Sexual and emotional education in schools is still a dream
Italy is the only country in the European Union that does not provide for it
January 14th, 2025
Did you know that Italy is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not include sex and emotional education in schools? Personally, I repeat this fact at least five times a day, and yet I am neither surprised nor incredulous, nor are the people I tell it to. It’s no wonder: after all, we are a country where the crime of honor was still a reality until 1981. Unfortunately.
Sex and emotional education in schools: what happened
Recently, something seemed to be moving in the right direction. The political party +Europa managed to secure the approval of a €500,000 amendment aimed at introducing some occasional courses on sex and emotional education in schools. A risky and likely insufficient measure, but as many of us thought, better than nothing. A few days ago, however, came the blow: the funds allocated by the Budget Law for sexual and reproductive health will not be used to introduce this type of education in Italian schools. This was clarified by the Minister for Parliamentary Relations, Luca Ciriani, during a question time session in Parliament.
Funds redirected elsewhere
Indeed, those funds will instead be used for training secondary school teachers on the topic of male and female fertility, with a particular focus on the prevention of infertility. This change in direction has sparked strong criticism. Pro-life associations like Family Day, of course, breathed a sigh of relief—but not us. In truth, there was never any real hope of successfully introducing sex and emotional education. The amendment proposed by +Europa did not, in fact, envisage (contrary to what some social media narratives suggested) the introduction of comprehensive sex and emotional education in Italian schools. Instead, it only proposed sporadic and disorganized courses to be activated temporarily. Even if the original funding allocation had been implemented, it would have amounted to little more than crumbs—a situation that is problematic and extremely dangerous for a variety of reasons.
The Meloni government’s taboo topics and why +Europa’s idea was insufficient
First, it is impossible to seek collaboration within a government that avoids addressing issues like abortion and gender diversity. The likely outcome under these (insufficient) conditions would be providing students with limited and incorrect information. Furthermore, the importance of consistency cannot be overstated. Activating completely sporadic and random sex and emotional education courses risks leaving behind many schools, especially those in disadvantaged areas like smaller towns. For this reason, it is essential that this type of education—like any form of education—be genuinely democratic, meaning free and equally accessible, regardless of social context. Moreover, there is a persistent mistake in assuming that sex and emotional education should be taught by teachers, whereas it should actually be handled by external, professional personnel specialized in sexology and psychology. In short, while politics remains very confused about what to do regarding sex and emotional education, we are increasingly clear: what are we waiting for?