New online portal of the BZgA offers sex education for migrants

BZgA sets up the platform "Zanzu" for refugees
Whether venereal diseases, contraception or orgasm: questions about the topic "sex" are usually clarified here in school sex education lessons. In many other countries, however, the topic is considered taboo, which is why children and adolescents are not enlightened. A new online platform of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) is intended to remedy this situation, where migrants can find out about many important issues.

The Federal Center for Health Education has set up a special Sexualkundeportale, which explains questions about sexuality in 13 different languages. (Image: momanuma / fotolia.com)

Sexuality education often begins here in elementary school
"When can a girl get pregnant?" "How do I protect myself best from STDs?" "How do I know that the other person wants the same as me?" Questions like these are in sex education lessons in many western countries discussed at home with parents or siblings. In some other e.g. In Arab and African countries, however, "sex" is considered a taboo subject, so there is no such education for adolescents.

"Zanzu" informs in 13 different languages
For this reason, the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) has launched a new online platform in cooperation with the Belgian non-governmental organization Sensoa. Questions about sexuality in 13 different languages ​​are answered on the "Zanzu" portal so that migrants can easily find information. Six topics such as Contraception, infections, HIV and laws are treated here in Arabic, Turkish and Farsi, among others. Sub-items such as An abortion or relationship problems are explained by short texts, images and audio files. In the design, great emphasis was placed on religious and cultural sensitivities, stressed Christine Winkelmann of the BZgA to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".

"Above all, people who have fled to us and have not lived in Germany for a long time receive a discrete and direct access to knowledge in this area. Users learn about zanzu.de which rights they have, which laws apply, how the German health system works and where they can find counseling centers in their vicinity, "said Elke Ferner, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in one Communication from the BZgA. The new portal could answer many questions on issues such as pregnancy and childbirth, contraception and sexual health, adds the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Minister of Health, Annette Widmann-Mauz: "This contributes to improving care and education as a whole." ( No)