2023-09-07 16:51:00
Since this new school year, all pupils of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in 6th primary and 4th secondary will receive an animation relating to education in relational, emotional and sexual life (Evras). They will receive a single two-hour animation. This concerns 85,000 pupils in Wallonia and 25,000 pupils in Brussels.
The French-speaking entities of the country have agreed to mobilize an annual budget of 4.8 million euros for this purpose.
This vote is the first to take place in plenary in one of the three institutions concerned by this cooperation agreement. The plenary vote at the Cocof (French Community Commission) is expected on September 20 and that in the Walloon Parliament on September 28, we learned from a good source.
The cooperation agreement was therefore adopted almost unanimously. René Collin justified his abstention by the “improvisation” noted in the examination of this text. During the debate, reluctance was expressed above all about the guide included in the appendix, mainly from Les Engagés (opposition). Deputy André Antoine personally expressed his disagreement with him. On behalf of the group, Marie-Martine Schyns asked for clarifications as to the content of the guide and its status, recalling, however, that she was in favor of the generalization of Evras. Former cdH minister Marie-Dominique Simonet introduced it herself in 2012.
“Making children aware of sexuality from the age of 5”: here is the document, with erroneous content, which agitates parents about the EVRAS program
At MR (majority), Diana Nikolic also spoke of “inappropriate content that caused trouble”, while supporting the principles of the decree.
The project is indeed controversial. In a press release issued on Wednesday, several Islamic federations expressed their opposition to this decree. An email action targeting MPs was also organized by a citizens’ group. They also demonstrated in front of the French-speaking parliament before the opening of the plenary session. Calls to protest had also been broadcast on social networks.
Far from the slogans chanted in the street before the plenary, the debate within the hemicycle was measured.
“We can always do better in terms of communication. But here, it is not our text that has been called into question, but a campaign of fake news”, estimated the Minister of Education Caroline Désir (PS). “Our intentions are noble. We are obviously not going to encourage hypersexualization among young people, we are not going to create a sexual orientation or a gender identity, we are not going to give lessons in sexual practices”, she hammered, repeating her remarks made on morning even at the microphone of La Première.
”Children and teenagers very often have a smartphone in their hands and are confronted with content that is beyond them. The Evras comes precisely to propose a framework adapted to young people and to the school environment in order to reassure them and protect them from potentially dangerous situations.
Several institutions, such as family planning centres, the PMS or the PSE are already organizing events. An implementing decree is expected by the end of the month between the three governments to define a system for “labelling” stakeholders.
The guide, intended exclusively for professionals, was the subject of a drafting work started in 2018 and 380 young people were themselves integrated into the process, indicated the minister. Any changes will need to go through an enforcement cooperation agreement between the three governments.
The decree was fully supported by the PS and Ecolo. “We refuse that it is the internet that educates our children”, launched the socialist Delphine Chabbert. “We want trained professionals for a respectful and caring education. […] It is a lie to say that we are going to show porn movies in class, teach masturbation or encourage sex change.”
Ecologist Hélène Ryckmans judged that two times two hours over the whole of compulsory schooling was “too little”. “The objective is to ensure that all children have access to entertainment” without taking the place of the parents.” In his view, the guide offers answers to questions that children can ask themselves from the age of 5, but it is for use by teachers and professionals. “We will remain attentive to the concrete implementation,” she warned.
The PTB also supported the text. Jean-Pierre Kerckhofs, however, judged that “the government should” better dialogue and inform. “It would have made it possible to make people understand what Evras is and to show that Evras is positive. The decree goes in the direction of a better equality to information”, he affirmed.
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