Angry parents once again took to the streets of Brussels in protest against a new sexual education policy (EVRAS) in the French-speaking education system in Belgium, however, the movement has not garnered as much support as several weeks ago.
The cooperation agreement on EVRAS was adopted by the Walloon parliament on Thursday this week, which will result in all pupils in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation system undergoing regular educational activities (at least twice per year) relating to relationships, emotional and sexual life in an effort to harmonise teaching levels across its schools.
Specifically, the change means that pupils will be taught several hours of such classes by specially trained educators in the sixth grade of primary school (ages 11-12) and another two in the fourth grade of secondary school (15-16).
The proposal was immediately met with an unusual show of force by parents and civil organisations, many of whom claim that the measure will "hypersexualise" pupils and argue that parents should choose when to discuss with their children. At the start of September, a sizeable crowd of protestors gathered in Brussels to oppose the new system, while a number of schools in Charleroi were targeted by arson attacks.
Lost cause?
On Saturday afternoon (30 September) some 200 participants once again protested against the decree in Brussels, Bruzz reported. However, the power of the protest does seem to be waning, as only 200 people showed up to voice their grievances compared to some 2,000 during the first demonstration. The fact that the cooperation agreement is now a reality may play a part in the numbers waning.
The concerns of parents were relayed by a number of MPs, especially regarding the wording of the EVRAS guide for professionals. "We want to put our trust in those working in the field, but the terminology used in the guide raises questions for us, especially for children aged 5-12. As parliamentarians, it's legitimate for us to ask questions and relay parents' concerns," said centrist MP Marie Martine Schyns.
"We are very clearly in favour of the widespread introduction of EVRAS, but we feel that there is room for improvement in terms of consensus between the players involved", she added.
Another MP, Alice Bernard (PTB), called for "parents who ask questions not to be demonised," adding that they are not all conspiracy theorists, referring to the leaflets of this nature that were distributed last month.
