Experiences of Delivering Comprehensive Relationships and Sexuality Education to Young People from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds in Australia

Abstract

There is a substantial body of research that focuses on comprehensive relationships and sexuality education (CRSE). However, support for people with migrant and refugee backgrounds in Australia is often neglected. Reflections from schools and community educators from Sexual Health Victoria (SHV) suggest that focusing on respect and empathy can assist teachers to navigate sensitive topics in a culturally responsive way whilst still meeting government requirements for delivering CRSE. By applying the suggested approaches, the confidence and comfort of the whole school community can increase, leading to higher levels of sexual health and relationships literacy for all parties involved.

1. Introduction

As the body of research on comprehensive relationships and sexuality education’s (CRSE) positive impact on sexual health knowledge, behaviours, and risks grows, educators looking to find evidence to support delivery of CRSE in migrant and refugee communities may find a lack of relevant information (Goldfarb & Lieberman, 2021; UNESCO, 2016, 2018). Most of the published evidence of positive outcomes does not specifically include diverse cultural and religious views (Goldfarb & Lieberman, 2021). Given that Australia has a multicultural population, it is important that the specific needs and potential barriers to CRSE experienced by migrant and refugee communities are addressed, including language barriers, cultural differences, and potential gaps in legal knowledge (Hendriks et al., 2023; Mulholland et al., 2024).

CRSE (also referred to as comprehensive sexuality education or relationships and sexuality education) covers the physical, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality using a curriculum-based approach (UNESCO, 2018). International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (2018) states that CRSE is scientifically accurate, incremental, age- and developmentally appropriate, comprehensive (more than just the physical), based on a human rights approach and gender equality, culturally relevant and context appropriate, transformative, and works towards developing life skills needed to support healthy choices.

In Australia, the national curriculum was implemented in 2014 with the aim of achieving educational consistency across the country. However, school curricula are the responsibility of the state and territory governments, informed by the national curriculum (Kang et al., 2024). Sexuality education has been part of the national curriculum for Health and Physical Education since 2015, and consent education has been mandatory for all school students since 2023. In Victoria, educators are guided by the Sexuality and Consent Education Policy, which specifies sexuality education as a mandatory topic for students up to Year 10 in government and Catholic schools (The State Government of Victoria, 2021). These mandates do not dictate how the content should be taught, and they do not include private schools. Whilst it is a positive step to have these policies in place, there is still a long way to go to ensure all students receive the same level of CRSE across Australia. Many institutions engage local or interstate external providers to deliver CRSE. At the time of writing, South Australia is the only state which has a governmental screening process for external CRSE providers. National accreditation is not a requirement. This contributes to an environment in which content and quality of delivery can vary.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines sexual health as more than an absence of disease, that is “a state of physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing in relation to sexuality… Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence” (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). In accordance with this definition, researchers are increasingly turning to sexual literacy as a comprehensive framing of knowledge, skills, and capacity to engage in positive and pleasurable sexual relationships throughout one’s lifetime (Herdt & Marzullo, 2021). This definition may not be representative of how some migrant and refugee communities discuss sex, sexuality, and relationships. At times, it might directly conflict with messages from a young person’s home or community.

In this paper, the term “migrant and refugee backgrounds” is preferred. For the purpose of this commentary, this refers to “(1) young people who arrived in Australia on humanitarian visas and those who have fled their home country under similar circumstances, (2) those who arrived in Australia as a migrant, and (3) those who were born in Australia with one or both parents born overseas” (CMY, 2019). In the 2022–2023 financial year, 14,757 young people arrived in Australia across the humanitarian, family, and skilled migration streams (Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, 2023). The Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY, 2024) outlines that of the 4984 young people who arrived in Victoria across the three migration streams, the top 10 countries of birth were: Afghanistan (19%), India (10%), the People’s Republic of China (8%), Vietnam (6%), Philippines (6%), Pakistan (5%), Thailand (5%), Iran (4%), Iraq (4%), and the Syrian Arab Republic (3%). Our discussion is focused primarily on families from these countries, but we acknowledge that our reflections may be relevant for anyone who identifies as being from a migrant and refugee background. We note that many Australians may be more familiar with the term “culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)”, however, the choice to not use this term is intentional. CMY (2019) states “…rather than accurately describing the cultural and linguistic plurality of this country, the term CALD is typically ‘othering’ as it serves to reinforce the inaccurate and sometimes damaging idea that there is a dominant ‘mainstream’ Australian cultural identity or group to which people and communities from non-Anglo-Celtic, non-Western European religions, languages, ethnicities and cultural norms do not belong”.

