A/65/162 48. In the case of Africa, several countries do not provide any kind of planned sexual education. According to some studies, families are uncomfortable talking about sexuality with their sons and daughters; yet young girls and boys do receive some information informally from friends or through the HIV prevention programme. 49 49. According to a UNESCO study, around 2004, 19 of the 20 African countries with the highest HIV prevalence included this subject in their primary curriculum, and 17 countries included life skills programmes. However, it was observed that implementation was very slow and left without coverage those who were not involved in formal education channels. 50 50. As regards official curricula, in Latin America and the Caribbean information on sexuality is usually provided as cross-cutting content. According to a study of the handling of priority topics at the primary level, conducted by the National Public Health Institute of Cuernavaca, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay deal with all the relevant topics. Nine countries cover five of them; six consider four; five report that they cover three; and one covers only one of the six topics.45 51. In Europe, sexual education is taught as a cross-cutting subject. This is the case in Portugal, where it is dealt with in courses on biology, geography, philosophy and religion, and in Belgium, where the moral and ethical aspects of sexuality are dealt with in lessons on morals and religion. In Denmark, Estonia and, to a lesser degree, France, the topic is included in civics classes, adopting a broader approach. Other countries deal with it from the biological viewpoint. The focus on biological aspects does emphasize the importance of health education but often neglects relational and affective issues, undermining the comprehensive approach. 52. Despite students’ preference for interactive methods, in Europe conventional teaching methods are still the most commonly used, although in some cases use is also made of the media, the Internet, videos, games and role playing. 53. In the Asia-Pacific region, sexual education tends to be provided via subjects such as biology, science and health. All the countries of the region claim that HIV education is included at the secondary level; six of them claim that it is included at the primary level and 13 include it in teacher training. 51 However, in some countries of the region, sexual education is limited to its biological or moral aspects, ignoring the broad range of areas in which it affects people’s lives.51 54. Worthy of note are the experiences of Cambodia, which has an increasingly solid legal framework, continues to make progress in the provision of sexual education with increased funding and has mainstreamed gender into the education process; and Thailand, where sexual education has been included in the compulsory curriculum since 1978 and a manual has been developed for Muslim students. Since 2000, Viet Nam has shown a sustained commitment; education on HIV prevention __________________ 49 50 51 14 Robert T. Francoeur and Raymond J. Noonan, eds. “Botswana” in International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, Kinsey Institute, 2004 (available at http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/ccies/bw.php). UNESCO, Education sector global HIV & AIDS readiness survey 2004: policy implications for education & development (Paris, May 2006). Plan International, Sexuality education in Asia: Are we delivering? An assessment from a rightsbased perspective, 2010. 10-46213