The borders of sexuality: Immigration policy and sexual education in Canada
Abstract
Comprehensive sexual education (CSE) is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as “a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality” (2018, p. 16). Given the social and cultural aspects of sexual education, my research posits that newcomer access to comprehensive sexual education could be crucial to settlement and inclusion processes in Canada. Thus, my research asks: where does immigration and settlement policy intersect with sexual education policy in Canada? How does newcomer and immigrant community access to sexual education impact immigration and settlement processes? To investigate the ways in which the policy areas of immigration and settlement and sexual education overlap, I examine how sexual education is delivered in Edmonton, Alberta, a city that has one of the most robust and multifaceted settlement frameworks in Canada. A key data source for this research includes interviews with settlement workers and others who administer social integration programming, to assess whether or not they think sexual education is integral to settlement and integration, what barriers might exist in providing these services, and relationships between organizations who work in these fields. Before engaging with interview findings, however, this thesis will first provide several contextual chapters. This includes discussion of how access to sexual education and sexual health for newcomers and immigrant communities are part of the landscapes of biopolitics and sexual citizenship in Canada, the multijurisdictional nature of immigration and settlement policy, the terrain of sexual education policy in Canada, and the capacity of comprehensive sexual education to engage in anti-racist approaches. This thesis establishes that sexual education does in fact overlap with immigration and settlement policy, as norms around sex and gender are woven into the immigration process. Although issues related to sexual education do arise in a settlement context, there are both structural and cultural barriers that hinder a more fulsome engagement with sexual education in the services and programs provided by settlement agencies. However, these barriers have been challenged by service providers with strategies that emphasize integrative and relational approaches to sexual education with clients, as well as framing sexual educational content around individual and family wellness. These strategies relate to approaches outlined by UNESCO for effective implementation of CSE, suggesting that settlement work can be conducive to CSE. This thesis also identifies key service gaps in the provision of settlement services at large, and thus sexual education in this context. The research also highlights service gaps from organizations invested in the implementation of CSE in serving newcomer and immigrant communities. The research culminates in recommendations to address these gaps and further areas of research to be pursued.
Notes
Integration timeline: Not defined
Key findings:
1) Interviewees expressed that they had received some formal or informal training related to sexual education, sexual violence, and/or sexual orientation and gender identity, but that limited resources were available for this.
2) Most of the settlement counsellors interviewed stated they were familiar with the topic, but did not feel comfortable taking on the role of a sex educator.
3) Interviewees emphasized the importance of referrals and building community connections between their organization and other organizations that offer sexual education in Edmonton.
4) Structural and cultural barriers hinder discussions of sexual health in the settlement process, including limited time, funding that prioritizes other areas of settlement, cultural perceptions that sex should not be openly talked about, and cultural stigma against the LGBTQ+ community.
Key populations: Settlement workers who work in social integration programming that may or may not include a sexual education component.
Key recommendations:
1) Develop more accessible sexual education resources in a broad variety of languages.
2) Teach settlement workers to approach discussions on sexual health by integrating it with other topics, focusing on relationality, and considering cultural perceptions.
3) Expand the knowledge and capacity of other 2SLGBTQ+ organizations in the area to work specifically with 2SLGBTQ+ refugees and immigrants.
Location: Edmonton, AB
Community organizations: n/a
Future research / gaps identified:
Open access: Yes