Research states that young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, including diverse religious backgrounds, find that CRSE is not always representative of their community (Mulholland et al., 2024). This could include representations of bodies and clothing, or specific cultural and religious practices linked to sexual activity, sexuality, or contraceptive use. Sexual Health Victoria (SHV) educators observe that barriers exist for these young people when it comes to CRSE, including sexuality discussions not being held in a safe space, an inability to talk with parents and carers, and not wanting to be othered (Mulholland et al., 2024). For some young people, sitting in the classroom whilst CRSE takes place can make them feel unsafe, and as if they are going against the cultural or religious practices they have been taught at home. This can lead to students acting out in classes to try and make a statement to others that they do not support the topics being taught that challenge their values.

CRSE is critical to young people’s understanding of their developing body, sexuality, sexual health, and respectful relationships (UNESCO, 2015, 2018). Despite this, the inclusion and quality of CRSE in Australian classrooms is limited and inconsistent (Ezer et al., 2019; Waling et al., 2020a), with teachers’ skills and confidence to teach CRSE identified as a key factor (Ezer et al., 2019; Waling et al., 2020a, 2020b; Walker et al., 2020; Department of Social Services, 2022; Fisher et al., 2010). Comprehensive professional training is essential to support teachers in delivering CRSE within the curriculum (UNESCO, 2015; Waling et al., 2020a; Walker et al., 2020). Teacher capacity-building is identified as a priority action in the Victorian Sexual and Reproductive Health and Viral Hepatitis Strategy 2022–30 and is recommended in the recent Federal Senate Community Affairs References Committee report on universal access to reproductive healthcare (Department of Health, 2022; Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs, 2023). These issues are amplified for students from migrant and refugee backgrounds as schools or external providers may not have the resources to meet their cultural or religious needs. Many mainstream resources have not been adapted for migrant and refugee communities, and teacher education does not explicitly prepare educators to be culturally responsive.

This article provides a summary of the interventions and reflections that have assisted SHV to deliver CRSE in schools with students from migrant and refugee backgrounds. These approaches have been collated in this article to share our experiences widely, with the hope that these reflections can assist others in the future. The discussion that follows outlines the whole-school approach recommended by SHV when delivering CRSE, and recommendations for working with migrant and refugee communities.

The reflections and discussion that follow are based on the experiences of the authors, who are current educators at SHV. One author identifies as male and the other as female. One author has delivered CRSE for three years, and the other for 14 years. Both authors come from Anglo-Celtic heritage and acknowledge the influence this has on their ability to comment on the experiences of working with migrant and refugee communities but not directly on the experiences of these communities. We are approaching this commentary from learned experiences rather than lived or living experiences.

2. SHV’s Whole School Approach

Sexual Health Victoria (previously Family Planning Victoria) is a state-wide for-purpose organisation with a vision for all people to enjoy optimal sexual, relationship, and reproductive health and wellbeing. For 55 years, SHV has been a trusted authority and leading provider of sexual, relationship and reproductive health care, education, research and advocacy. SHV provides clinical care across two locations in metropolitan Melbourne. A core component of SHV’s work is the delivery of CRSE, and professional training to build educator capacity to provide CRSE in and out of school settings. SHV education and training programs are designed to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to experience healthy, positive, consensual sexuality, and relationships both on- and offline. We take pride in delivering high quality, inclusive, and adaptable education and training that is based on the latest evidence, consultation with communities, ongoing evaluation and quality improvement. SHV has been the recipient of Victorian government funding and works closely with the Department of Health, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and the Department of Education.

The Schools, Community, and Disability team at Sexual Health Victoria provides CRSE and consultation across Victoria and Australia and internationally. SHV expert educators deliver CRSE in school, community, and disability settings to a wide range of ages and cohorts. The team currently consists of 14 educators with backgrounds in education, youth work, nursing, and sexology.

The everyBODY Education program includes sessions on anatomy, reproduction, puberty, consent, online safety, and relationships. These sessions are delivered in classroom sessions for primary students, and either classroom sessions or lectures for secondary students. The program has been delivered to thousands of students from Foundation (the first year of school) through to Year 12. The sessions have been delivered in government, religious, and independent schools across Victoria. In the 2023/2024 financial year, 13,944 primary and secondary students participated in these sessions (Sexual Health Victoria, 2024). Surveys are used to evaluate the program on a regular basis. These surveys are completed by students, staff, parents, and carers who take part in the program. The program has been designed to supplement the classroom teaching of these topics, however, in some settings, SHV is the only form of CRSE that young people receive.

