Sex is one of the few things in life that is available to everyone and is free. But achieving enjoyable sex is not possible for many. Some people are held back by fear, ignorance or culture - others don’t know or understand their rights around sex. For years public health campaigns focused on warning people about the downsides of sex - danger, disease and death - but increasingly the work is focused on the reasons people have sex. We're in Brazil where we meet Ana Autoestima. She’s a ‘virtual friend’ who provides positive advice about sex to women living some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro. We also visit Iraq to find out how a project is helping women who’ve suffered from female genital mutilation or FGM to enjoy their bodies and sexuality. And we’ll hear from Kenyan celebrity and musician Kaz Karen Lucas whose mission is to change the way Kenyans think about sex.
Thanks to The Pleasure Project for help in the making of this programme. Research by them, in collaboration with the WHO in 2022 helped show that including pleasure in sexual health interventions significantly increased condom use and sexual health compared to those that did not. Their website is thepleasureproject.org.
This programme contains adult themes.
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Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Claire Bowes Brazil reporter: Julia Carneiro Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Gareth Jones