Menu
The Sexuality Education Committee (SEC) is a statutory committee of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). The purpose of this committee is to provide advice and support in the area of sexuality education and health promotion and to oversee the quality of educational activities undertaken on behalf of WAS. This committee is also responsible for the Excellence in Education Awards.
In addition to sexuality education, SEC supports training in sexology and collects information of the training worldwide. SEC provides advice and assistance to educators, health promoters and trainers in sexology. SEC disseminates, monitors and maintain the currency of the International Standards of Practice in Sexuality Education, Health Promotion and Training in Sexology. SEC members participate in international meetings where these issues are discussed and new educational standards developed.
The Chairs are responsible for the initiation and conduct of the Excellence in Sexuality Education awards. They promote the call for nominations through the WAS web site and other means. After evaluations of the applicants, they make a recommendation to the Advisory Committee (AC) regarding the awardees, one in each for each of the three categories. These categories are Governmental Programmes, Academic Programmes, and Non-Governmental Organizations.
Chair: Osmo Kontula (Finland)
Vice-Chair: Esther Corona Vargas (Mexico)
Members:
Margarita Gerouki (Greece)
Mariana Cruz Murueta (Mexico)
Kare Rayne (United States)
Patti Britton (United States)
Amé Atsu David (Liberia)
Sachiko Takahashi (Japan)
Osmo Kontula, Ph.D., is a Research Professor at the Population Research Institute of the Family Federation of Finland. He has authored over 400 publications, of which more than 50 are books. Osmo Kontula is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sex Research (JSR), a Member of Advisory Committee and a Chair of Sexuality Education Committee in the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). He is also a member of the Management Committee in the European Sexual Medicine Network and the Past President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). Kontula has conducted several national sex surveys since the 1990s and surveys of sexuality education in schools and of adolescents’ sexual knowledge in Finland.
Esther Corona Vargas is a clinical psychologist. Has worked in sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health and gender for over 50 years. Founder (1972) and President of the Mexican Association for Sexuality Education (AMES), first NGO in Mexico and pioneer in Latin America. Ex-President of the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for Sexuality Education. First Vice President of FEMESS. President of FLASESS during 1998–2002. Has been associated with WAS since its founding and has been a member of its Executive and Advisory Committees in several administrations. She is currently Co-Chair of the International Liaison Committee. International Consultant for United Nations Agencies as well as international and national NGOs.
Margarita Gerouki, Ph.D. in education, MS in political science, is an educator, educational advisor, and researcher in Relationships, Sexuality, and Gender Education. She has published academic articles and educational books. She is an advocate for sexual justice, sexual and reproductive rights, and inclusive sexuality education. She is a public speaker, teachers’ and parents’ trainer, and workshop leader for students and adult learners. Since 2019 she collaborates with Onassis Foundation to promote Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Greece. She and her colleagues at the Greek non-profit AXEPT were awarded the WAS Global Award for Educational Excellence and Innovation (2019). She is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy.
Mariana CRUZ MURUETA is currently the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Hub Coordinator at the Education Development Center. Previously, Mariana spent 5 years as Senior Program Officer on Education and Gender Equality at Fòs Feminista (former IPPFWHR) where she advanced the Comprehensive Sexuality Education and gender strategy of the organization. She brings networking experience from her co-leadership of AMAZE's education for children and young people initiative in Latin American and the Caribbean, as well as her regional role as Education and Gender Equality Specialist at UNESCO in Geneva, Mexico and Chile. She holds a Master's Degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and she is based in Mexico, her hometown.
Karen Rayne, PhD, CSE, has worked in sexuality education for the past two decades with a specialty in comprehensive sexuality education across the lifespan. She is the Founder and Executive Director of UN|HUSHED, where she writes and edits books and lifespan comprehensive sexuality curricula, trains sexuality educators and builds collaborative coalitions. UN|HUSHED was awarded the WAS 2021 Educational Excellence and Innovation Award. She is also an Assistant Professor of Instruction at The University of Texas. Karen has worked with local, national, and international organizations. Her recent books and curricula include TRANS+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You, An Introduction to Sexuality Education: A Handbook for Primary Care Providers and Physicians, and UN|HUSHED: The Elementary Curriculum.
Patti Britton, PhD, MPH, ACSE/S, ABS, ACSI, FAACS, is a Clinical Sexologist, AASECT-Certified Sexuality Educator/Supervisor & Past President (2006-2008), and the pioneer of Sex Coaching. As a well-respected sexologist, she is an academic, author (5 books), popular speaker, trainer and workshop leader, and hosts DVDs for couples’ sexual enhancement. She frequently appears on summits, in documentaries, and on media. With a private practice in Los Angeles and via Skype globally, Dr. Patti is the Co-Founder of Sex Coach University - the world’s premier credentialing and training organization for sex coaching. She has served on 30+ sexology doctoral committees in and is an elected WAS Advisory Committee member.
Amé Atsu David (She/Her) is a Pan Africanist, a recognized human rights activist and a seasoned capacity development expert. She is a strong advocate for the integration and effective teaching of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in primary and secondary schools in Africa. Over the past years, she has been collaborating extensively with UNESCO, UNFPA, and IntraHealth International to support the Ministries of Education in West and Central Africa in reviewing existing school-based HIV prevention and sexuality education programs based on international evidence and good practice using Sexuality Education Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT) developed by UNESCO. Her numerous trainings on human rights, gender justice and comprehensive sexuality education using reflective methods is contributing to breaking the taboos around sex among state and non-state stakeholders in West and Central Africa.
Sachiko Takahashi is Obstetrician / Gynecologist, currently an assistant professor in the Saitama Medical University, Canter for Medical Education and Career Development, Community Health Science Center. She lectured about sex education for 165 places where are Erementary School,Junior Hight School, Hight School, University and more, in 2021. Also she published 2 books about sex education one for Elementary School, and other for 28 years old. She is member of Japan Society of Genecology, Japan Society Adolescentology, Japanese Society of Public Health and so on. Now She is working on making sex education materials for schools using, that material follow the International Guidance on Sexuality Education. This project research funding from the Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare and It will be continuing by 2024 March.
Chair: Osmo Kontula (Finland)
Vice-Chair: Cristina Tania Fridman (Argentina)
Members:
Christine Winkelmann (Germany)
Doortje Braeken (United Kingdom)
Esther Corona Vargas (Mexico)
Ekua Yankah (Germany)
Patti Britton (United States)