Opposition slam parental consent proviso as ‘mediaeval’.
Italy’s lower house on Tuesday approved a bill permitting sex education in middle schools but only with parental consent, in line with the existing procedure in high schools.
The government-backed bill, which now passes to the senate for final approval, affects scuola media students aged 11 to 14.
The parental consent proviso, sought by the right-wing Lega party, has been slammed as “mediaeval” and “dangerous” by opposition centre-left politicians who say that sex and relationhsip education should be mandatory.
The opposition argues that the bill undermines efforts to prevent rape, gender-based violence and femicide as well as efforts to promote consent education among teenagers.
Sara Ferrari of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party said: “Instead of introducing sex education, [the bill] puts obstacles in the way of schools that want to” ensure the “right to full education,” a right that is “also a primary tool for combating violence against women.”
Meloni’s right-wing government views sex education as a tool for “gender propaganda” that threatens to undermine the traditional family unit, claiming that it wants to protect minors from “ideological activism”.
Rossano Sasso of the Lega said: “For younger children, the bill aims to prohibit the teaching of theories in schools that are difficult to understand and can cause confusion. For older children, we ask that parents be informed and consent.”
The passing of the bill in the chamber of deputies comes a week after a ‘rape list’ in a Rome school bathroom caused an outcry in Italy, sparking a fresh debate about sex education and gender violence.
Italy is one of the few EU countries without compulsory sex education, which remains banned in primary and pre-schools.
