HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF SEXUALITY IN ISRAEL
For many years, the subject of Private Life of people with special needs was taboo in Israel. Large parts of the Israeli Jewish population live a traditional life style, some live strict forms of orthodoxy in which Private Life concepts are not openly discussed. E.g. boys with special needs who masturbated could get slapped on their fingers by their counselors and given a book of psalms to read instead. In large parts of the Arab population in Israel the situation is similar. In those circles, homosexuality is also considered a sin and outside the realm of the acceptable. In the not too distant part, counselors working in settings for people with special needs refused to address the issues related to Private Life openly. The care that people with special needs received depended on the particular worker's values. The trend today, is to make the dealing with clients' Private Life issues part of the professional requirements for anyone working in such settings. It is a trend that requires a lot of educational effort. The formal entitlement alone is not always a guarantee that it will be realized. Another example is that civilian marriage is not possible for anyone in Israel. As a result, couples who, for whatever reason, do not wish to, or cannot legally get married under existing law, must either marry fictitiously (and not enjoy legal entitlements that apply to people who are legally married) or go abroad to marry and then get the marriage acknowledged retroactively. Whereas the Ministry of Social Affairs in Israel does not object to people with intellectual disabilities who want to live as couples, the ministry does not help them to get apartments unless they live together with four more people (the Ministry only supports apartments of at least six people with intellectual disabilities and makes no exception for couples). As a result, organizations who administer living arrangements (financed by the state) are now criticized by some families of people with disabilities for limiting what they consider to be their sons' and daughters' right to a full private life. The people who discussed the above included:
- Mr. Victor Lifac – Deputy Director of AKIM-Jerusalem, social worker and certified referent for sexual and social education.
- Ms. Efrat Cahani – Social worker, director of AKIM-Jerusalem's Center for Training, Treatment and Leisure at Beit Rachel Straus
- Mr. Stefan Rothschild – Social worker, director for External Relations and Resource Development in AKIM-Jerusalem.
- Mr. Victor Lifac – Deputy Director of AKIM-Jerusalem, social worker and certified referent for sexual and social education.
- Ms. Efrat Cahani – Social worker, director of AKIM-Jerusalem's Center for Training, Treatment and Leisure at Beit Rachel Straus
- Mr. Stefan Rothschild – Social worker, director for External Relations and Resource Development in AKIM-Jerusalem.
HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF SEXUALITY IN
LITHUANIA
Starting since Christianization of the Lithuania that
took place in 1387 policy of Catholic Church took the dominant position in
policy of all country.
During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
was the largest country in Europe but it was a lot of Catholic restriction
about sexual relations between unmarried and even married people.
The Statutes of Lithuania were a 16th century
codification of all the legislation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania provided
even the death penalty for non-marital relationships.
Post-war period; people lived in
"traditional" society, where sex “did not exist”. It was not polite
to talk about sex and sexual relations. At schools there were no sex education;
education was based on moralistic and threatening. Birth control did not exist;
a lot of forced marriages took place because of unplanned pregnancy. It was a
lot of criminal abortions during this time.
However, the Lithuanian folklore possible to find a
lot of symbols of sexuality: sympathy, desire, dating, first night, etc. It is
still a very popular explanation for children "Stork comes with the
new born baby".
After Lithuania became an independent state,
western culture made a significant impact on people’s mentality. Suddenly
disappeared all restrictions which for many years were the norm,. The media
becomes independent as well. Therefore, there are big differences between the
generations – starting from the very conservative attitudes to fully liberal
approaches.
NOWADAYS APPROACH TO SEXUALITY
The disabled persons in Lithuania are generally accepted as sexless people. We are
taking care of their education, employment, providing medical care, nursing and
technical support services, but usually we are forgetting to take care about
the personal life of a disabled person. The biggest problem is that the
community does not understand such needs of disabled people as love, intimacy
and sexual satisfaction. The dominating opinion - sexuality is just for people
with “normal” intellect. People believe that disability can damage human
sexuality and reproducibility.
E. Giedraitienė and R. Vaičekauskaitė* propose that success of many learning methods
depend on the comprehensive approach of education as well sex education. The
most important is teamwork: parents, teachers, doctors, social workers,
teachers, peers.
