- Title: Polish lawmakers vote for bill criminalising 'promoting underage sex'
- Date: 16th October 2019
- Summary: ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PROTESTERS LISTENING PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS READING (Polish): "NO FOR EDUCATION BAN" AND "EDUCATION IS THE RIGHT" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING (Polish): "DISGRACE" (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) 23-YEAR-OLD VOLUNTEER FROM SEXUAL EDUCATORS GROUP "PONTON", ANTONINA LEWANDOWSKA, SAYING: " (Ed's note: Sexual) educators in Poland have been attacked for a long time. I experienced personal threats directed at me and my relatives. A lot of my friends who are engaged in sexual education are afraid of doing our job even though it is a basic human right." PLACARDS READING (Polish): "NO FOR EDUCATION BAN" AND "EDUCATION IS THE RIGHT" PLACARD READING (Polish): "NO FOR EDUCATION BAN" VARIOUS OF WOMAN HOLDING PLACARD READING (Polish): "THIS PROJECT IS RAPE ON OUR RIGHT TO EDUCATION" TOP MODEL AND ACTIVIST PROMOTING SEXUAL EDUCATION ANJA RUBIK WALKING ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) TOP MODEL AND ACTIVIST PROMOTING SEXUAL EDUCATION, ANJA RUBIK, SAYING: "Sexual education is not a disgrace. Depriving young people of information and knowledge about their body, emotions, love, sexuality is a disgrace. Sexual education is power." RUBIK SPEAKING FROM STAGE PROTESTERS APPLAUDING PROTESTERS CHEERING PROTESTERS GATHERED PROTESTER LISTENING
- Embargoed: 30th October 2019 18:28
- Keywords: Polish parliament sexual education Law and Justice party protest in Poland
- Location: WARSAW, POLAND
- City: WARSAW, POLAND
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003B1CLFZT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Protesters gathered outside the Polish parliament on Wednesday (October 16) to protest against a bill to criminalize "the promotion of underage sexual activity," in a move seen by some as a government effort to court conservative support and which outraged liberals who say the bill aims to ban sex education.
As the lawmakers from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party voted for the bill to go to a parliamentary commission for further work, hundreds of protesters were chanting and brandishing placards such as "Education protects against violence" and "Banning sex education is rape."
Antonina Lewandowska, a 23-year-old sex educator from the Ponton Group, a voluntary organization that provides sex education said many people who do sex education in Poland are victims of direct attacks and threats even though sexual education was a basic right of every person.
Polish schools do not offer formal sex education, instead teach students how to "prepare for family life." Some cities run by more liberal parties have allowed sexual education programs in schools, prompting a backlash from the PiS and the Catholic Church.
The PiS won parliamentary elections in Poland last Sunday, but far-right and staunchly Catholic voters also managed to introduce candidates to parliament.
Some political analysts think the PiS, which lost seats in the upper house and won the same number of seats in the lower house as in 2015, wants to show such voters it is the best party to represent them, which may result in the party turning further to the right and to the Church.
(Production: Jaroslaw Gawlowski, Malgorzata Wojtunik) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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