Interights v. Croatia (European Social Charter Collective Complaints Mechanism)

12.10.08 - The Center for Reproductive Rights, Interights, and Centre for Education and Counseling of Women (CESI) submitted a complaint with the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) against Croatia for its sponsorship of a discriminatory, gender-biased and medically inaccurate extra-curricula sex education program. The brief also argues that the state has failed to protect its youth by providing comprehensive sexuality education in schools to all youth.  The groups argue that Croatia is endangering the lives of its young people through misleading and inadequate sex education and is therefore, in breach of its obligations under a major international human rights treaty, the European Social Charter.  The complaint was filed in October 2007.
Croatia has sponsored the extracurricular sex-education program Teen STAR for a decade and is now seeking to mandate a nearly identical program. Teen STAR (Sexuality Teaching in the context of Adult Responsibility) draws on Catholic teachings, promoting abstinence at the expense of other viable alternatives such as contraception. Its founder and international director, Dr. Hanna Klaus is based in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Klaus says that Teen STAR has been awarded a U.S. government PEPFAR grant.