sexual-education/

Sanchez, Erica and Rendo, Maria. “Teen Pregnancies Remain Stubbornly High in Latin America: Report”. Global Citizen: Girls&Women. May 04, 2018.

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/teen-pregnancies-in-latin-america/

Nozicka, Luke. “Lesson Unplanned: Teenage Pregnancy in the Dominican Republic”. Pulitzer Center: Story. June 15, 2015. https://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/lesson-unplanned-teenage-pregnancy-dominican-republic#slideshow-0

Every listed source above, would helped me obtain statistics as well as really useful information, used in this researched proposal.

Audience: Dominican Adolescents, Health Department, Latin American and Caribbean, Reproductive Health.