Federal popular initiative «Protection against sexualization in kindergarten and primary school»

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The federal popular initiative “Protection against sexualization in kindergartens and primary schools” was a Swiss popular initiative with the aim of supplementing the federal constitution on the subject of sex education and sex education . The initiative was launched on December 17, 2013 by the “Initiative Committee of the Federal People's Initiative“ Protection against sexualization in kindergarten and primary school ””. It came about on January 30, 2014 with 110,040 valid signatures. The initiative committee withdrew the initiative in the summer of 2015 because it considered important parts of the demands to have been met. There was no referendum.

history

Education system in Switzerland

The regulation of the school system in Switzerland lies largely with the cantons . The constitution does not provide for any interference with the competences of the cantons in this area. Only the compulsory elementary school is regulated there. Due to the different language areas and the federal structure, there are traditionally differences between the cantons in educational policy, but the concepts of sex education in the cantons are similar.

Public debate on the popular initiative

The discussion on the topic of the popular initiative began in 2011 with the introduction of sex education classes in Basel and a “sex box” (also “media box 49: School sex education” from the library of the Basel-Stadt Pedagogical Center). It contains materials to support the preparation and delivery of lessons . The main criticisms of this sex box were a wooden penis and a plush vagina . It caused an outcry in right-wing conservative circles. The contents and appearance of the box changed as the debate progressed.

In spring 2012 one of the co-presidents of the initiative committee resigned because of a conviction as a sex offender which had become known, whereupon a second founding member turned his back on the committee and a new edition of the signature collection became necessary.

The multi-year discussion on the popular initiative repeatedly overlapped with discussions on other social issues. For example, sex education and sex education were discussed in relation to the creation of future curricula . A court case lasting several years was also publicly prosecuted. Parents have been fighting against compulsory sex education in kindergartens and against “sex boxes” since 2012 . Their complaints were ultimately dismissed by the Federal Supreme Court on November 15, 2014 and were therefore unsuccessful. This indirectly confirmed the educational policy of the canton of Basel-Stadt and other cantons that had taken a similar path on the subject of sex education.

On November 28, 2014, the Federal Council requested a vote by the people and the cantons recommending that the initiative be rejected. On June 19, 2015, the National Council and the Council of States , after a respective vote, declared the popular initiative to be valid by federal resolution. However, they recommended their rejection.

retreat

In June 2015, the initiative committee announced the withdrawal of the popular initiative, despite the possibility of putting them to a vote. It saw essential parts of their demands implemented in the meantime. The name of the "Sexbox" and its content have been changed. The competence center for sex education and school at the Lucerne University of Education has been closed. A minimum age limit for sex education and the avoidance of “ideological terms” such as “ gender ” were taken into account in the curriculum 21 project .

In January 2016, the initiative committee founded the association “Protection Initiative”. Through him, the goals of the popular initiative should be pursued in a long-term campaign. The first president of the association is the former National Councilor Toni Bortoluzzi ( SVP ).

The initiative committee

The initiative committee consisted of representatives from the following political parties:

text

The full text of the initiative:

The Federal Constitution is amended as follows:
Art. 11 Paragraphs 3–7 (new)

3 Sex education is the responsibility of the parents.
4 Lessons on the prevention of child abuse can be given from kindergarten onwards. These classes do not include sex education.
5 Voluntary sex education lessons can be given by class teachers to children and adolescents from the age of nine.
6 Compulsory lessons to impart knowledge about human reproduction and development can be given by biology teachers to children and adolescents from the age of twelve.
7 Children and young people cannot be forced to follow more extensive sex education classes.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Official documentation: Federal People's Initiative 'Protection against Sexualization in Kindergarten and Primary School' . Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  2. ↑ Popular initiative “Protection against sexualization in kindergarten and primary school” has served its purpose. (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: http://schutzinitiative.ch/ . July 14, 2015, archived from the original on July 23, 2015 ; accessed on March 27, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / Schutzinitiative.ch
  3. ↑ Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation. April 18, 1999, accessed March 29, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Wolf Linder: The political system of Switzerland. (PDF) In: http://www.wolf-linder.ch/ . P. 3f , accessed on March 27, 2016 .
  5. ^ School-based sex education. (No longer available online.) Federal Office of Public Health, archived from the original on March 27, 2016 ; accessed on March 27, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bag.admin.ch
  6. ↑ Who we are: guidelines and working methods. (PDF) In: Education + Health Network Switzerland. Federal Office of Public Health, accessed on March 27, 2016 .
  7. ^ Media box 49: Sex education in schools. (PDF) Education Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt Pedagogical Center PZ.BS, 2011, accessed on March 25, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Joel Gernet: "Kindergarten teachers have nothing to do with plush vaginas and wooden penises". In: http://bazonline.ch/ . Basler Zeitung Medien National Zeitung and Basler Nachrichten AG, January 12, 2012, accessed on March 27, 2016 .
  9. ↑ a b «The initiative supports pedophilia!» . March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Child protection activists convicted of abuse - false start of a popular initiative , Neue Zürcher Zeitung , April 20, 2012
  11. ^ Against "Sexualization in Kindergarten and Primary School" - Initiative submitted for sex education , Neue Zürcher Zeitung , April 20, 2012
  12. ↑ Curriculum 21: No sex education in kindergarten. (PDF) In: lehrplan.ch. German-Swiss Education Directors Conference, June 16, 2011, accessed on March 27, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Swiss Federal Supreme Court: judgment of the proceedings 2C_132 / 2014 and 2C_133 / 2014. November 15, 2014, accessed March 25, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Joel Gernet: Sex education classes are unconstitutional. In: bazonline.ch. National Zeitung and Basler Nachrichten AG, January 13, 2012, accessed on March 25, 2016 .
  15. ↑ Andrea Heeb Perrig: Court supports sex box in kindergarten. In: 20min.ch. Tamedia AG, August 15, 2013, accessed on March 25, 2016 .
  16. ↑ Katharina Fontana: No dispensation for students. In: nzz.ch. NZZ-Mediengruppe , December 2, 2014, accessed on March 27, 2016 .
  17. ↑ Didier Burkhalter, Corina Casanova: Message on the popular initiative «Protection against sexualization in kindergarten and primary school». (PDF) Swiss Federal Council, November 28, 2014, accessed on March 29, 2016 .
  18. ↑ 2015-1786 4851 Federal resolution on the popular initiative «Protection against sexualization in kindergarten and primary school». (PDF) Federal Assembly, June 19, 2015, accessed on March 30, 2016 .
  19. ↑ a b SchweizerischeDepeschenagentur: Sex education initiative does not come before the people. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, July 14, 2015, accessed on March 25, 2016 .