Various rumors about how sex education is happening in Norway sometimes literally flood the Russian Internet and the media, and most often they have a yellow tint. To learn about how sex education really works in European countries, it is useful to familiarize yourself with the documents that standardize this process.
Sex Education Standards
There is a special document called Sex Education Standards. It was developed by the European Bureau of the World Health Society and the Federal Center for Health Education. Not only Norway is guided by these documents, all schools in the European Union are also subject to it.
The document defines a general policy on sexuality education and instructs leaders and educators in the field of education to have a definite position on this issue. Among other things, it describes a sequential education program for children, according to which each of the topics of a sex education program should be addressed at a certain age of the child.
According to the Sex Education Standards, sex education for children in Norway and other European countries begins at the age of 4.
Sex Education Program
A list of topics is provided for each age. For children who are from 0 to 4 years old, you should tell that there are different types of love, including physical love, explain that touching your own body causes pleasure and joy, and also tell a little about how self-satisfaction occurs. The main thing at this age is to tell kids about the pleasure of physical intimacy.
Children from 4 to 6 years old are told the same thing, but new questions are added. The topic of self-satisfaction and pleasure from touching your body is still being discussed, but now they are talking about what sexuality is and how it is expressed, what sensations are called sexual. At this age, friendship between members of the same sex is already being discussed, it is said that love is possible between them, and various concepts of the existence of a family are discussed.
From 6 to 9 years old, children should learn that the topic of sex is present in the media and on the Internet. In the classroom, they explain that you can face this, and also tell you how to react to it. It discusses what acceptable sex is (that is, consensual sex, where partners are equal, age-appropriate, and where both partners respect each other's dignity).
Between the ages of 9 and 12, children, according to the sex education program, need to be explained how the first sexual experience occurs, as well as what orgasm, masturbation and sexual pleasure are.
From 12 to 15 years old, children are taught that sex is not just copulation, but much more. Issues such as business in sex (prostitution, sex for gifts, etc.) are also discussed. Topics such as pornography, sexual addiction are covered.
