Sex education page at school, Italy a negative example: “Far from WHO’s holistic standards” Compulsory in 19 countries, approach varies by state: Austria is the best example. Here, biological aspects are integrated with themes such as consent, relationships, and gender identity. We could do better, but we don’t have the teachers or the program to prepare them

Following the brutal murder of Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta, a debate began in Italy about the need to include femicide cases, and especially sexual and emotional education in general, in educational programs from an early age. Violence in couple and family relationships. Currently, this education in schools is optional and left to the discretion of principals and teachers, without coordination at the national level. In the rest of Europe, there are slightly different rules: education on relationships and sexuality is compulsory in 19 out of 27 countries, but there are still profound differences in terms of the topics covered, the approach and the training of teachers. Let’s look together at what the prominent points of European education systems are and how education can be improved in our country in order to prevent children from having to seek advice from a classmate who acts like a teacher, as in Netflix’s famous series Sex Education. subject matter expert.

360° education

Numerous studies in recent years have recognized and demonstrated that teaching the cognitive, emotional, social and physical aspects of sexuality can lead to a range of positive effects in terms of both children’s and young people’s sexual and reproductive health and sexual health. Social for the development of healthy relationships. At a broader level, such education increases gender equality, respect for human rights, as well as the well-being and safety of children and young people. Research has found that sex education programs that include a gender rights-based or skills-based approach are linked to outcomes such as reducing the risk of child sexual abuse and establishing norms that ensure gender equality. Teens also increase confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to form healthy relationships. In this field, UNESCO provides an important reference indicating how effectively a global approach integrating cognitive, emotional, physical and social dimensions of sexuality education should be adopted. Therefore, the scope of topics covered in programs should range from sexual and reproductive health (including topics such as sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy) to relationships, sexual orientation and gender roles. The goals and standards that the European Union must comply with have been defined by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and other United Nations organizations.

Mandatory or optional

Although Brussels has determined the sexual education policies to be implemented at the European level since 2013, differences between member states remain profound. Sexuality education remains the responsibility of Member States, taking on very different characteristics both in terms of content and the organization and delivery of courses, with decisions often being taken at regional or even local level. According to the European Commission’s latest report from 2019, schools are required to offer some form of sexuality education in 19 Member States, while in eight other Member States it is optional. This obligation applies, for example, in Austria, Portugal, Greece and France, as well as in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Poland. In addition to Italy, sexuality education is optional in countries such as Spain, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Age and content

The first factor that varies greatly relates to the age at which children first receive sexuality education in both compulsory and voluntary countries. In some states, some form of sexuality education is provided starting in elementary school (5-10 years), while in others it is provided only later, at the middle school or high school level (after age 11 or 14). In addition to the biological aspects of sexuality, most member states also include elements related to love, marriage, couple relationships or family, as promoted by UNESCO and WHO. There are notable differences even among countries that offer more comprehensive education. In Slovakia, for example, sexuality education often focuses on traditional marriage and family values ​​(so much so that the program is called “marriage and cohabitation education”). It’s a different story for Denmark, which has taken a broader approach, including exploring different types of relationships. Only a small number of Member States focus on LGBT+ issues, including issues related to gender roles and stereotypes, teaching mutual consent, and addressing sexuality in online media. These are, for example, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Finland. The approach, described as “holistic”, including emotional and social dimensions, has been accepted in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Malta, Estonia, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal and Estonia.

Not just risks and dangers

In the 2019 report, Italy is presented as a negative “example”. Not only does sexuality education remain optional at the will of school leaders, but it also tends to focus solely on biological aspects rather than integrating psychological, social or emotional aspects. But things are not always better in countries where this education is compulsory. A peculiar situation exists in Ireland, where sexuality and relationships education (RSE) is taught as part of the social, personal and health development (Sphe) programme. Teaching focuses largely on biological aspects, with particular attention being paid to preventing risks, promoting abstinence and preventing abstinence. Consultations with students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders therefore recommended that this program take a more holistic approach, balancing discussion of risks and dangers with positive elements of relationships. Self-esteem, online media, types of contraception and LGBT+ issues are the main topics to be integrated.

best example

In the European executive dossier, Austria is presented as a positive example, where sexuality education was evaluated as “complete and holistic” by representatives of NGOs specialized in this field and designed according to WHO standards. In addition to biological aspects and prevention of early pregnancies, the program also covers issues related to sexual identity, gender violence, mutual consent and online media; Consider, for example, the proliferation of pornographic sites. The new regulations issued by the Austrian Ministry of Education on this subject are the result of consultations with a working group consisting of education experts and healthcare professionals.

unprepared teachers

Among the factors that constitute the common problem of sexuality education is the lack of compulsory and comprehensive teacher training. This point is common to almost all EU member states. Almost half of the countries where sexuality education is compulsory report only voluntary special training sessions for teachers (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Poland and the Netherlands). In most cases, local and regional authorities do not invest in education, but simply provide guidelines and teaching materials from the ministry of education on the subject. Compulsory training in sexuality education is found only in Finland, Estonia and Sweden, while the Czech Republic and France offer shorter training. Ireland, Luxembourg and Finland had promised to develop this issue by 2020.

The role of politics and parents

Other factors that may negatively affect sexuality education arise from the fact that in many Member States this decision is left to the discretion of local authorities, schools and individual teachers, with varying levels of national involvement. Therefore, there are significant differences both at the regional level and between schools in the same region and even between classes in the same institute. For example, the sexuality education framework developed by federal authorities in Germany can be interpreted differently. This affects the time allotted, the topics covered, and how this training is integrated into courses. Another sensitive point concerns parents who are likely to exclude their children from many aspects of sexuality education in many Member States, as in Austria, Bulgaria, Ireland and Slovakia.

The most striking example is Poland, where although sexuality education is mandatory, there is widespread opposition from the public, again due to ultra-Catholic and conservative influence. Therefore, in practice these courses are rarely offered. In this context, in the past the European Parliament condemned the Polish government’s legislative attempts to criminalize sexuality education, calling it the crime of “promoting sexual behavior among minors”. In Belgium, which is still the subject of parental opposition, six school buildings were burned in the city of Charleroi at the beginning of September, while two more schools were targeted in Liège, also in the Wallonia region. The police investigations are all heading in the same direction: a move against the Evras school program that will bring together ultra-conservative parents, both Catholic and Muslim, with various conspiracy theorists. The acronym stands for “Education for relational, emotional and sexual life”: a course of just two hours per year for two age groups aimed at answering students’ questions on these sensitive topics, accused by whistleblowers of promoting pedophilia.