Far too few children and young people receive anything approaching adequate preparation for a safe and satisfying adult sexual life. Open discussion of sexual matters with trusted adults is usually absent at the very time when it is most needed. This, in turn, is compounded by the pervasive, confusing and conflicting (and predominantly neg- ative) messages received by children about sexuality and gender. In turn, these may contribute to creating and sustaining vulnerability to coercion, abuse and exploitation. Effective sexuality education is therefore essential in order to redress this balance