Giving Compass' Take:

• Rebecca Ruiz explains how comprehensive sex education can equip young people with the knowledge that they need to recognize and report sexual harassment and assault.

• Why isn't comprehensive sex education the norm? How can philanthropy increase the prevalence of comprehensive sex education? 

• Find out how states are teaching sex ed.

Nicole Cushman, executive director of the comprehensive sex ed nonprofit organization Answer, says that teaching young people about sex and sexuality can fundamentally shift their views on critical issues like consent, abuse, and assault.

Comprehensive sex ed builds a foundation for these conversations in age-appropriate ways. That [allows] us not to just equip young people with knowledge and definitions, but the ability to recognize sexual harassment and assault ... and actually create culture change around this issue.

When parents and educators wait to have these conversations until children are young adults or off at college, Cushman says, "we are really doing too little, too late."

Comprehensive sex ed, in contrast, focuses on addressing the physical, mental, emotional, and social dimensions of sexuality starting in kindergarten and lasting through the end of high school. There's no single lesson plan, since educators and nonprofits can develop curricula that meet varying state standards, but the idea is to cover everything including anatomy, healthy relationships, pregnancy and birth, contraceptives, sexual orientation, and media literacy.

Read the full article on preventing sexual violence through education by Rebecca Ruiz at Mashable.