Finland’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education Experiment: Do we sexualize Sri Lanka’s children and put them on medication for life?

Sri Lanka’s education system cannot and should not be compared with Finland’s, because the two systems were shaped by entirely different histories, cultures, and national priorities. Finland’s education model emerged in a small, ethnically and linguistically homogeneous society, developed after industrialization and the construction of a comprehensive welfare state that assumed extensive state responsibility for child development. Sri Lanka’s current education system which evolved from colonial rule cannot and should not disregard its historical educational duty-based ethics and values that shape individuals while also providing them the skills to stand on their feet independently, These profound historical and cultural differences mean that policies successful in Finland cannot be mechanically transplanted into Sri Lanka without ignoring context, capacity, family structures, and deeply rooted civilisational values.

Finland CSE: History & Key Facts

When was CSE introduced and how it changed over time

• Sexuality education first became compulsory in Finnish schools in 1970.It was part of national school curricula and integrated with health services early on.
• In the mid-1990s, this requirement was weakened: sex education became an optional subjectand oversight declined.
• In 2001–2006, Finland reintroduced structured health education—including sexuality education—and made it compulsory again from 2006, with specific lesson hour requirements and teacher training under the broader health curriculum.

So CSE has been officially part of Finnish education intermittently since 1970, with a major shift toward a stronger, compulsory form after 2006.

Teen Pregnancy/Abortion Data in Finland

1990s — Decline then Increase

• However, when sex education was de-emphasised in the mid-1990s, Finland experienced a rise in adolescent abortions and earlier sexual activity.

2000s to Today —Strengthened CSE & Contraceptive Access

• After CSE became part of compulsory health education again (around 2001–2006), trends reversed:

→ Contraceptive use increased

• Teen abortions were reduced because teens were using contraceptives.
• Use of contraceptives & abortions both have negative impacts on teens. Reducing abortions by promoting contraceptions is not the solution for teens.

Finlands CSE is a failure – Sri Lanka’s Education Minister cannot justify using Finland’s failed CSE model.

Early Sexualisation Did NOT Reduce Harm – CSE did not reduce sexual abuse, pregnancies or risky behavior

Reality in Finland & Nordics:

• Sexual violence among youth has not disappeared
• Online sexual exploitation increased, not decreased
• Earlier exposure did not translate into healthier choices

Example: A Finnish adolescent study found ~91.7% used a contraceptive. (profits Big Pharma)

(Source: National adolescent health surveys)

2. Confusion between Education and Normalisation

CSE in Finland moved from biological facts to

• sexual practices & experimentation→
• identity exploration →
• ideology

This resulted in:

• Sexual behaviours and identities being presented as lifestyle choices
• No meaningful discussion of long-term consequences
• Children were left informed but unguided.

3. Finland has seen a sharp rise in Gender distress among Girls after CSE

One of the most serious failures of its educational reforms

Observed trend in Finland (and Sweden):

• Sudden spike in adolescent girls reporting gender dysphoria after CSE
• Many had:
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • autism traits
  • trauma histories

CSE classrooms introduced concepts before psychological screening or family discussion.

Consequence:
Identity confusion was mistaken for identity discovery.

This is what we do not want to see happening in Sri Lanka to our children.

4. Parents were side-lined

• Schools became the primary authorityon sexuality
• Parental consent was often informational, not meaningful
• Parents who objected were labelled “regressive”

Finland’s CSE ignored the family–child bond, replacing it with state ideology.

This is exactly what the Sri Lankan Education Ministry has done even before roll out of CSE.

5. Porn Literacy Normalised Porn Exposure

Instead of preventing porn harm:

• Porn was discussed as “something children will encounter”
• Focus shifted to “how to interpret porn” instead of how to protect children from it

This is not education – this is state indoctrination.

