Parents in Scotland say they were shocked when a government census asked school children as young as 14 about their sex lives, including a question on anal sex. Scotland’s privacy regulators have launched an investigation after the census asked children a range of inappropriate questions.
The questionnaire under fire is the ‘Health and Wellbeing Census’ which was drafted by the Scottish Government and handed out to secondary school students in 11 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, according to a report in The Herald on Saturday.
A total of 14 local authorities refused to distribute it, while others demanded changes to a section on sexual health. The section, which parents say caused shock and disgust, asks children whether they have had “sexual experiences” including “oral sex” or “vaginal or anal sex”. The census also asks children how many sexual partners they have had in the past year, while a full list of questions has not been made available to concerned parents.
The census has been met with huge concern from parents and advocacy groups, and is now under investigation from Scotland’s Information Commissioner’s Office, which is responsible for upholding data privacy. The Family Education Trust (FET) warned that the survey essentially asks children to detail “illegal activity, as most participants would be under the age of legal consent. The group also slammed the census on the basis that it was treating underage sex as “a normal part of growing up” and claimed it normalised abuse, including the horrific sexual abuse of young girls by grooming gangs in places such as Rotherham.
In a letter to Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf last month, FET said: “You will be aware of the negligence that was shown by many local authorities in dealing [with] the sexual abuse of young girls by grooming gangs. The problem in many cases was that the local authority treated having underage sex as a normal part of growing up, thus allowing the abuse to continue.
“The questions in this survey display the same irresponsible attitude to young people’s sexual activity that was shown by so many local authorities,” the letter concluded.
The Scottish Children’s Commissioner has raised human rights concerns with the Scottish government about the survey. In a statement, the Commissioner said that: “Young people should have their rights clearly communicated to them in advance, including the key information that their participation is not compulsory.”
The Commissioner added: “Young people and their families need to be involved in the design and delivery of such information gathering. It is important that teachers know how to manage any issues that may arise as a result of wellbeing questions being asked in school.”
The statement also revealed that a number of local authorities have also raised concerns about the survey, adding that the Scottish government “should pause” rolling out the survey “until it can address the concerns raised and ensure a rights complaint process.”
The survey asks more questions on sexual health than any other topic, nine out of a total of about 60 questions.
The Children's Commissioner has raised human rights concerns with @ScotGov about its Health & Wellbeing Survey. Read the statement https://t.co/BiCCMkKUPr pic.twitter.com/5JpaeRKc0n
— Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (@CYPCS) December 9, 2021
The Children's Commissioner has raised human rights concerns with @ScotGov about its Health & Wellbeing Survey. Read the statement https://t.co/BiCCMkKUPr pic.twitter.com/5JpaeRKc0n
— Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (@CYPCS) December 9, 2021
The survey was described by one parent online as “perverse” while another said, “I do not want my child or any child in Scotland answering those questions.” Another added that after reading about the survey, if they were in the position of having school aged children, they would decide to homeschool them.
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