People with disabilities usually are infantilized by
society, most of people treating mentally disabled grownups like children; they
are not recognized as adults with sexual needs and desires.
We are afraid that, sex education of disabled
youngsters in Lithuania completely not exists. The most common opinion – better
stay away from this subject; if you start to talk about sex with mentally
disabled he/she could become uncontrollable and even can be danger for other
people. But sexuality - is one of the basic human needs, so it is necessary to
identify and meet this topic
There are no qualified professionals. No one
vocational or high school in Lithuania educates professionals able to give sex
education to mentally disabled youth.
Due to lack of information and knowledge mentally
disabled persons often are getting in to the situations of sexual abuse and
exploitation.
*A. Kalinkevičienė - Tėvų požiūris į neįgalių vaikų
ugdymą, Magistro darbas (2005)
SEXUAL RIGHT OF INTELLECTUAL DISABLED
PEOPLE In
our opinion – nobody in Lithuania care about right of private life of mentally
disabled people starting from their parent’s ending legislation. The most
common attitude - many years nobody was talking about this and
it was no problem, so way we need to start talking about this now?
In Lithuania nobody
officially represents rights to sexual life of people with mental disabilities.
The topic was never discussed at the national level. Perhaps why there are a
lot of myths that distort the true situation.
The work should begin at the
family of disabled person. Parent’s usually treating their adult child, as a
small baby all his life and rejects any sexual needs. Only a change to begin
changes is to educate parent’s firs. When we are meeting with indifference from
family of disabled person all other people getting no inspiration and not
making any affords to start the discussion.
Society has negative
approach to the disabled person’s desire to love and be loved, desire to have a
beloved, to live in a pair. Mentally disabled individuals who want to start a
family and to have children are just moralizing, scaring and criticizing; but
not helping them to assist and understand the situation logically.
HOW SHOULD CHANGE THE CURRENT
POLITICAL SITUATION TOWARDS THE SEXUALITY OF INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED PEOPLE?
At first should be changed attitude to people with
disabilities, especially individuals with mental disabilities in Lithuania. The
public must understand that mentally disabled people are the same people as
everyone else, that they have the same needs as any of us.
The vocational schools, colleges and universities
should prepare professionals qualified to give sexual education to non disabled
and disabled youth. At the same time we have to put in to the practice
separate, and active sex education course to schools were high qualified
professionals can give expropriate education to non disabled and disabled
youth.
To form the teams (family - school - further
education) working together on this actual topic. The collaboration between
family and professionals will brae the barriers and will enable everybody to be
open mind.
If each mentally disabled persons could get
appropriate information, they will manage to understand what is sexuality, what
are their sexual needs, how to meet them and control, perhaps able to protect
themselves from unplanned pregnancy, to understand and recognize what is sexual
abuse and exploitation.
The innovative approach and team work could improve
quality of life of mental disabled person as well society will become much more
tolerant and open mind and supportive.
More useful information:
In Lithuania, Sex Education Remains Taboo
Human Sexuality in Lithuania: A Cross Generational
Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behavior http://books.google.lt/books?id=Ne2roeDIasEC&printsec=frontcover&hl=lt&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Lithuania needs more sex education http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/medienindex/media_articles/archiv_article/ARTICLE83184-Lithuania-needs-more-sex-education
The Family Planning and Sexual Health Association of
Lithuania (FPSHA) http://www.ippf.org/our-work/where-we-work/europe/lithuania
The people who discussed:
Lina Trebiene
Inga Cemeriene
Egle Gudzinskiene
Jovita Jarasiute
About Sex and Relationship
for Persons with Intellectual Disability in Sweden
“Historically,people with developmental
disabilities have been treated with various forms of restrictions, control and
separation between the sexes, when it comes to sexuality. It was especially
during the long era of institutionalization. Institutions gave an opportunity
to control family formation through marriage ban, and childbearing, primarily through
sterilizations. ”(from Löfgren-Mårtenson, Lotta, ”Får jag
lov?” Om sexualitet och kärlek i den nya generationen unga med
utvecklingsstörning, Studentlitteratur, 2005.)
Some historical years in Sweden:
• 1842 the
creation of the generalelementary school.
