About SERAA
Making the World a Better Place For All of Us
Our Story
In a sexually healthy society, there is no femicide, no teenage pregnancies or sexuality transmitted diseases (STI’s). Our focus on sexual public health adopts a holistic approach which attempts to address the causes of sexual violence rather than its manifestations. The Sex Education Research and Advocacy Agency (SERAA) is a non-profit company, registration number 2019/295770/08 with a formalised three-pronged approach to sexual public health a) education b) research and c) advocacy. Each of these three units constitute independent departments with a full staff complement who are sufficiently trained in their field. We are inspired by global research which proves that Sex education and sex research advances communal and individual freedoms, expands social equities and reduces gender violence. Sex education positively transforms homes and communities.
SERAA applies a three-fold approach which focuses on:
Training & Education
We provide a wide range of workshops and talks.
Research
Looking for solutions into the prevention of teenage pregnancy, STi’s, rape & femicide.
Advocacy
Knowledge requires accountability and rehabilitative action.
A Strong Focus on Family Education
Sex education is life education. SERAA seeks to make the family the focal point of sex and relationship education. To build a nation requires building families. Our work on sex education is founded and guided by the following set of key principles:
- Sex education can lead to better life-choices, reduce teenage pregnancy, lower the spread of STI’s and create a culture that decreases sexual violence and rape. Sex Education improves lives.
- Children should be taught about sexual matters in an “environment that is safe, where there is love and friendship” (Whitlock 2019).
- Sex Education in the family environment encourages improved communication at home, stronger bonds between family members and builds character in children as they grow older.
- Sex Education taught early within the family environment helps normalise a gender-equitable society where everyone learns to treat everyone else as equals despite sexual and gender difference.
- Sex Education within the family environment prevents children and youth from being mystified, ashamed and afraid of their own bodies. It leads to a healthy appreciation, celebration and respect of their bodies and those of others.
Our Research
Research is the cornerstone of any project that endeavours to present solutions to enduring problems such as teenage pregnancy, STI’s, sexual harassment, rape and femicide.
SERAA’s research work seeks to explore and document knowledge of South Africa’s sexual cultures and sub-cultures in order to extract and utilise information that can be beneficial to everyone.
We pursue the most current global and local sex research as the basis for sound, effective sex education.
We contribute research publications which offer insight and solutions to South Africa’s most pressing sexual and gender challenges.
Our research assesses and measures the social impact of the work conducted by our sex education division and other sex education organisations.
Advocacy Plays a Critical Role
SERAA recognizes that knowledge requires accountability and demands rehabilitative action. Advocacy is about using information to encourage active citizenship that helps transform collective behaviour for the better.
We fight for the sex education curriculum at schools to be effectively delivered by adequately trained teachers who are equipped to engage with sexual content.
SERAA advocates for gender equality in both private (domestic) settings and public & professional spaces.
We engage in projects that promote a culture of inclusive empowerment where all members of society are equal sexual citizens.
We fight for a systemic change to how the judiciary handles rape and sexual violent cases. More specialised sexual offences courts in South Africa are needed to address sexual crimes.
We engage and petition the government on crucial issues of sexual transformation, femicide and the general safety of women, girls and other gender minorities.
