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Ministry of Education Draft Relationships and Sexuality Education Framework.docx

Posted in Government; Tagged Government, Relationships; Posted 11 months ago by DPA Less than a minute to read

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To: Ministry of Education
Date: May 2025

 

Purpose

This submission’s core purpose is to advocate for a comprehensive and explicit inclusion of disabled people and their specific needs within the RSE curriculum. DPA aims to ensure the curriculum is inclusive of diverse genders and cultural perspectives, and that it effectively addresses crucial topics such as consent, stalking, bullying, and pornography, which are particularly relevant for disabled learners who often face higher rates of sexual assault and abuse.

Summary of DPA submission


DPA expresses deep concern that the draft Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Curriculum Framework has "barely any mention of disabled people or disability" beyond a general reference to "different abilities". DPA highlights New Zealand research indicating that disabled students, including those with learning/intellectual disabilities and neurodiverse individuals, face significant barriers to effective RSE, such as a lack of accessible resources (e.g., Easy Read) and a general societal opposition to their sexual and reproductive rights. DPA also notes that the draft framework alarmingly omits any reference to te ao Māori, Pasifika, Asian, and other cultures, which is a breach of Crown obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and fails to recognise the high disability rates within these communities.

DPA is "incredibly concerned" by the draft's removal of all mention of gender diversity, which impacts trans, genderfluid, and non-binary individuals, especially given that 29% of disabled people identify as members of the rainbow community. DPA believes this omission, combined with the minimisation of disability, could violate Article 25 of the UNCRPD, which upholds disabled people's right to information and education on sexuality and reproduction. DPA advocates for retaining the more comprehensive 2020 RSE guidelines with appropriate changes to improve access for disabled learners.

DPA calls for greater flexibility in RSE delivery for disabled learners and recommends that the Ministry of Education work with disabled people, DPOs, and other stakeholders to develop and update fully accessible learning resources. They also emphasize the critical need for teachers to receive specific training and ongoing mentoring on how to deliver inclusive, accessible RSE to all disabled students.

While DPA welcomes making consent education mandatory, they urge strengthening it to cover power dynamics, pressure, fear, and nonverbal cues, particularly given that disabled people experience higher rates of sexual assault and abuse. DPA is also concerned by the omission of stalking from the curriculum, highlighting its nature as a "frightening and oppressive practice" that disproportionately impacts disabled women. They recommend its full inclusion with education on identification, seeking help, and support.

DPA also stresses the need for age-relevant discussion of pornography and its impacts, especially for younger/more mature students who increasingly access it, and calls for fostering critical thinking skills around its content. Finally, DPA advocates for covering bullying from an intersectional lens, noting its disproportionate impact on disabled, trans, Māori, and Pasifika students, and for including strategies to identify and eliminate it from school communities.

 

Key Recommendation/Finding:

That the current RSE curriculum guidelines from 2020 are retained with appropriate changes to improve access to it by disabled learners across the country.

 

Supporting Statement 1:

The draft RSE Framework contains "barely any mention of disabled people or disability" and has removed references to te ao Māori, Pasifika, Asian, and other cultures, which were better reflected in the 2020 guidelines.

 

Supporting Statement 2:

The draft's "appalling" omission of gender diversity, which was present in the 2020 guidelines, will negatively impact the ability of various student groups, including disabled and rainbow students, to learn about sexuality and relationships in a way that validates their identities and addresses their specific needs.

 
 

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DPA Submission 2505 Ministry of Education Draft Relationships and Sexuality Education Framework (DOCX)

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