Sexual health is a state of somatic, emotional, intellectual and social well-being in the realm of sexuality.
Somatic well-being is knowledge of one’s body: its features and needs, the ability to be attentive and caring towards it, to contribute to its strengthening, hardening, endurance and functionality. In the realm of sexuality, there is a perfect understanding and care for those parts that are responsible for sex, with a simultaneous awareness of the integrity and interconnectedness of your entire body.
Emotional well-being – knowledge and care about one’s feelings, development of emotional intelligence (ability to recognize, realize and solve emotional problems). In the field of sexuality, attention is paid to feelings directly related to sex/sexual activity, with the obligatory awareness of the significant impact of strong feelings on all spheres of life, including sexuality.
Intellectual well-being is the constant development of mental activity, increasing its level and plasticity. In the realm of sexuality, there is knowledge and interest specifically in this area of human life, readiness to learn and meet new things, to develop openness and flexibility of thinking.
Social well-being in the field of sexuality is securing yourself from open and senseless conflicts with the norms of the surrounding society and from the interference of society and its norms (which do not suit you) in your personal sexual life.
Sexual health enriches the personality, makes it happier.
Sexual health involves:
- positive and respectful attitude to sexuality and sexual relations;
- the ability to have sex safely and with pleasure;
- absence of coercion, discrimination and violence;
- implementation of sexual/reproductive rights inherent in people.
Sexual (reproductive) rights
- The right to sexual health, ensured by the availability of medical sexological care.
- The right to information related to sexuality. (Violated by institutionalized censorship, such as religious censorship.)
- The right to sexual enlightenment. (Violated by the lack and low quality of sex education for children and youth.)
- The right to physical integrity. (Violated by domestic (including incest and pedophilia) and sexual violence (e.g., rape, sexual harassment), violence against women (e.g., “honor killings,” genital mutilation).)
- The right to choose a partner. (Limited to LGBT people, in consensual and forced marriages.)
- The right to make independent decisions about starting a sexual life. (Violated by child marriages, forced marriages, prostitution, human trafficking, family violence, complicated by lack of sexual education.)
- The right to voluntary sexual and marital relations. (Violated by forced marriages, child marriages, prostitution, human trafficking, domestic violence.)
- The right to make independent decisions about child conception and childbirth. (Disturbed by forced pregnancy and childbirth, limited by anti-abortion policies, complicated by domestic violence, sexual violence, lack of sexual education, contraception, birth control policies.)
- The right to realize one’s sexual potential, to lead a safe sexual life that allows one to achieve satisfaction. (It is violated by mutilation of female genitals, violence against women, in particular, sexual, prostitution, complicated by a lack of sexual enlightenment, contraception, means of safe sex.)
Well, that’s all interesting and useful to know, but … what next?
To each his own.
Everyone’s path to sexual health, harmony and happiness is their own, with their own personal problems, difficulties and discoveries. And help is needed – individual. One that will be able to take into account all the features of a personal path. Call Write. And if you want to walk the thorny road on your own, take with you at least some knowledge about love, love and awareness. Without them, sex is just a release, a release of tension, an animal instinct: pleasure of a lower level. It may shine, but it has no value.
NMOD
P.S. World Sexual Health Day (WSHD) has been celebrated annually since 2010 on September 4 at the initiative of the World Association for Sexual Health.
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