Sex education in schools bill heads to the plenum

The House human rights committee on Monday reviewed the law proposal carried out by the head of the Green Party – Citizens Cooperation Charalambos Theopemptou on the establishment of a sex education programme across all levels of state education.

The law proposal is expected to be submitted to the plenary within 15 days, and if approved the committee will start working on how to best introduce sex education programmes in schools next year.

Speaking after the meeting, committee chair and Akel MP Irini Charalambidou said sex education programmes in schools have been debated for the past ten years, but never became concrete actions.

“Institutionalising sex education programmes is of utmost importance for our society as they are aimed at protecting all our children,” she said praising the level of cooperation between MPs, the education and health ministries and the Legal Service.

“I hope the law proposal that will be submitted to the plenary will be unanimously approved. The committee did everything in its power for the proposal to be submitted in the most expeditious way possible,” Charalambidou said.

Speaking to the media following, Theopemptou thanked the members of the committee, with a special mention for Charalambidou and Disy MP Fotini Tsiridou “for their help in drafting the law proposals”.

“We are at the end of a long and tortuous road, with only the vote in the plenary left,” he said.

“I am extremely satisfied with the final law proposal and I hope that sex education classes and programmes will help students get the best possible information on the subject.”

However, Theopemptou called the fact that the proposed law does not provide for compulsory sex education programmes in universities and colleges “a serious concern”.

“There are also many more things we can still do in Cyprus, like installing vending machines selling condoms at universities, colleges and nightclubs and I have asked the state to intervene in this matter in order to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies,” he said.