U.N. Report Advocates Teaching Masturbation to 5-Year-Olds
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
By Joseph Abrams
NEW YORK — The United Nations is recommending that children as young as five receive mandatory sexual education that would teach even pre-kindergarteners about masturbation and topics like gender violence.
The U.N.'s Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a 98-page report in June offering a universal lesson plan for kids ranging in age from 5-18, an
"informed approach to effective sex, relationships" and HIV education that they say is essential for "all young people."
The U.N. insists the program is "age appropriate," but critics say it's exposing kids to sex far too early, and offers up abstract ideas — like "transphobia" — they might not even understand.
"At that age they should be learning about ... the proper name of certain parts of their bodies," said Michelle Turner, president of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, "certainly not about masturbation."
Turner was disturbed by UNESCO's plans to explain to children as young as nine about the safety of legal abortions, and to advocate and "promote the right to and access to safe abortion" for everyone over the age of 15.
"This is absurd," she told FOXNews.com.
The UNESCO report, called "International Guidelines for Sexuality Education," separates children into four age groups: 5-to-8-year-olds, 9-to-12-year-olds, 12-to-15-year-olds and 15-to-18-year-olds.
Under the U.N.'s voluntary sex-ed regime, kids just 5-8 years old will be told that "touching and rubbing one's genitals is called masturbation" and that private parts "can feel pleasurable when touched by oneself."
By the time they're 9 years old, they'll learn about "positive and negative effects of 'aphrodisiacs," and wrestle with the ideas of "homophobia, transphobia and abuse of power."
At 12, they'll learn the "reasons for" abortions — but they'll already have known about their safety for three years. When they're 15, they'll be exposed to direct "advocacy to promote the right to and access to safe abortion."
Child health experts say they are wary of teaching about the sticky topic of abortion, but stress that as long as messages stay age-appropriate, educating kids at a younger age helps better steer them into adulthood.
"The adults are more leery of [early sex-ed] than the kids are," said Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, a child psychiatrist in New York. "Our own fears sometimes prevent us from being as open and honest with our kids as possible."
Hartstein, however, who didn't see much harm in explaining basic concepts that kids of all ages will have questions about, was baffled by some of the ideas the U.N. hoped to introduce to kids as young as 5 years old, who will be taught about "gender roles, stereotypes and gender-based violence."
"I want to know how you teach that to a 5-year-old," Hartstein told FOXNews.com.
Despite those challenges, the U.N. insists that "in a world affected by HIV and AIDS ... there is an imperative to give children and young people the knowledge, skills and values to understand and make informed decisions."
UNESCO officials said the guidelines were "co-authored by two leading experts in the field of sexuality education" — Dr. Doug Kirby, an adolescent sexuality expert, and Nanette Ecker, the former director of international education and training at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.
Their report was based on a "rigorous review" of sex-ed literature, "drawing upon 87 studies from around the world," said Mark Richmond, director of UNESCO's Division for the Coordination of U.N. Priorities in Education, in an e-mailed statement.
Richmond defended teaching about masturbation as "age-appropriate" because even in early childhood, "children are known to be curious about their bodies." Their lessons, he added, would hopefully help kids "develop a more complex understanding of sexual behaviour" as they grow into adults.
But Michelle Turner, of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, said that such roles should be left up to parents, and worried that children were being exposed to too much information too soon.
"Why can't kids be kids anymore?" she said.
6 comments:
That is so awful I couldn't even say those words aloud . It is so horrible, I feel such sadness for those 5 yr old who have no choice of their own to be in a government institution.
Thank you for letting us know. It reminds us to pray for the children in public school.
It is just awful what they have to be exposed to every day.
Love,Tabby
This is awful! It is sad how much stuff like this goes under the radar too. It is gross how they can call evil good the way they do.
~Thanks~
WHAT is the obsession with sex???? Seriously! Our society has become so totally sex-obsessed that it's now becoming downright SCARY!!
Do you ever see this much emphasis on teaching children about budgeting money? Balancing check books? Shopping for healthy food on a tight income???
They talk about "steering kids into adulthood" but all they are doing is steering kids into promiscuity!
This sex-obsession nonsense is one of the #1 reasons we're homeschooling our children. Totally.
That's disgusting! My hubby and I don't have kids yet but we're planning on homeschooling them if it's not against the law by then... I can't stand the things schools teach children!
This is DISGUSTING to say the least! I am SO GLAD my children are grown and no longer in the Public school system!
My son was in the ps system for K-5th grade. We pulled him to home school because of bullying issues rather than curriculum choices. For the most part, the schools in AZ use standardized curriculum, which may be a little more liberal in their interpretation of cultural views and history, but is for the most part, not totally offensive to conservative Christian families. The issue is the reach of UNESCO, which has found it's way into many secular countries in the world, and is trying very hard to get the US to go along with them. If our President, who happens to be UNESCO supportive were to adopt their position, our school curriculum publishers would have to follow suit. The decision as to what is put into our textbooks is solely determined by three states: CA, TX and FL. If these states become ultra-liberal, then the likelyhood that state mandated curriculum standards would include sex education materials such as these. Unfortunately, parents need to understand that we face perilous times and that there may come a time when we will not be able to home school our children. Our children may be forced into public education (as it is in many secular countries in Europe). Pray that our President continues to steer clear of the UN and their proposed plans to indoctrinate our children in this way. Keep abreast of your state's laws regarding home schooling so that you are not caught unaware, should your state legislature make changes to the home school law.
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