Ricardo Alarcon Attends Opening of Cuban Congress on Sex Education

The 300 delegates from several nations attending the event, underway until Friday under the slogan "Rights for a better World", dedicated a minute's silence to the victims of the earthquake that devastated Haiti a week ago.

The General Secretary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), Yolanda Ferrer, highlighted the contribution made by the founder of that organization, late Vilma Espin, who, since the beginning of the work of the FMC, was the main promoter of sex education on the island, an essential aspect in the battle for the full exercise of women's equality, she affirmed.

She recalled the definition given by Vilma when she said: "For us, sex education begins with life and is part of comprehensive education, of the development of the personality of each individual, and includes the acquiring of knowledge and skills demanded by each human being, family life and society".

Master of Science Mariela Castro Espin, director of the National Center for Sex Education and President of the forum's Organizing Committee, gave a lecture on sex education as the State's policy, during which she also focused on the work of the FMC since its founding, as well as on the National Program for Sex Education.