Result:

• Desensitisation
• Reduced shock or resistance
• Earlier exposure became normalised

6. Mental Health Fallout

Finland now faces:

• Rising youth anxiety
• Depression
• Identity distress
• Medication dependence

In OECD countries, 5-15% teens (ages 12-17) take anti-depressants (profits Big Pharma)

In many Western countries ADHD drug use among children and adolescents is 3-7% per year (profits Big Pharma)

CSE did not reduce these pressures — it added new ones:

• pressure to define identity early
• pressure to “explore”
• pressure to self-label

7. High Trust Society masked the damage

Finland’s strong welfare system:

• absorbed social fallout
• provided counselling, therapists, social workers

But even with this support, harm still emerged.

Key lesson:
If CSE struggles in Finland, it will fail catastrophically in countries without welfare buffers.

Why this Is dangerous for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka does not have:

• school psychologists
• counsellors
• gender clinics
• child protection capacity
• parental legal empowerment

Importing Finland-style CSE would:

• sexualise children without safeguards
• undermine parents
• increase confusion
• overload fragile systems

The Core Failure of Finland’s CSE

It treated children as mini-adults with rights, not developing humans with duties and limits.

Education became ideology.
Protection became exposure.
Guidance became neutrality.

What Sri Lanka should do instead

• Age-appropriate biological education only
• Strong parental consent & oversight
• Parents to be guided on how to share knowledge with children
• No identity or ideology content
• Focus on:
  • self-control
  • respect
  • boundaries
  • safety
• Align education with culture, religion, and constitutional duty

1. Teen sexual activity in Finland

About 24 % of Finnish 15‑year‑old students reported having had sexual intercourse, according to a nationally representative school health survey.

Of those who had sex, about 91.7 % said they used a reliable form of contraception at their most recent intercourse.

Is this what Sri Lanka wants for its children?

2. Contraceptive use:

The vast majority of sexually active teens in Finland use contraception when they have sex, with condoms and emergency (“e‑pill”) methods being the most common.

Is this what Sri Lanka wants for its children?

3. Teen abortions:

The number of teenage abortions in Finland has fallen sharply over the last two decades, with 722 abortions among those aged 19 or younger in 2023, down from 2,144 in 2000 — a 66 % reduction.

In Finland, about one in four 15‑year‑olds report having had sexual intercourse, and among those who are sexually active, more than nine out of ten use contraception at their last encounter. Over the period from 2000 to 2023, documented teenage abortions declined by about 66 %, from 2,144 to 722 cases which cannot be regarded a success but showcases increase in contraceptive usage both of which are tied to health hazards long term. When 90% sexually active teens use condoms & hormonal methods – this reflects high access & normalization.

Use of pills, patch, injections lead to physical & neurological development issues with mood changes, depression anxiety symptoms. This leads to higher anti-depressant usage among teens. Another avenue for Big Pharma to profit from.

Adolescence is a period when the endocrine & brain systems are still maturing a school system that encourages teens to take hormonal interventions are doing wrong by that child. Teens can be encouraged to do many more positive things than indulge in sex.

Those promoting condoms are quick to defend unwanted pregnancies but have no answers for the emotional harm as a result of excessive sexual partners, infections or failures as a result of incorrect use.

More importantly CSE encourages medicalization with greater dependence of teens on pharmaceuticals – one has to wonder how many of the funding bodies of CSE are linked to global pharma?

Sri Lanka should not follow Finland example

• ~13 % of European teenshave tried illegal drugs at least once.
• ~12 % have tried cannabis.
• ~14 % report non-medical use of pharmaceuticalssuch as sedatives/tranquillizers, painkillers, or ADHD meds.
• About4 % report misuse of ADHD medications specifically.

Modern adolescence increasingly involves medicalization of normal development. Early prescription for sexual behavior, mood regulations, identity distress as a result of the sexuality education while pregnancies and abortions may be curbed by condoms and contraceptives the bigger issue becomes mental health, hormonal exposure and long-term dependency on medication for these children when they have not even learnt the skills or tools to stand on their own feet doing a meaningful & worthwhile employment to earn for their own needs without depending on their parents.

These realities must matter to Sri Lanka in its hurry to roll out CSE in Sri Lanka.

The question parents and citizens should now be asking is why should new educational reforms bring new problems not only for the child, but parents, society and the Nation as well. These go against our culture & religion and in particular Article 9 that binds this nation to follow a moral & duty-centred life.

Shenali D Waduge

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