This document discusses healthy and unhealthy relationships. It provides guidelines for respectful discussion and lists characteristics of both. Healthy relationships involve independence, respect, honesty and caring for one another. Partners support each other's interests and do not experience violence. Unhealthy relationships involve pressure to change, lack of privacy or respect, and may involve verbal or physical abuse. The document advises seeking help if a relationship involves harm or non-consensual acts. It also defines and lists examples of sexual violence and harmful practices.

2. Sex and Relationships
Your strongest sexual tool is your
MIND
Ground Rules:
• Respect other people’s views
• Be sensible during discussions
• Be mature about your thinking in this topic
• Feel free to ask questions
• Try not to feel uncomfortable on this topic

3. Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
Relationships are a necessary part of healthy living,
but there is no such thing as a perfect
relationship

4. Each relationship is most likely a combination
of both healthy and unhealthy characteristics.
Relationships need to be maintained and
healthy relationships take work.
This applies to all relationships- work
relationships, friendships, family, and
romantic relationships.

5. Are You in a Healthy Relationship?

7. What are signs of a Healthy
Relationship?
Let’s Discuss!

8. What are signs of a Healthy
Relationship?
• Take care of yourself and have good self-esteem
independent of your relationship
• Maintain and respect each other's individuality
• Maintain relationships with friends and family
• Have activities apart from one another
• Are able to express yourselves to one another
without fear of consequences
• Are able to feel secure and comfortable

9. • Take interest in one another’s activities
• Do not worry about violence in the
relationship
• Have the option of privacy
• Have respect for sexual boundaries
• Are honest about sexual activity if it is a sexual
relationship
• Relationships are give and take! allowing your
partner to influence you is important and this
can be especially difficult for some men.

10. Fighting is part of even healthy relationships.
The difference is how the conflict is handled.
Fighting fairly is an important skill you help you
have healthier relationships

11. What are the signs of an unhealthy
relationship?

12. Group Work

13. What are the signs of an unhealthy
relationship?
• Feel pressure to change who you are for the other
person
• Feel worried when you disagree with the other person
• Feel pressure to quit activities you usually/used to enjoy
• Notice one of you have to justify your actions (e.g. where
you go, who you see)
• Notice one partner feels obligated to have sex or has
been forced
• Have a lack of privacy, and may be forced to share
everything with the other person
• You or your partner refuse to use safer sex methods

14. • Experience yelling or physical violence during
an argument
• Manipulate each other
• Your partner attempts to controls how you
dress and criticizes your behaviors
• Do not make time to spend with one another
• Have no common friends, or have a lack of
respect for each others’ friends and family
• Notice an unequal control of resources (food,
money, home, car, etc.)

15. When should I seek professional help
for my relationship?
If a partner ever tries to harm you physically or
force you to do something sexually that should be a
clear sign for you that it is an unhealthy
relationship. In that situation, you should consider
getting help, or ending the relationship.
Even if you believe the person loves you it does not
make up for the harm they are putting you through.

17. Gender Based Violence

18. Physical violence
Sexual violence
Psychological or emotional violence
Economic violence
Socio-cultural violence

20. What is Sexual violence?
Any sexual behavior without consent, such as
rape (including marital rape), attempted rape,
intimidating remarks, unwanted touching,
receiving of unsolicited pornographic e-mails,
being harassed etc.

22. What harmful practices do you
observe in your society?

23. Harmful Practices
• Rape within marriage or dating relationships;
• Rape by strangers
• Systematic rape during armed conflict;
• Unwanted sexual advances or sexual harassment,
including demanding sex in return for favours;
• Sexual abuse of mentally or physically disabled
people;
• Sexual abuse of children;

24. • Forced marriage or cohabitation, including the
marriage of children;
• Denial of the right to use contraception or to
adopt other measures to protect against
• sexually transmitted diseases;
• Forced abortion
• Violent acts against the sexual integrity of
women, including female genital mutilationand
obligatory inspections for virginity
• Forced prostitution and trafficking of people for
the purpose of sexual exploitation

26. Sexual violence can be directed
against both men and women