Physical Environment - Facilitate/Encourage Access to Condoms
8.5.2 Physical Environment - Facilitate/ Encourage Access to Condoms
Respondents in both systems were asked if they had published studies or taken other steps to encourage the use of and accessibility of condoms dispensers AS A PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY to prevent AIDS and promote safer sexual behaviours. The responses to these questions are reported below.
Health respondents were asked if they had published studies or worked with schools to improve youth access to condom dispensers.
Most public health units said that they had encouraged schools to offer easy access to condoms by publishing studies and reports on the topic. Fewer health ministries and public health nurses reported that they had taken this action.
Figure 214
| Encourage schools to offer, support easy access to condoms | Yes |
No |
No Response |
| MOH - 20 | 8.3 |
91.7 |
0.0 |
| PHU - 16 | 59.6 |
39.3 |
1.1 |
| PHN - 15 | 24.2 |
75.8 |
0.0 |
A small minority of education respondents said that they regularly encourage student access to condoms by publishing such studies or favourable recommendations.
Figure 215
| Publish studies or recommendations on access to condoms | Planned |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs. |
Once in last 4-10 yrs. |
Never |
Not role |
No Response |
| MOE - 38a | 0.0 |
9.1 |
9.1 |
9.1 |
63.6 |
9.1 |
0.0 |
| SD - 36a | 2.9 |
8.7 |
10.4 |
10.4 |
61.4 |
5.2 |
1.0 |
| SP - 29a | 2.2 |
12.4 |
3.1 |
1.1 |
79.9 |
1.3 |
0.0 |
Safety in the School Social Climate
This section of the report describes the survey results relating to the safety of the social and psychological environment of the school.
Summary of Survey Results on the Safety of School Social Climate
No education ministry reported that it regularly monitors the collective attitudes of students or staff in regard to HIV and sexuality issues. Two ministries out of 11 reported that they had conducted a study of student attitudes towards sexuality in the past. Three reported that they were planning to do so in the future.
About one-quarter of education ministries said that they planned to assess staff attitudes about HIV/sexuality in the future. None had conducted these studies in the past.
A minority of public health respondents at all three levels reported that they were actively promoting compliance with guidelines to prevent sexual harassment. Most education respondents did report that they have policies or programs to prevent sexual harassment.
Similarly, about half of school principals and school districts reported that they have policies preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation and that they regularly implement those policies. But it is not clear if there is a specific focus on homophobia or sexual orientation within these general school guidelines to prohibit such discrimination.
Few public health respondents at all three levels reported any activity that monitors or supports the implementation of these anti-discrimination policies in schools.