MK Mitzna calls on state to be more active in addressing sexual education

Former Labor chief made remarks in the wake of the recent youth sex scandals, including the alleged gang rape of a 12 year old girl.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
Amram Mitzna 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Amram Mitzna 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
MK Amram Mitzna (Hatnua) called on the Education Ministry on Monday to place an educational figure in every school to address student queries and concerns.
The Education, Culture and Sports committee chair made these remarks during a Knesset committee discussion on the importance of sexual education in schools, in the wake of the recent youth sex scandals, including the alleged gang rape of a 12-year-old girl.
MK Yifat Kariv (Yesh Atid), who initiated the discussion, referred to the recent tragic rape, and youth murder events, dominating headlines in the past few weeks, and questioned what was happening to Israeli society.
“According to research, most of the youth derive their sexual information from pornographic web sites, which display a distorted view of sex.
“From sexual relations just sex remains, without the relations.
Where is the place of the education system in the education of our children?” asked Kariv.
Hila Segal, a representative of the Education Ministry for sexual education, explained to the committee that all educational consultants are required to study the issue of sex education, and that furthermore, the Education Ministry employs counselor and psychologist experts to deal with sexual violence and youth issues.
MK Michal Rozin (Meretz) responded to Segal and said that when it comes to results “we are failing, plain and simple.”
“When a campaign comes out telling the girl to watch out for your cup, so that nobody puts a date rape drug in it, it is placing responsibility on the victim and this is wrong. Society still places blame on the victim. There needs to be an address in every school, that after an event, someone goes into each classroom to address the issues,” said Rozin.
The committee also asked to hear the opinions of students regarding their sexual education, and 17.5-year-old, Yosi Dahan, a 12th grader from Hod Hasharon candidly addressed the committee.
“Sex education and sex are very delicate topics and it is difficult to speak about this with just anyone. When we have classes, teachers don’t address the proper issues. If I want to talk about sex-ed who do I turn to? I have nobody to talk to and consult on this issue.” said Dahan.
“There needs to be someone whose role it is, someone you can turn to, to talk to about sex, and whose door will always be open and will keep your secrets,” said Dahan.
Mitzna summed up the committee debate and said that the discussion in the Knesset represented a “small indication of what is brewing beneath the surface,” and said the government must develop new tools to deal with this new reality.
He further called on the Education Ministry to adopt two new policies: the establishment of a professional educational figure in each institution to address student, parent and teacher inquiries and provide a link between the school and the Ministry; and to create an instantaneously transferable informative database for educators, with training material and means to deal with questions that arise from students when exceptional cases arise in the media.