Trauma-Informed Comprehensive Sexuality Education for Justice-Involved Youth: Components, Strategies, and Policy Implications
By Bhavna Singh
Justice-involved young people face unique challenges impacting their sexual and reproductive health, often rooted in complex trauma and systemic marginalisation. Traditional sexuality education programs frequently miss these needs, highlighting the necessity for trauma- informed approaches.
This research reviewed international literature to identify key components and strategies of trauma-informed comprehensive sexuality education (TICSE) tailored for this population. TICSE combines evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) with trauma-informed education (TIE) principles that prioritise safety, trust, empowerment, and cultural responsiveness, supporting justice involved young people with developmentally and emotionally appropriate content and skills-building. Successful TICSE requires ongoing trauma-informed training, multi-sector collaboration, policy reforms promoting restorative justice, and rigorous evaluation.
Aligned with GLEPHA’s mission, this work advocates for trauma-informed, equitable sexual health education that empowers justice-involved young people and improves health outcomes in this marginalised group.