VietNamNet Bridge – Hai Quan (Customs) newspaper spoke to Nguyen Cong Dung, member of the Viet Nam Education Psychology Association about two publishing houses who were fined for printing violent and salacious comic books.

Poets and writers who write for adult readers can mention sex. Comics meanwhile target school children.

How are teenagers affected by this type of comic?

Sex education for youth has progressed but it does not follow a systematic format and can be unpredictable. The current loose management of publishing houses is providing misinformation about sex, resulting in a generation of children that will be heavily affected by an imported sex culture. Personally I believe the popularity of salacious books among children is in part responsible for an increase in crimes committed by adolescents.

Sex is a popular topic for writers, including great authors. Could we use comic books as a method for teaching sex education to children?

We need to differentiate between education and titillation. Poets and writers who write for adult readers can mention sex. Comics meanwhile target school children.

Adults must be aware of the potential damage that these books may bring about for our children. A systematic curriculum for sex education should be introduced in schools.

Youngsters tend to assert themselves by doing exactly the opposite of what they are taught. What should we do if they like learning things outside the curriculum?

High-school students learn what little they know about sex in biology, there is not a specific sex education unit in schools. Unfortunately students don’t find the academic approach to the subject interesting. This is where responsibility falls to the parents, who can help their children simply by explaining the facts of life - that girls should be gentle and charming while boys are supposed to be brave and strong. Parents should bear in mind that it’s never too early to teach their children about sex. Proper sex education can teach kids to protect themselves from the damage that can be caused by becoming involved in sexual activity at an early age.

Some people believe that educating children about sex is the same as giving them permission to become sexually active. Do you agree?

We should change our mindset about sex education. Providing information does not equate with giving them the green light to have sex. Vietnamese students will continue to have a vague idea about the particulars of sex and the implications of sexual activity until educators can agree on how to introduce the topic into the curriculum.

(Source: Viet Nam News)