Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Rights in Day Care Centres. Reflections from the professional role

Abstract

This essay reflects on the professional practice itself and the ethical commitment as guarantors of rights in Day Centers for people with intellectual disabilities, based on an examination of current professional practices and their impact on the lives of people with disabilities. Taking into account the context of the socioeconomic crisis in Argentina, in which the national government questions the rights that have been won, we maintain the importance of creating safe spaces where these rights are guaranteed. In this sense, it is necessary to know the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to frame the professional work from the Social Model of Disability. It begins with a brief overview of these legal and paradigmatic frameworks, which are then used to reflect on the institutional realities of Day Care Centers. This is where Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) comes into play, to provide tools not only to connect with our own bodies, but also with other bodies; getting to know the other person and ourselves, our limits and theirs, enables us to open up to emotions, to understand differences, to know our rights, to inhabit a world that is for all people, without discrimination or violence of any kind. We understand that CSE, in addition to being an educational policy, is a tool for cultural transformation that highlights the richness of diversity, proposes relationships based on mutual respect and trust, and promotes rights.