Overview

• The Culture Committee of the Chamber approved a Lega amendment by Giorgia Latini that bans classroom and project activities on sexuality in nursery, primary and lower‑secondary schools and permits instruction in upper‑secondary only with prior parental consent and disclosure of materials.
• Justice Minister Carlo Nordio calls sexual education a family responsibility, while Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara says biological topics remain in science curricula and defends consent requirements to shield children from complex gender‑identity themes.
• The National Order of Psychologists urged the government to reverse course, warning that removing school‑based affective and sexual education risks harmful gaps in development and pushes youths toward unreliable online sources and exposure to violence and cyberbullying.
• NGOs and public figures, including Save the Children and Gino Cecchettin, criticize the amendment as a step back, as Italy remains one of seven European countries without mandatory school sexuality education despite UN and UNESCO guidance favoring comprehensive, age‑appropriate programs.
• The measure has become a focal point of national debate, with petitions such as “Conoscere per rispettare” launched by civil society groups, and it now awaits further parliamentary consideration.