March 12, 2023

THIS WEEK IN HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS

Alejandra Campollo discusses the risk and dire need to provide comprehensive sex education podcast in Guatemala

Sources: SBS, Refinery 29

Alejandra Campollo, a sex educator and creator of the podcast Insolentes (@insolentes_podcast_), has discussed the dire need for providing people in Guatemala with open-minded and comprehensive sex education. 

While the podcast provides crucial information on sexual and reproductive health, it also platforms discussions on feminism, relationships and self-esteem. The nuanced discussions are a significant effort in a country where these topics are largely taboo. 

Campollo has discussed her own experience with the ‘religious stigma and machismo culture’ that limited her own sexual education, and which continues to shape the experiences of many people in Guatemala today. These factors motivated her to create the podcast. 

Guatemala has been found to significantly lack comprehensive sexual education for young people. Refinery 29 reported on a survey of ‘80 secondary schools that found only 7% of students between 7 and 14 had been taught all of CSE topics’, such as sexual and reproductive physiology, sexually transmitted infections, contraceptives, and gender and reproductive rights. 

In 2022, on International Women’s Day, the Congress of Guatemala approved a bill to ‘undermine the rights of women and LGBT people’ by ‘aiming to outlaw abortion, same-gender marriage, and sex education, as well as decriminalise hate crimes’. The bill is one example of the backsliding of human rights issues faced by many Guatemalan minority groups.

Campollo’s role as an educator also extends beyond her podcast as she hosts workshops and certifications for women who want to learn more about sexual education and empowerment. 

As an activist and public sexual health educator, Campollo also faces death threats and harassment for her work. Campollo has also struggled with losing her platform to censorship, such as her first Instagram account of 40,000 followers that was shut down by the company, forcing her to start over from scratch. 

The requirement of digital connectivity means that much of Campollo’s work is not able to reach women and girls in rural areas. Additionally,  a large portion of Guatemala’s Indigenous communities do not speak Spanish.

“When I launched this podcast and came out as a feminist, bisexual sex educator, I started receiving a lot of hate online and in the media,” Campollo told SBS News Australia, “Guatemala is still very conservative, so for those who are talking about sex and sexuality, people talk a lot of shit about us. My life is 100 percent in danger due to my work, (but) that won’t stop me. I want women to be free. Sexually and economically.”