-Caveat Lector- 6/16/99 -- 4:23 PM Brazil's top AIDS official urges sex education for pr SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Sex education for preschoolers is an important step in stopping the spread of AIDS, Brazil's top AIDS prevention official said. Classes about sex for children as young as 4 would reduce AIDS among teen-agers and help avoid unwanted pregnancies, said Pedro Chequer, coordinator of the Health Ministry's AIDS prevention program. Chequer's comments Tuesday were widely endorsed at a meeting of educators debating ways to curb AIDS, but the view is likely to stir controversy in the world's largest Roman Catholic country. The clergy in Brazil has opposed government programs urging safe sex, and the idea of discussing sex among children still learning their ABCs is likely to face even more opposition. The quick spread of the disease has made Brazil a world leader in AIDS cases, and educators at the conference, which ended Wednesday, said there is no harm in starting education young. ``Children begin interacting with society and developing a sense of self-esteem and self-preservation at the age of 4,'' said Teresinha Reis Pinto, president of the Association for the Prevention and Treatment of AIDS. ``If educators start working on these aspects at an early age,'' she said, ``then these children will grow up to be self-assured adults capable of coping with their own sexuality and thus avoid the risk of AIDS.'' Since the virus was first reported in the early 1980s, 155,590 AIDS cases have been registered in Brazil, according to figures from the Health Ministry. The real number is believed to be much higher. Some critics argue that learning about sex will just make children curious to try it, but experts say that is not so. ``Contrary to what many people believe, sex education programs for youths do not stimulate them to have sex at an early age,'' said Peter Aggleton of the University of London's Institute of Education. ``These programs achieve positive results in terms of prevention.'' Brazil has 210,150 children whose mothers died of AIDS or carry the HIV virus, said Miguel Fontes of the Instituto Promundo, a non-governmental organization. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