•1882 anobligation to attendschool,but not for all children.
•1882 anobligation to attendschool,but not for all children.
•1889obligation
for deaf childrento attend school
•1896obligation for blind childrento attend school.
•1896obligation for blind childrento attend school.
•1935the law oncompulsory sterilization. The lawapplied to 1975.
•1944some children withdevelopmental disabilities have the obligationto attend school, but onlythose the schoolthought had the ability to learn something.
•In 1968,all childrenwith intellectual disabilities have the obligationto attend school.
•In 1999,the firstanti-discrimination lawconcerningdisability.
•1944some children withdevelopmental disabilities have the obligationto attend school, but onlythose the schoolthought had the ability to learn something.
•In 1968,all childrenwith intellectual disabilities have the obligationto attend school.
•In 1999,the firstanti-discrimination lawconcerningdisability.
Learning about and discussing sex and
relationship in schoolnowadays
·
The Swedish Riksdag and the
Government set out the goals and guidelines for the preschool and school
through the Education Act and the Curricula. Sex and relationship is an
important part of the curriculum for all students.
“The sex education has been made visible mainly with the concept of gender,
sexuality, relationships, sex and identity - but also concepts such as human
rights, self-image, interaction, body awareness, emotions and self-esteem. When
the concepts are included in the curriculum, syllabuses and subject plans,
students should be able to reflect from different perspectives - both
historical, social and natural science as religion and linguistics. Knowledge
area can also be explored through the experiences, feelings and interacting and
integrity exercises. Overall, teaching gives students different perspectives on
issues of gender, sexuality and relationships.”
( from Skolverket: Sex-
och samlevnadsundervisning i särskolan)
·
Educational books and films are especiallymade
for schools and for people with disablities.
Learning about sex and relationship in medianowadays
On the web and in books young people with
disablities can find information about sex and relationsship.
Some examples:
·
produced by UR, swedish educational
TV, you can find a serie of films made
together with young people with cognitive disablilties. Have a look by using
the links above!
·
The Centre Easy-to-Read,
LL-förlaget, is editing books in easy languages about for example
relationsships and sex, both as literarture and as facts.
”Drömmen
om danskungen”/The dream about the Dancing King, author Lotta
Löfgren-Mårtensson
Learning
more about sex and relationshipnowadays
All young people can free of charge visit a place
named ”ungdomsmottagningen” to talk, get advices about sex and other personal
matters.Many schools often introduce this by making a visit together,
thereafter the youngster can visit the place on their own. Ungdomsmottagningen
also has their own web site where you can read or listen to the text: ” You are welcome to ask questions about the body, contraception and
emergency contraceptive. You can also ask questions about relationships, sex,
gender identity and sexual orientation. If you have questions about bullying,
stress and anxiety you can turn to the youth clinic. You can also visit the youth
guide online.”
Ungdomsmottagningarna are operated by the landsting in
different parts of Sweden.(Landsting is the tax financed organisations operating
the healthcare in Sweden.)
I do not describe the historical part of sexuality, but I searched for
material / video’s that could be of use for your organisations; e.g. in the
dialogue and information with staff / parents / people with a disability.
Compared to many other
countries the Netherlands has one of
the lowest teenage pregnancy rates and scores low on STIs.
Young people in the
Netherlands are generally well informed on sexuality and contraceptive use is
high.
We are often asked
about sex education in the Netherlands, and how we have become so open minded
about sex.
The film 'Dutch
Lessons in Love' has tried to answer these questions.
Dutch Lessons in Love
part 1 (17 min) relates about social developments and organisations such as
“Rutgers” that took part in those social movements, resulting in a liberal
sexual climate.
In Dutch Lessons in
Love - part 2 (22 min) one learns how Rutgers and its partners educate and
empower Dutch young people to have safe and pleasant sex, only when they
are ready for it.
We filmed sex
education lessons at a Dutch primary school, a secondary school and at a
school for children with disabilities.
In general, I think
that the information you will find in the website of the Rutger stitching -
http://www.rutgers.international/our-products/tools - can provide you many tools.
Ino Cornel MBA
Directeur-Bestuurder
Koningin Julianastraat
25
4793 GH Fijnaart
Tel :
088-4431210
Mob: 06-55847869