World View
Global Dispatches From ABC News Reporters
ABC News staff around the world report on what makes the news and what doesn't.
RECENT POSTS
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
Sex Ed For 6 Year Olds?
September 18, 2008 1:39 PM
By PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London
A U.K. charity has published a new sex education comic book directed specifically at 6- to 7-year-olds, which has angered parenting groups who say it’s up to families to speak to their children about sex.
The FPA, formerly the Family Planning Association, has released a new 12-page booklet titled “Let's Grow With Nisha and Joe” in which the two main characters and their dog introduce kids to the physical and emotional elements of sexual development.
FPA Press Campaign Manager Rebecca Findlay says that sex education for children is “massively important,” and that the publication was developed in response to children’s curiosity. The group says that the target age was chosen to coincide with the English and writing development of 6- and 7-year olds.
Findlay says that “children are asking these normal questions” and that the pamphlet was developed after sending out test comics to schoolteachers and their pupils.
But some parenting organizations disagree.
The Family and Youth Concern is among the groups outraged by the comic. Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust for the organization, believes that the FPA has purposely moved to overshadow the role of the parent.
“The FPA does not respect parents,” Wells told ABCNews.com. “They want to bypass parents, starting with age 4.”
With the British government currently reviewing sex education in its schools, the Family and Youth Concern released a statement saying “There is no doubt the publication is intended to put pressure on the government”
The interactive pamphlet includes coloring and cartoons, and it is written in a comic book style to engage its young audience. The work also features a section in which children are asked to label the parts of the body, including sexual organs -- a main factor in the outcry.
Responding to objections, including from parents who say that they should be the ones talking with their children about the topic of sex, Findlay says “We agree with that and want parents to be involved and use the guide as a resource in educating their children.”
Wells, however, said he believed that these issues “could be dealt with in the context of everyday family life.”
So far only test copies of the pamphlets have been sent out, but the FPA is taking preorders from schools at £15 for every 50 copies, and it plans to continue selling them despite the public opposition.
September 18, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (5)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
I believe that parents should be the ones who teach their kids.... i'm sure the governement is not forcing this comic book on the children, but it should be up to the parents to teach their children about sex.. when did everything become so impersonal.
Posted by: japenesemyth | Sep 18, 2008 2:12:50 PM
No problem with it here. Parents don't teach their children this stuff anyway. I learned more about sex outside my home. More than my parents told me. This is probably the main reason for teen pregnancy. And besides, what kid really wants to talk about sex with their parents? I know I found it quite strange and wierd. Even to this day, as a 25 year old man.
Posted by: Lawrence | Sep 18, 2008 2:23:34 PM
Ever wonder how we can clip short any sexual predators? Is this a call for educating our children to be aware of what is appropriate and what is not.. like their Uncle touching inappropriately or even worse... Do our children even have a fighting chance of knowing when they are being victimized and how to tell an adult they trust, even if it is a teacher or Grandma... Wouldn't this approach yield much better results and thereby gaining a more informed, quality world?
Posted by: I'm just saying... | Sep 18, 2008 2:43:51 PM
The MSM have scoffed at the McCain campaign charging Sen. Barack Obama with supporting sex ed for kindergarteners. Time's Joe Klein has gone so far as to call McCain a liar for the ad, although the legislation in question would have meant 5-year-olds would be taught about STDs at the same time they were learning their ABC's.
The way the media have complained about the McCain ad, you'd get the impression the media think no one has ever seriously entertained the notion of teaching kindergarteners about sex.
Where'd this book come from if the idea is too ridiculous to even consider?
Posted by: Steve - Ithaca, NY | Sep 19, 2008 4:42:29 PM
Does the class room instruction include a Lab?
Posted by: W Peterson | Sep 19, 2008 5:25:46 PM
Post a comment