SHV educators have consistently identified that students with migrant and refugee backgrounds are frequently withdrawn from lessons due to parent and carer discomfort, or a fear of at-home values being challenged or replaced. The reason behind their withdrawal is often provided to SHV by the school staff, or directly from the parent or carer.

Key reflections from the authors are reported in the following sections in italics.

2.1. Consultation and Planning

Consultation with a school community prior to the implementation of CRSE can be highly beneficial in ascertaining any specific needs and barriers to participation and learning. This includes consultation with school leadership, wellbeing and teaching staff, parents and carers, and community group leaders. When working in migrant and refugee communities, the importance of connecting with community or religious groups is amplified. This helps to raise awareness of any potential barriers for the families, but it may also lead to the community group offering support or endorsement for the program. We have noticed that some students feel like they are not allowed to participate in CRSE discussions, as it is not culturally safe for them. Gaining the support of the community will let them know that it is acceptable for them to participate in the sessions.

In our experience, it can be really difficult to know how much school communication parents and carers will read if they don’t speak English at home. Their child might be their main interpreter. There have also been students who told us that they were not allowed to learn content about reproduction because of their faith.

After this initial analysis and consultation, planning for implementation can take place. During this time, staff can create a scope and sequence to provide clarity of their approach. There are models for what this scope and sequence can look like, but it is important to tailor the plan to each school community. Part of this planning stage could also include co-design with young people, families, and community groups.

2.2. Whole Staff Information Sessions

Before student sessions commence, all staff members should be provided with an opportunity to undertake professional learning in CRSE. Upskilling staff in key CRSE topics ensures everyone is using the same descriptors for key themes, they are aware of contemporary topics, and teachers are prepared for possible disclosures of abuse, as we often see an increase in disclosures when whole school CRSE is delivered. As a starting point, the session could focus on current teaching practices around sex, sexuality, gender, consent, and sexual content online. Bringing community organisations and young people into these sessions can help staff to understand the complexities of delivering CRSE to people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Staff can be encouraged to identify their own bias and how this might impact providing young people with sensitive information.

We have noticed that some teachers are uncomfortable with the topic of gender and sexuality. We get the sense that they could have felt criticised by any discourse that insists on acceptance. Some teachers also seem to be sensitive to any conversation which diminishes inclusion of LGBTIQA+ topics in education. We need to remind ourselves that teachers bring their own values into the classroom. Teachers sometimes say how grateful they are to have an expert come in, as they just do not feel like they have the skills to run CRSE.

2.3. CRSE Staff Professional Learning Sessions

Outside of general staff members, there will be specific staff members who are expected to deliver CRSE in their classes. This will often be part of the Health and Physical Education team’s role, but it can also be assigned to homeroom teachers who may see students for personal development lessons. The training sessions for these staff members should be comprehensive and cover all areas of CRSE that they are expected to teach. We have found success in delivering these sessions as one-off whole day professional learning, and shorter sequential sessions across a number of weeks. How these sessions look will often depend on how much time is allocated by the school. Suggested topics include sexually transmissible infections (STIs), contraception, accessing health services, diversity, consent, sexual content online, healthy relationships, abuse, creating supportive and inclusive learning environments, sexual decision-making, and answering questions with confidence. Through observations and discussions with school staff, we have identified these key topics as they were areas where the teachers needed updated information, or their confidence levels were low. Our Professional Learning Workshops are a mixture of content, everyBODY Education student activity demonstrations, and practicing how to answer student questions related to each topic. When practicing how to answer student questions, it is a good opportunity to address any religious or cultural concerns that may arise during the session.

In the authors’ experience, often when educators talk about diversity or inclusion in this field, they are meaning LGBTIQA+ inclusion. We need to remember that people are diverse in many ways, including culture, faith, ability, family structure, and experience. It is also important to note how intersectionality plays out in this space.

2.4. Parent and Carer Information Sessions

Ideally, before the student sessions commence, the school or organisation should host a parent and carer information session or sessions. These sessions are designed to show families what content will be covered during the student sessions (anatomy, puberty, reproduction, etc.), as this will prepare them for conversations that arise at home. Parent and carer information sessions are hosted online or in person. The sessions are provided to individual schools, which allows SHV to tailor the session for each school community. For families with migrant and refugee backgrounds, it can also be beneficial to offer information sessions that provide content for the adults, as they may not have received CRSE in school, and the laws in Australia may be different to their prior countries of residence.

