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A bill supported by Giorgia Meloni's government has sparked heated debate in Italy, reigniting the political battle over children's right to sex education in schools. While other European Union countries have made the subject mandatory to combat violence against women, Italy remains one of the few that still censors it, now by law.
The bill, which has already been approved by the lower house of parliament, allows sex education to be taught only to students aged 11-14 and only with written parental consent. It will remain banned in primary schools, while in secondary schools it will continue with the same current restrictions.
Representatives of the ruling coalition justified the law as a “protection of children from ideological indoctrination.” The Undersecretary of Education, Rossano Sasso, declared in Parliament:
"With this law, we say goodbye to the 'Woke' bubble and gender ideology. No one will bring drag queens or porn actors into schools to talk about sexual fluidity or surrogacy."
He closed his speech by repeating a slogan from the Italian fascist period: "God, fatherland and family", calling this "the faith that guides our political action".
Opposition and civil society: "Regressive law hinders the fight against violence against women"
Opposition parties protested outside parliament, calling the bill a step back in efforts to prevent sexual harassment, rape and femicide.
Sara Ferrari, a member of parliament for the Democratic Party, said: “This law deliberately places obstacles on schools that want to implement an essential tool to combat violence against women.”
The family of Giulia Cecchetin, the student murdered in November 2023 by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta, has publicly called for the establishment of mandatory sex education as a preventive measure.
For decades, there have been 34 attempts in Italy to introduce sex education in schools – all blocked through strong pressure from anti-abortion groups, Catholic organizations and the conservative lobby that link the topic to “the promotion of abortion, same-sex marriage and surrogacy”.
According to two 2024 polls, 90% of students and nearly 80% of parents are in favor of sex education programs in schools – a signal that the gap between the political class and real society is deepening.
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