Thirty hours of "relationship education" lessons in secondary schools, that is, high schools, technical and professional institutes, already starting this school year, with the aim of affirming and spreading among young people the culture of respect, gender equality and the fight against all forms of violence, with working groups among students moderated by teachers but also experts in the field, such as psychologists, lawyers and representatives of associations in defense of victims of violence. This is the content of the directive signed and presented yesterday morning by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, the long-awaited plan to counter "the remnants of macho culture that still pollute our country," as the minister explained. The project has become all the more eagerly awaited after the painful news case involving Elena Cecchettin, but, Valditara recalls, "it took off as early as last summer, with the rapes in Palermo and Caivano: it is absolutely unacceptable that a woman should have to suffer harassment and violence". The directive invites educational institutions to activate project initiatives that involve students in educational maturation paths, providing for the active involvement of students in discussion groups coordinated by teachers, with the aim of "creating an environment conducive to the development of a culture of mutual respect and opposition to violence".
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