The Estonian Sexual Health Association has named our Healthy and Safe Relationships project as its 2025 Sexual Health Promotion Initiative of the Year. The award recognises initiatives that make a significant contribution to advancing sexual health and promoting a healthier, safer, and more informed society.
The Healthy and Safe Relationships project aims to equip young people with the knowledge and skills needed to build caring and respectful relationships, recognise harmful and unsafe behaviours, and seek support when needed. We are grateful for recognising the importance of this work!
As part of the initiative, guest lectures on relationship violence will be delivered in one hundred schools across Estonia by nearly 40 specially trained midwives and medical students. The project team is also developing teaching materials to support educators in addressing intimate partner violence and dating violence across all levels of secondary education.
The project was established through a partnership between the University of Tartu Centre for Sexual Health Research, the Estonian Midwives Association, the Estonian Medical Students’ Association, and the President Kaljulaid Foundation, with support from the Smart Future Foundation.
In nominating the project, an Estonian Sexual Health Association member highlighted its contribution to violence prevention and relationship education: “Sexual health begins with safe, respectful, and violence-free relationships. This project addresses a critical social issue by helping prevent intimate partner and dating violence and supporting young people in developing healthier relationship patterns. Bringing systematic, evidence-based and practical work into schools helps break the cycle of violence and provides young people with skills they will use throughout their lives.”
According to Liisa Larm, President of the Estonian Sexual Health Association, education about healthy and safe relationships must be an integral part of sexuality education. “Sexual health extends beyond knowledge about the body and reproductive health. Safe relationships, consent, mutual respect, and the ability to recognise and prevent violence are essential elements of sexual health. The more initiatives of this kind we have in Estonia, the greater the opportunity for every young person to access reliable information and develop the skills needed to build safe, respectful, and healthy relationships.”
Project Lead Britta Hunt-Šperova emphasised that many children in Estonia grow up in environments where violence in intimate relationships is normalised. “Even when violence is not directed at the child, growing up in an atmosphere of fear and unpredictability increases the risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and addictive behaviours. These harmful relationship patterns are often carried into adulthood. That is why it is so important to discuss relationship violence with young people.”
The project’s guest lectures address topics including dating violence among young people, harmful gender stereotypes, misogyny, sexual consent, psychological abuse, and coercive control. Participants are also introduced to available support services for those who have experienced violence, as well as avenues for help for those who use violence.