No Opt Out of Sex Education

Country: Sweden

Date of incident: May 21, 2013


In 2011, the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company, a public service company (UR), launched a sex education campaign in Swedish schools, called “Putting sex on the map” (co-produced by RFSU, a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation), targeting children of lower secondary school age. Parents objected to the content of the materials, including explicit images and sex scenes, and scientific information, including physical and psychological risks of early sex debut and many sexual partners or abortion.

The programme’s liberal approach makes parents fear that it would encourage sexual risk taking and open the door to abuse, especially since information on abstinence or fidelity is not included in the programme. There is no possibility to opt-out of the sexual education programme. Source and further information: The Observatory's Report 2012 on Legal Restrictions Effecting Christians in Europe