In France, the final version of the EVARS program, aimed at educating students from CP to Terminale on issues of respect, consent and sexuality, will soon be unveiled. Between educational ambitions and implementation obstacles, this program marks a crucial step for prevention and support for young people in schools, not without debate.
Seen by some as a public health issue, by others as contrary to the interests of children, the new education program for emotional, relational and sexual life (known as EVARS) will be presented in December 2024 by the Minister of National Education, Anne Genetet: “ It’s a program that I will defend, that I believe is important “, she assured last October.
More advanced than sexuality education courses (EAS), the latter will be based on three main fields: biological (discovery of the body, STIs, contraception, menstruation), psycho-emotional (sexual orientation, respect for the body , gender identity, etc.) and legal (consent, identification of sexual violence, incest, children’s rights). This project, unveiled in March 2024 by the Higher Program Council, was unanimously adopted for application at the start of the 2024 school year. However, it has fallen behind schedule and its application seems complex.
A program from CP to Terminale
“ The school must stick to its role of instructing the fundamentals and not force children to enter the register of sexuality when their physiological, cognitive and emotional development is absolutely not at this stage. » The SOS Education association is fiercely opposed to these teachings, notably an online petitiontoday bringing together nearly 80,000 signatures, where we can read, among other things: “ At 9 years old, tell me about the benefits of food, not masturbation. »
For Arnaud Holzmann, SVT (Life and Earth Sciences) teacher in a high school, SNES-FSU activist and academic trainer on sexuality education issues, “ we need to get out of our heads when talking about sexuality with children. In primary school, we don’t talk about sexuality, we talk about consent, consent is not only linked to sexuality. » While he understands the fears of some parents, he wants to clarify the situation: “ These are often unfounded fears […] I invite them to simply read the program. »
In primary school, we don’t talk about sexuality
A program ranging from CP to the end of high school, where students will approach the three main fields in different subjects. A transdisciplinary program that includes many disciplines, such as EMC, French, visual arts and even sport.
On the program in primary school, notions such as “developing the capacity for empathy” (CP/CE1 – EMC), “respecting privacy in the locker rooms” (CE2 – sport) or even “describing and identifying changes in the body time of puberty” (CM2 – SVT). “ We are not going to talk about erections or fellatio to prepubescent children. », Clarifies Doctor Julia-Flore Alibert, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in Paris.
A lack of education with serious consequences
On its website, SOS Education explains that “ contrary to popular belief, talking to children about sexuality in school does not protect them from incest or sexual abuse », specifying that “ those who must be made responsible are the adults “. An opinion that Ghislaine Morvan-Dubois, former president and member of the national office of FCPE 75, a vast network of parents of students from kindergarten to high school. “There are surveys which have shown that there was 1 in 10 children who were victims of sexual violence during their childhood. It’s huge “, she explains.
Having been able to participate in the various consultations for the implementation of the EVARS program, Ghislaine Morvan-Dubois is fighting to ensure that “young people are aware of their bodies, are aware of the ownership of their body and that it must be respected, that they have rights, that they are protected by the law and that they must speak “. For Martine Schlenker, child psychiatrist for 25 years, “ there are a lot of situations of sexual abuse which are not necessarily detected, because children are not aware of the fact that it is forbidden, that it should not take place “.
By the age of 12, one in two children have already been exposed to pornography
Doctor Schlenker also mentions cases “ touching between children “, seen as a game for them, but which ” should not happen “. “ This happens because children have not been adequately explained that you cannot touch another child’s genitals in the toilet. It’s not verbalized enough because it’s still very taboo “. To this, the SOS Education association responds: “ Under 12 years old, who can believe in the ability to consent when we are a child? At this age, it is a question of consolidating in the minds of children the anthropological prohibitions of the (sexual) border between generations “.
For the child psychiatrists interviewed, the lack of education on this subject, linked to increasingly young people’s access to the internet, pushes young people to find out information for themselves and exposes them to “to pornographic images where there is brutality. It is a sexuality which is not necessarily respectful and which is exposed to children », explains Doctor Alibert, recalling that “ from the age of 12, one in two children has already been exposed » to pornography.
The essential role of the school
If opponents of sex education at school favor the discussion of these subjects in a family and private circle, “ it really depends on the social environment », according to Julia-Flore Alibert. “ Many parents think that it is up to them to educate their children about sexuality and respect for their bodies. But in certain families, children are attacked, so the school must equip these victims so that they know how to express their suffering. », explains Ghislaine Morvan-Dubois.
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The former president of FCPE 75 also mentions the “ taboo » linked to « menstrual cycles » in certain families. “ There are many testimonies from young girls and boys who do not know what is happening to them. » Where the family would tend to broach these subjects when the child’s body changes, from preadolescence, Doctor Schlenker does not agree: “It’s easier to talk about these issues before puberty because ultimately it’s much less taboo than after. »
Ghislaine Morvan-Dubois also denounces “ a very virulent campaign by far-right movements who are trying to ensure that this law does not pass before the start of the school year », like the association of “Vigilant Parents” launched by Eric Zemmour. However, the one who was able to participate in the discussions on the program explains that there was “ a lot of consulting work » carried out with much « precautions and professionalism, which means that the program is today rather well accepted “. For Doctor Alibert, the protests surrounding the EVARS program come from families “ where there is still homophobia » or very religious families.
A lagging implementation
Since 2001, the law has made sexuality education compulsory with at least three sessions per year, but this provision is poorly respected. An Ifop survey shows that 17% of 15-24 year olds surveyed have never had the slightest lesson on the issue and that less than 20% of students benefit from these three sessions. For Minister Anne Genetet, these difficulties are partly explained by the absence of a program, which will soon be resolved. Scheduled for the start of the 2024 school year, the implementation of EVARS was postponed following the dissolution of the National Assembly.
But Arnaud Holzmann does not think that everything will work out so easily, pointing out “ a lack of time. » « Colleagues also have their disciplinary program to do. We put pressure on them with continuous assessment, with exams, the certificate, the baccalaureate, and so we add this constraint to them again. ”, which is added “ lack of training » and means. “ If these are dedicated overtime hours during the year, colleagues who take extra hours to be in front of the student must be paid. »
Ghislaine Morvan-Dubois also denounces “ a shortage of school nurses » which, historically, “ were a source of information and a resource for students who knew where to find them and talk to them. » The EVARS program is well on its way to validation, supported by numerous parent-teacher associations, unions and child psychiatrists. However, its main obstacle remains its implementation, which depends on the financial resources of National Education. In a context where the 2025 finance bill is mainly aimed at savings, the budget of the Ministry of National Education is an exception: an increase of 834 million euros is planned compared to 2024. This year, the credits allocated to education in emotional, relational and sexual life amounted to 4 million euros.