The World Health Organization (WHO) is facing backlash for its “sexuality education” guidance that encourages schools to teach young children and toddlers about “gender identities” and “early childhood masturbation.”
WHO guidelines for “Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe” were published over a decade ago but have recently been scrutinized for allegedly pushing “harmful gender ideology” and promoting “the acceptance of paedophilia.”
Welsh Shadow Minister for Education Laura Anne Jones said the guidance is “frankly disturbing” and called on the Welsh government to “distance themselves” from it, as reported by The Telegraph.
“We must stop this pushing of harmful gender ideology into sex education in Wales and the UK, with immediate effect,” she continued. “The WHO needs to rescind the advice immediately.”
The WHO guidelines aim to standardize sex education curricula across Europe and encourage schools to “give information” to children ages 0-9 about “enjoyment and pleasure when touching one’s own body, early childhood masturbation.”
The guidance also directs schools to teach children 0-4 about “the right to ask questions about sexuality … the right to explore gender identities [and] the right to explore nakedness and the body.”
Furthermore, children 4-6 are to be taught about “same-sex relationships” and encouraged to “talk about sexual matters” and “consolidate their gender identity,” according to the WHO.
Tanya Carter, a spokesperson for Safe Schools Alliance UK, said it is “extremely concerning that the UN and WHO are promoting an approach that is experimental, unscientific, and appears to be aligned to the work of unethical individuals and organisations, including those promoting the acceptance of paedophilia,” per the Daily Mail.
“We call upon them to revise their standards to align with a safeguarding-first approach that protects children while allowing them to develop a healthy and age-appropriate understanding of sex,” Carter continued.
However, a WHO spokesperson maintained that the “guidelines reflect established psychological facts based on decades of research,” as reported by the Daily Mail.
Last month, delegates of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development gathered to discuss how to move forward with the body’s “comprehensive sexual education” guidance but failed to reach a conclusive agreement.
“Nobody is happy with this result,” said the representative from Senegal, according to a UN press release.
Commission Chair Gheorghe Leucă said he “see[s] no other possibility than to withdraw this text.”
However, the representative of Sweden, speaking on behalf of the European Union, praised the document for its emphasis on sexual health and said it is frustrating that some countries have prevented an agreement from being reached.
The Iranian delegate argued that sexual language is not permitted in education within her nation.
Furthermore, the representative of Nigeria voiced concern about the language discussing parental responsibility and parents’ right to lead the religious and moral education of their children being deleted from the guidance.