The start of the school year in France is marked by the implementation of the sex education program known as EVARS ("Educating in affective and relational life and sexuality"), mandatory in all public and private schools, from preschool to high school. According to the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), this initiative violates the fundamental rights of parents as those primarily responsible for the education of their children.
The ECLJ has announced that it will bring the case before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which monitors compliance with the international covenant that obliges states to respect "the freedom of parents [...] to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions."
Program contents
The EVARS program, as denounced by associations such as Juristes pour l'Enfanceis not limited to an introduction to emotional and relational life, but "promotes early sexuality, encourages children to question their gender identity and makes consent and desire the only moral principles of reference". In addition, they stress that there is no possibility of exemption for families and no obligation to inform parents in advance about the content or materials used in the classes.
The new program "forces boys to talk about their intimacy, address issues of puberty and sexuality long before they are confronted with them, and teaches them all the pro-abortion feminist stereotypes against men, marriage, pregnancy, etc."
The content requires "the acquisition of concepts and is subject to evaluation. However, assessment implies right or wrong answers. Therefore, the normative character of this program is undeniable: it seeks to normalize early sexual relations in all its forms".
What is the ECLJ
The European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), an international non-governmental organization in special consultative status with the UN since 2007, is dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights. Of Christian inspiration, it bases its work on "the spiritual and moral values which constitute the common heritage of the European peoples and the true source of individual liberty, political freedom and the rule of law". Its activity combines legal defense, education and litigation, with particular emphasis on the protection of religious freedom and human dignity before international courts and bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
The French Council of State has already rejected the request to annul this program in the past, so the ECLJ and other associations consider that the international route is now the most effective. The organization plans to submit its request to the UN within a month, with the aim of getting the French education system to review its policies in this area.
