COLOMBO, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has launched a set of national communication guidelines aimed at providing children and young people with accurate, scientific and age-appropriate knowledge on sexuality.
The guidelines were unveiled on Wednesday at an event chaired by Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa.
The Health Promotion Bureau released the National Communication Guideline on Age-Appropriate Sexuality Education, a national study on menstrual health and hygiene, and a teachers' handbook for Grades 6 and 7.
The publications are intended to guide teachers, health workers, media personnel, community organizations and other stakeholders in delivering culturally sensitive information on sexuality, reproductive health and adolescent well-being.
Jayatissa said the evidence-based documents would address barriers to providing age-appropriate sexuality education and help protect children from abuse, sexually transmitted infections and underage pregnancy.
He said Sri Lanka recorded 10,455 complaints of child abuse in 2025, though the figure did not reflect the full scale of the problem. The country also reported 874 people with HIV that year, including 107 aged between 15 and 24, along with 8,700 underage pregnancies.
The minister said parents, teachers, relatives, religious leaders and society shared responsibility for protecting children and ensuring access to accurate information. ■
