The Icelandic government has set aside millions to educate school children on the nature of sexual violence, in the hopes of reducing sexual violence among young people.
Children in the second and tenth grades will receive, as a part of their curriculum, education on what sexual assault is, the nature of consent, who to turn to in the event of sexual assault, and more. Parliament passed a measure that puts 25 million ISK towards the project, Vísir reports.
The matter was brought to the attention of the government by UNICEF, who pointed out the lack of sexual violence education. Assistant to the Minister of the Interior Halla Gunnarsdóttir agreed the matter needed urgent attention, pointing to the coalition agreement between the Social Democrats and the Leftist-Greens.
“One part of the agreement is to be vigilant against sexual violence against children,” she said, and with that in mind, a work group was assembled, comprised of representatives from the ministries of the Interior, Education, and Welfare. Their conclusion was that sexual violence education in Iceland is, for the most part, in the hands of private groups, so there were discrepancies regarding who received how much education.
While the project will start with the second and tenth grades, the aim is to have this education become more widespread in Icelandic schools. The sexual assault education organisation Blátt Áfram will play a key role in the curriculum.
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