At times, it seems like the parents and carers do not understand what we do. Once it is presented to them in the way that we actually talk about topics in the classroom and what young people learn from us, we tend to get them on board, and they have a better understanding. Across the board, when there are concerns about things coming into conflict with cultural or faith-based beliefs, we believe that by talking through it and explaining our approach everyone ends up with knowledge and comfort.

2.5. Student Sessions

When working in primary schools, we typically structure our program to deliver 3x90 min sessions across 3 weeks for best learning outcomes. When working in secondary schools, we often deliver one 60 min session with no follow-up sessions, as they are dealing with a tightly scheduled curriculum and calendar. Best practice is to deliver interactive sessions in small groups, rather than large lecture-style groups. Presentations should include content delivery, student led activities, and time for questions. We also offer an anonymous question box to reduce the anxiety students might feel about asking questions in front of their peers. When working with migrant and refugee communities, it may be beneficial to split students by gender where possible. Some cultural and religious groups will separate genders when discussing relationships, puberty, anatomy, and sex. It can help to reduce resistance if educators mirror this practice. Separating students by gender is a request that may come from schools, parents, or carers, rather than SHV educators. However, this is not always available in school settings.

Depending on the level of CRSE received by students before engaging with SHV, the content that we deliver in primary schools might be adapted for secondary school students to help provide them with basic CRSE information. This can be especially important for students from migrant and refugee backgrounds who may not have received information about all bodies, sexualities, genders, or relationships based on cultural or religious views. If students are coming from different countries, the CRSE that they have received may be different to what is offered in Australia, and the laws that are taught may be different as well.

In our experience, it can be really surprising how much students do not know. Girls that are already menstruating do not always understand their anatomy or why they have bleeding.

3. Working with Migrant and Refugee Communities

The SHV educators reflected upon their practice and shared their insights about what could be beneficial when working with migrant and refugee communities to deliver CRSE.

We have found that working in a room with eight or more interpreters can be difficult. Not only do the students need the information interpreted, but the information and language we provide could be new to the interpreters. Information can also inadvertently be passed on with the values of the interpreter.

3.1. Values-Fair, Not Values-Free

Educators will come into sessions with their own values, but they should be able to deliver the content in a way that respects the values of all participants, rather than creating a space that is devoid of values-based discussions. For many students, staff, parents, and carers, CRSE is an unknown. Therefore, it is important to make it clear what CRSE is and what it aims to do. CRSE is more than just anatomy, reproduction, and STI prevention. It includes developing skills to help people navigate their social and emotional development as they move through their lives.

During parent, carer, teacher, and student sessions, SHV educators specify that staff are not there to replace values, and that our presentations are created based on a human rights perspective that includes sexual health and wellbeing for all people. The programs are not designed to override values at home, rather, participants are invited to consider the information presented in relation to what they learn at home and in their community.

At the start of our sessions, we say, “We are providing scientific and medical information, but you are also getting information from home, cultural groups, and religious groups. You get to decide what you do with all of this information”. By starting the sessions in this way, students are much more receptive to the CRSE topics covered, especially when talking about the LGBTIQA+ community.

SHV have identified that LGBTIQA+ topics covered in CRSE are one of the main barriers for engaging with migrant and refugee communities, as the messaging we deliver might be perceived as conflicting with the messages or beliefs of some migrant and refugee communities.

Reiterating the distinction between providing information and replacing values is also crucial during parent and carer sessions. It is clear from the questions that we have been asked during our parent and carer sessions that some people are unclear about the purpose of CRSE and what SHV delivers. Adults are concerned that CRSE will replace values rather than work alongside them.

The more information and clarity provided at the outset of the program, the smoother the uptake of the content.

3.2. Finding Common Ground

When tailoring our presentations for students from migrant and refugee backgrounds, SHV focusses on an approach which allows the students to connect and engage with the content by finding common ground. Lessons are framed around the human rights perspectives of difference, anti-discrimination, empathy, gender, and social norms. Once students have worked through these ideas, they are often more receptive to information that they may have rejected in the past, such as sexual and gender diversity. By leading with the largely accepted ideas of respect, empathy, and norms, teachers can run successful sessions, with minimal student disruption. These ideas can be seen across most cultures and religions, which allows educators to use language that is already familiar to students. We found that if our sessions started with a focus on some of the more “controversial” topics that are viewed differently across cultures, students were more likely to disengage and become disruptive.

