The Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) on Wednesday urged the government to temporarily postpone the introduction of health education in schools because it is at odds with believers' views and is leading to a polarisation in society with immeasurable repercussions.
The introduction of health education through the current curriculum violates acts set by the international community in the wake of past experience of totalitarian regimes attempting to shape children's thinking with their "scientific" achievements (UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child).
HHO's press release notes that the recent population census indicates that the vast majority (93%) of the population identified themselves as believers and seeing that part of the proposed health education programme encroaches on world views and moral issues the government is obliged to seek their opinion and facilitate a debate with representatives of all social groups and non-governmental organisations.
HHO goes on to say that they have received numerous complaints from individuals, parents, teachers and others who consider that the proposed programme goes against their conscience and world views.
The media has been manipulated in this issue which is obvious in the fact that the "Catholic Church via the Croatian Conference of Bishops was compelled to hand out leaflets with their attitude as not one medium wished to release an integral press release by the bishops, yet the media openly attacked them", says HHO's press release.
The government should have taken into account the reality of society to which the programme is being offered and should have first launched a pilot-programme, the HHO concluded.
