“If a teacher taught a lesson about water, no one would ask why you showed this or that video. It raises a question because here we are talking about human relationships, the body, sexuality and gender.” OUR Margarita Gerowki, PhD, Primary School Teacher and Member of the Sex Education Committee of the World Sexual Health Association (WAS) points in “K” to the eternal gaps in the debate about the content and direction of sex education in Greek schools.

Choice of Primary School Teacher for Film Screening “Boys in the Soul” Swedish director Christian Zettebergin the context of the lesson, provoked a strong reaction from the student’s parents, who sued the school, but it also gave another reason to discover lack of a coherent strategy for sex education in Greece.

“If we don’t get a clear idea of ​​what our educational system is like on these issues, we will continue to have problems.”

The film is available from Greek Cinema Center on the platform SINEDU for educational use and is on the list of films intended for high school students, although it was shown to younger students. Part of the media mischaracterized Boys in the Shower as a “romantic” film, while has been found to be completely suitable for childrenreceived, among other things, Award for Best European Short Film for Children European Children’s Film Association.

As the nine-minute cinematic narrative revolves around concepts like boys growing up and discovering stereotypes of masculinity, Ms. Gerouki believes there was a backlash. for fear of projecting sexual diversity. “If we don’t get a clear idea of ​​what our educational system is like on these issues, we will continue to have problems,” he says.

Abstract structure, incomplete learning

In his humble statement Education Policy Instituteresponsible for providing sex education materials, disclaims any responsibility, stating that did not approve films hosted on the platform. It is not specified whether they need to be approved, because. seems to be at the discretion of the school. choose a movie to show, however this makes the existence of one obvious gap in communication between the ministry, teachers and parents. “When the context is so abstract, they are created difficulties and possibly mistakes teachers,” says Margarita Gerouki. “Teachers do not have the necessary training”indicates that psychotherapist, consultant for parents and educators Kristina Rasidaki. “They don’t know what material to use, and also they are very afraid of their parents“, – he adds in “K”.

clumsy adults

In Chania, according to Margarita Gerukis, teachers several years ago found themselves in litigation, following a parent’s complaint of sexual abuse during a sex education course. “Because the genitals were heard by name,” she says.

“The embarrassment of parents and teachers is quite reasonable, because and have not experienced sex education. They are afraid to harm their children, to make them “evil”. Cristina Rasidaki recognizes the main interlocutors of children on these issues as justified confusion. “Most parents want someone to help them because they themselves are struggling. Many feel hopeless with the sexual freedoms of our timebecause some of their beliefs are shaken and this causes fear.”

The main problem identified by the two experts is the relationship of sex education to deeply rooted value systems. Margherita Gerouki invites us to imagine two fanatical vegan parents raising a vegan child and a hypothetical teacher who brings a non-vegan cake to class. “I don’t think fanatical vegan parents would send a teacher away without a trial,” she says, noting that issues related to sex and gender have a moral dimension. “We did not seriously and adequately discuss what sex education is and why it is carried out. As a society, we need to understand that sex education is about health, not morality,” he says emphatically. “Children in Greece – and Greek society in general – have very low rates of sexual health. In contraceptives, in abortions, in abuse, in lack of knowledge. Our children are graduating from high school and do not have basic knowledge about their reproductive system.”

When to have sex and in what position is best – these are the most common questions that primary school students ask their teachers.

Although sex education has been included as an elective in the Greek education system since 2003, it will become compulsory in 2021, but without a detailed program, goal setting and specific guidelines, as the teacher points out, however, she adds, if the teacher is trained, he will also train the parent. “There is no parent in Greece who, if you talk to him and explain to him what is happening and why it is happening, honestly and scientifically, will not agree. There is no parent who wants to hurt their child or says, “No, it doesn’t matter, I prefer my child to be sick or sick when he grows up.” Parents in Greece tell us that they really want to talk to their children, but don’t know what to say or how to say it. And they fall into a quagmire of uncertainty and anxiety. When a school does something systematically and effectively, it also gives the home parent the go-ahead to continue and put their stamp on sex education,” emphasizes Margarita Gerouki.

When can they have sex and what positions are best. These are the most common questions children ask their teachers before they even finish primary school,” the teacher says. “A lot of pornography. Our kids watch incredible porn before they even go to high school.. They do not grow in glass. When a child has questions, he will search and find the answer. Alas, if we do not answer!“, it turns out. “Children are exposed to multiple sexual stimuli. Sexuality takes up a very large part of our lives. We cannot hide our heads in the sand,” insists psychotherapist Christina Rasidakis.

Children are empowered

Experience in the classroom shows that children are eager to learn about their bodies and sexuality and absorb information effectively. After a lesson on the anatomy of the genital organs in the context of sex education, A young student found his teacher crying during recess, ‘realizing she was choking’, – says Margarita Gerouki with reference to the testimony of colleagues. “The parents didn’t understand. The teacher informed the mother, and the problem, which was easily dealt with, was solved.”

In another case, it was observed that, having learned about the concept of consent and the limits of what is permitted, little schoolgirls scolded a classmate for lifting up her skirts. “No, you have no right to do that,” they said to each other, cultivating what we call in education “dynamic behavior – dynamic attitude,” the teacher describes. Parents and teachers understand that children educated in the context of sex education talk about their bodies “without giggles and pranks”, while they know that they can turn to a trusted person if something happens to them “even get 1056 – they know that this is a phone where you can talk,” says Margarita Gerouki.

However, sex education still provides representation of minorities who are the favorites of school bullying. Experts say LGBTQ children are overrepresented as victims of bullying. “10% of our children have or will have a non-heterosexual sexual orientation or a gender-invariant representation of gender. These children grow up in a society where a phobic syndrome prevails in relation to these differences, never seeing anything in their school that would correspond to their sense of self,” the teacher concludes.