The approach of focusing on common ground is also helpful when answering student questions or following up with disruptive behaviour during sessions. If a student approaches a topic in a disrespectful way, it is easy to draw their attention back to the largely accepted value of respect for one another. This creates a safer environment for students to share their ideas or opinions without placing other people at risk. Most schools will have respect as part of their behaviour management policy or school motto. We recommend that schools continue to implement these policies or approaches when discussing gender and sexual diversity. This reduces the risk of highlighting LGBTIQA+ topics as the problem, potentially exacerbating the issue.

3.3. Respond with Curiosity and an Open Mind

When someone asks a question that conflicts with our personal views and values, it is easy to see it as problematic. However, if the question is being asked based on a cultural or religious belief, educators must understand that it could be linked to a positive part of someone’s life. This highlights the importance of answering the question respectfully rather than scolding the person who asked it, especially if they are a young person. If they are reprimanded, it will seem like their faith or culture is being challenged, which could cause them to disengage from the conversation. When working in migrant and refugee communities, educators should display curiosity and openness to understanding the cultural or religious beliefs held by the people they are working with.

3.4. Do We Need to Change the Content or the Delivery?

When working with migrant and refugee communities within a school, SHV does not tailor content for each community. This is not an achievable goal due to the variety of cultures and religions at each school. SHV must also consider the mandatory parts of the curriculum when tailoring programs. A more sustainable approach is to upskill educators in handling difficult conversations and questions. By preparing educators with the skills to discuss sensitive topics in a culturally responsive way, the core content can remain the same, but the teaching approach may change depending on the needs of the group. For example, more time may be allocated to questions and discussions on specific topics.

If resources are available, educators may need to provide information in other languages, use interpreters, or have cultural or faith leaders in the room to show their support for the program. However, resourcing for this work is rare. The activities and language used throughout the sessions may also be adjusted to meet the needs of each specific group.

When working with one specific cultural or religious group, an argument could be made for tailoring the content. However, in most school environments, it is rare that educators will be working with a homogeneous group. Specific tailoring of content for a community is also ideally tailored by someone within that community.

4. Strengths, Barriers, and Future Directions

The main strength of our approach is that we work to meet the needs of each community, whilst still delivering the mandatory CRSE curriculum. It is replicable and prepares educators for a variety of situations.

One of the main barriers that we, and many schools, face is connecting with the parent and carer community. Contacting parents and carers can be especially difficult due to language barriers. There may be a number of different languages spoken within school communities, and some of the parents and carers may not be literate in their written language. We believe it would be highly beneficial to create enduring video resources in a range of languages and to have interpreters available when delivering parent and carer sessions. This will make it easier to address parent and carer questions or concerns about CRSE. While artificial intelligence can make translating more accessible, the nature of the content still requires sensitive handling and human review.

In the future, more funding needs to be allocated to co-designing and evaluating educational programs and resources with and for migrant and refugee communities. Further research around CRSE and migrant and refugee communities in Australia is also needed to inform this work. Future projects and research could focus on the perspectives and needs of young people, parents, and carers within migrant and refugee communities and best practice approaches for improving sexual and relationship literacy among these communities.

If we look more broadly at teacher education, embedding units in pre-service teacher training on how to deliver CRSE inclusive of culturally responsive practices is imperative. We know that many teachers do not receive adequate preparation for delivering CRSE (O’Brien et al., 2020; Costello et al., 2022), and that working with migrant and refugee communities in this space adds layers of complexity that require further training. This includes formalised and standardised teaching qualifications focused on CRSE (Barr et al., 2014).

5. Conclusions

Using the approaches listed above, we believe that delivering CRSE to young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds will be more achievable and broadly accepted. Educators should continue to respect cultural and religious beliefs as they further embed CRSE topics into the curriculum. It is apparent that more resources need to be devoted to working within migrant and refugee communities to deliver CRSE. School teachers already state that they have low confidence in delivering CRSE in general, and requiring educators to be culturally responsive adds another layer of complexity which requires further training. In this paper, we have presented our delivery model, and we have shared learnings to help others navigate this sensitive space. Hopefully, our work will inspire future practice in this area and offer support to organisations and individuals looking to complete similar work.

For more information on the everyBODY Education program, please visit SHV’s website (https://shvic.org.au/schools, accessed on 13 March 2025).