
Reducing Sexual Risk in Children by Improving Parent-Child Communication
Many parents and caregivers need support to effectively define and convey their values and expectations about sexual behavior and to communicate to their children important
Families Matter! Program (FMP), is an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention for parents, guardians, and other primary caregivers of pre adolescent’s ages 9–14 years for FMP 1 and 15 -19 years for FMP 2. It promotes parenting and effective parent-child communication about sexuality and sexual risk reduction, including risk for child sexual abuse and gender-based violence for parents or caregivers/parents. The ultimate goal of FMP is to reduce sexual risk behaviour among adolescents – including delaying onset of sexual debut – by equipping parents/caregivers the knowledge, skills, comfort, and confidence to deliver primary prevention messages to their children and to create a protective environment.
The program is designed to help parents overcome common parent-child communication barriers – such as embarrassment or discomfort and lack of knowledge, skills and confidence – and to enhance parenting skills and practices, including parental monitoring, positive reinforcement and building a strong parent-child relationship. The ultimate goal of FMP is the reduction of sexual risk behaviors among adolescents, including delayed onset of sexual debut.
The intervention curriculum focuses on the following:
Parent-Child communication activity
Program Manager adressing the participants
Participants receives their certificate of participation
Cross section of participants
Many parents and caregivers need support to effectively define and convey their values and expectations about sexual behavior and to communicate to their children important